Titled “Lincoln Quadrangle,” this United States Geological Survey map presents Nebraska’s capital and its surrounding landscape through survey data gathered in 1964 and issued with a 1980 imprint. At the precise 1:24,000 scale for which USGS quadrangles are celebrated, Lincoln appears not merely as a city, but as an intricate meeting point of civic power, university life, transportation, and prairie terrain. The map captures a moment when postwar growth was reshaping the American Midwest, yet older patterns of rail corridors, creek valleys, and gridded settlement still structured the urban fabric. As the seat of state government and home to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln is shown as both administrative capital and cultural engine, embedded in the gently rolling country of southeastern Nebraska.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the rigorous visual language that made its topographic series indispensable to planners, engineers, geologists, and travelers. Color coding distinguishes urban development, water, vegetation, and transportation networks, while contour lines and hachures articulate the subtle rise and fall of the plains. In a region often imagined as flat, the map reveals a more nuanced landscape: shallow valleys, drainageways, reservoirs, and engineered corridors shaping how the city expands. The cartographic style is practical yet elegant, transforming municipal detail into a disciplined portrait of place. Roads, railways, streams, parks, and institutional grounds are all rendered as part of one interconnected terrain, allowing Lincoln’s built environment to be read alongside the natural systems beneath it.

At the heart of the quadrangle lies Lincoln itself, a city whose identity is anchored by government, education, and regional commerce. The University of Nebraska appears as one of the defining landmarks, a major presence in the life of the city and a force in the state’s intellectual and economic development. Around it, the street grid, rail lines, and major roads suggest the rhythms of a growing capital: commuters, freight, students, legislators, and travelers moving through a compact but evolving urban center. Lincoln Airport marks another important node, linking the city to wider national networks. The inclusion of military sites, historic landmarks, and civic infrastructure gives the map a layered quality, recording institutions that helped shape modern Lincoln.

The natural features shown on the “Lincoln Quadrangle” lend the map much of its character. Salt Creek, one of the principal waterways of the area, threads through the urban and peri-urban landscape, its valley influencing settlement, transportation, and floodplain development. Antelope Valley appears as another important drainage corridor, later associated with major civic redevelopment and water-management efforts. Parks and open spaces such as Pioneers Park, Wilderness Park, and Holmes Lake reveal Lincoln’s relationship with recreation, conservation, and urban relief. Reservoirs, small lakes, tributary streams, and wooded corridors break up the city’s geometry, offering a counterpoint to streets and railways. These features make the map as much a study of environmental structure as of urban form.

Viewed from the vantage of its 1980 imprint, the map is especially compelling as a record of transition. Many features it depicts—roads, interstates, rail corridors, reservoirs, parks, and neighborhoods—have since been altered by decades of growth, redevelopment, and changing transportation priorities. Lincoln’s expansion, the evolving role of the airport, modifications to Antelope Valley, and shifting land use around the city all make this quadrangle a valuable historical witness. It captures Nebraska’s capital at a point between its mid-century form and the metropolitan landscape that would follow. For collectors, historians, and admirers of American cartography, the map offers a finely observed portrait of place: a city, a watershed, and a prairie landscape held in exacting topographic balance.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Lincoln, Nebraska
• Lincoln Airport
• Salt Creek
• Antelope Valley
• Pioneers Park
• Holmes Lake
• University of Nebraska
• Wilderness Park
• Major roads and interstates
• Railways in and around Lincoln
• Reservoirs and parks
• Nearby streams and small lakes
• Military sites
• Historical landmarks within Lincoln

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Lincoln, Nebraska and the surrounding area
• Based on survey data from 1964 and published with a 1980 imprint
• USGS maps are known for detailed and accurate topographic information used in geology, land-use planning, and outdoor recreation
• Uses color coding and hatching patterns to show different landscapes and land uses
• Shows elevation changes, waterways, and urban infrastructure
• Captures Lincoln as Nebraska’s capital and home to the University of Nebraska
• Reflects features that may have changed since 1980, including urban development, transportation infrastructure, and natural landscape alterations

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.