{"product_id":"old-map-of-ely-minnesota-by-usgs-1965-soudan-lake-vermilion-boundary-waters","title":"Old Map of Ely, Minnesota by USGS, 1965 – Soudan, Lake Vermilion \u0026 Boundary Waters","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished with a 1967 imprint and based on 1965 mapping, “Ely” is a finely observed United States Geological Survey 1:24,000 topographic portrait of one of Minnesota’s most evocative northern landscapes. Centered on Ely, the map captures the town at a moment when its identity was increasingly shaped by wilderness travel, lake-country recreation, and conservation, while still bearing the marks of mining, logging, and settlement. The USGS’s disciplined cartographic language gives the sheet both scientific authority and visual elegance: contour lines articulate the land’s subtle rises, blues gather into lakes and streams, and greens distinguish the forested terrain that defines this corner of the North Woods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEly itself appears as the principal human landmark, a small but significant settlement on the threshold of vast canoe country. By the mid-twentieth century, the town had become an essential gateway for travelers entering the lakes, portages, and forests associated with the Boundary Waters region. The map’s roads, trails, buildings, and symbols reveal the practical geography of access—how people moved through a landscape dominated not by highways and cities, but by shorelines, waterways, and wooded ridges. Nearby places such as Soudan, Bear Island, Shagawa Lake, Snowbank Lake, and Basswood Lake place Ely within a wider network of northern Minnesota communities and natural destinations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hydrography is among the map’s most compelling features. Lakes and streams occupy the sheet not as incidental details, but as the organizing structure of the landscape. Shagawa Lake anchors the immediate Ely area, while Snowbank Lake, Basswood Lake, Lake Vermilion, and Lower Basswood Falls evoke the larger watery labyrinth for which the region is famous. These interconnected waters shaped Indigenous travel, fur-trade routes, timber operations, recreation, and later conservation policy. In a place where canoe routes often mattered as much as roads, the USGS’s precise rendering of shorelines, inlets, outlets, islands, and falls gives the map a distinctive northern character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe topographic character of the Ely region is subtle rather than monumental, and that is precisely what makes the sheet so rewarding. Contours describe a glaciated terrain of low relief, rocky knobs, forested slopes, wetlands, and basins scoured and shaped by ice. Elevation markers and contour intervals help reveal the hidden architecture beneath the forests, showing how small changes in height influence drainage, lake chains, and travel corridors. The use of clear color—greens for wooded land, blues for water, and crisp linework for roads and trails—creates a lucid, almost architectural reading of wilderness. It is a map of terrain experienced intimately, by foot, paddle, portage, and shoreline.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreated by the United States Geological Survey, the map belongs to one of the most ambitious scientific mapping enterprises in American history. USGS quadrangles were designed for accuracy, standardization, and utility, yet they often possess an understated beauty born from their precision. In this Ely sheet, that rigor preserves a mid-century snapshot of land use, access, and settlement at the edge of what is now closely associated with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It is valuable not only as a guide to physical geography, but as a historical document: a record of northern Minnesota before later decades of expanding outdoor recreation, evolving conservation priorities, and changing relationships between communities and wild lands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEly, MN\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSoudan, MN\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBear Island\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLake Vermilion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShagawa Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSnowbank Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBasswood Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLower Basswood Falls\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTettagouche State Park\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForests, including portions of the Chippewa National Forest\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious lakes and streams\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMountains and elevation markers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:24,000 topographical map.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1965 with a 1967 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated as part of the USGS’s rigorous and systematic mapping of United States topography and geology.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses a color-coded design, with greens for land and blues for water bodies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes cartographic symbols for geographic features such as roads, trails, and landmarks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows varied terrain, including elevation changes, lakes, rivers, and forests characteristic of northern Minnesota.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects the mid-20th-century geographical layout of the area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUseful for understanding changes in land use, development, outdoor recreation, and conservation over time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/es\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58767127216512,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58767127249280,"sku":null,"price":982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58767127282048,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58767127314816,"sku":null,"price":365.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58767127347584,"sku":null,"price":982.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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