Published in 1925 from survey data gathered that same year, the US Geological Survey’s “Burnet 3-d” presents Marble Falls and its surrounding Texas Hill Country with the exacting authority of early twentieth-century federal cartography. Marked as an “advance” sheet, it suggests a work intended to place fresh geographic intelligence into use quickly, emphasizing the practical value of its terrain detail. The map belongs to a period when the USGS was refining the systematic depiction of American landscapes, translating field observation, aerial photography, and earlier surveys into a disciplined topographic language. Its 20-foot contour interval gives the sheet a finely grained sense of elevation, revealing not merely where roads, creeks, and settlements lay, but how the land itself rose and folded around them.

The map was produced by W. L. Miller and Lee Marsden, whose work drew upon aerial photographs as well as previous survey records—an especially modern combination for 1925. Aviation was transforming mapmaking, allowing surveyors to reconcile ground measurements with a broader overhead perspective, and this sheet reflects that transition from purely terrestrial observation to increasingly photographic cartography. The result is a measured, data-rich portrait of the Marble Falls region, rendered with the restrained elegance characteristic of USGS topographic sheets. Rather than embellishment, its beauty lies in precision: contour lines, drainage patterns, place names, and transportation traces form a visual grammar of the landscape. In such maps, scientific accuracy becomes its own aesthetic, revealing terrain as both information and form.

At the center of the map’s story is Marble Falls, set along the Colorado River in Burnet County, an area shaped by water, stone, and settlement. The river corridor anchors the geography, while nearby Cypress Creek, Campbell Creek, Honey Creek, Heards Creek, and Little River articulate the surrounding drainage network. Granite Mountain, one of the region’s most celebrated geological landmarks, appears within this broader landscape of rugged uplands and eroded stream valleys. Smaller communities and localities—Oakalla, Dodson, Dyer, Warren, Big Sandy, Bullhead, Whip-Poor-Will, and Quarry—evoke a more dispersed rural world of farms, crossings, mineral workings, and local roads. Together, these names preserve a textured human geography that is as valuable as the physical terrain.

The topographic character of “Burnet 3-d” is especially compelling, with its 20-foot contours describing the hilly, undulating relief that defines this part of central Texas. The close spacing of contour lines around slopes and creek cuts gives the viewer an immediate sense of broken ground, while gentler intervals suggest more open terraces and upland surfaces. Springs such as Flatrock Spring point to the hydrological subtleties of the region, where groundwater, limestone, granite, and seasonal drainage shaped movement and settlement. This is not a flat administrative map, but a landscape read through elevation: ridges, hollows, streambeds, and river margins all emerge through linework. Its disciplined contours offer a remarkably tactile impression of terrain without departing from scientific restraint.

Seen today, the map offers a valuable pre-transformation view of the Marble Falls area before later twentieth-century changes altered the Colorado River corridor. The creation of Wirtz Dam and Lake Marble Falls would eventually redefine the local waterscape, making this 1925 survey an important record of the riverine geography that preceded impoundment and lakeside development. It also provides a benchmark for studying changes in land use, settlement, road networks, erosion, quarrying, and urban expansion over nearly a century. Marble Falls and Burnet County have since become associated with recreation, reservoirs, and Hill Country growth, but this sheet preserves an earlier moment: a working landscape of creeks, hills, rural communities, and geological prominence captured with the clarity of USGS survey craft.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Marble Falls
• Granite Mountain
• Lake Marble Falls
• Cypress Creek
• Colorado River
• Flatrock Spring
• Oakalla
• Dodson
• Burnet
• Dyer
• Whip-Poor-Will
• Warren
• Big Sandy
• Bullhead
• Little River
• Campbell Creek
• Honey Creek
• Quarry
• Wirtz Dam
• Heards Creek

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 1925, using survey data collected the same year.
• Produced by W. L. Miller and Lee Marsden, based on aerial photographs and earlier surveys.
• Focuses on Marble Falls, Texas, and the surrounding area.
• Marked as an “advance” map, indicating early or specialized geographic information.
• Uses contour lines to show elevation changes, with a contour interval of 20 feet.
• Depicts hilly or undulating terrain through detailed topographic contouring.
• Provides a historical snapshot of the region’s 1925 topography, useful for comparing changes in land use, development, and erosion over time.

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.