Rare Old Map of Marathon, Florida by USGS, 1971: Florida Keys, Boot Key Harbor & Key Vaca
Restored in our London workshop from the original 1973 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored from the original 1973 map and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Full description
Map size guide
In general, maps look better at larger sizes, particularly maps with a lot of details. Because every order is handmade, custom sizing is available: select 'custom size' on the product page and fill in the dimensions, or put it in your order notes on the checkout screen.
The map covers the entire piece of paper, for every available size. There are no white edges. The map will look exactly like in the product photos. If you want some 'extra space' around the map, please contact me or put it in your order notes.
To help you pick the right size, here are some of my 'standard' map sizes next to each other, in portrait and landscape orientation.
| 16x12in (40x30cm) | 20x16in (50x40cm) | 24x18in (60x45cm) |
36x24in (90x60cm) |
| 12x16in (30x40cm) | 16x20in (40x50cm) | 18x24in (45x60cm) |
24x36in (60x90cm) |
Buying framed maps
Our standard frames add about 2cm (0.75in) to each side of the map. So, a 45x60cm map would be 49x64cm when framed, or a 24x36in map would be 25.5x37.5in.
Larger maps over 125cm/50in usually have wider frames, and custom framing is available if you're looking for a specific frame width or style
Buying unframed maps
If you buy an unframed old map from me, and plan to frame it yourself, please read this page for important information about framing your map.
General size guidelines
Generally, the size you see on the shop is exactly accurate.
So, for example, if you buy an 18x24 inch map, you should buy a frame that 'fits artwork' that is 18x24 inches. If you order a 60x90cm map, you should buy a frame that 'fits artwork' that is 60x90cm.
If you see a map that is an unusual size, such as 24x11 inches (or 61x29cm), I strongly recommend you wait for the map to arrive before making or ordering a frame online. These maps can vary in size by a few millimetres, and it's very frustrating if they don't fit into your frame!
If you need a map that is an exact size in centimetres or inches, please contact me. For larger maps over 50in/125cm I can customise the size free of charge.
Large maps
If you are framing the map yourself, please order the map and wait for it to arrive. Then measure the map and order a frame to fit.
If you are taking your map to a local framer, they will measure the map for you and then make the frame to fit.
For larger maps, please make sure you stick them in properly or they will become wavy and bubbly after a short time. Alternatively, we would be happy to frame it for you!
Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
Own a piece of history
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Titled simply “Marathon,” this United States Geological Survey map was created in 1971 and published in 1973, capturing the central Florida Keys...
Continue readingTitled simply “Marathon,” this United States Geological Survey map was created in 1971 and published in 1973, capturing the central Florida Keys at a moment of accelerating coastal development. At 1:24,000 scale, it presents the populated place of Marathon and its surrounding marine landscape with unusual immediacy, using the orthophoto technique to blend the precision of topographic mapping with the visual richness of aerial imagery. The result is a vivid blue and green portrait of land, water, roads, channels, and waterfront settlement. Key Vaca, Boot Key, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon Shores, and the neighboring waters of Florida Bay and the Straits of Florida appear as part of one intricate coastal system.
The USGS was especially well suited to produce a map of this kind. By the late twentieth century, the agency had become the authoritative cartographic voice of American terrain, combining field survey, aerial photography, geodesy, and standardized topographic design. Orthophoto maps represented a particularly modern stage in this tradition: aerial photographs were corrected for distortion so that features appeared in their true planimetric positions, allowing buildings, shorelines, roads, canals, and vegetation patterns to be read with remarkable clarity. For a place like Marathon, where the relationship between land and sea defines nearly every aspect of life, this method offered an unusually revealing view of the built and natural environment.
Marathon itself occupies a strategic and evocative position in the Florida Keys, stretched across Key Vaca and neighboring islands between Florida Bay to the north and the Straits of Florida to the south. The map shows a settlement deeply oriented toward water: Boot Key Harbor, marine facilities, waterfront properties, channels, causeways, and shoreline roads structure the community as much as any inland street grid. Hawk Channel runs offshore, while East Sombrero Key and West Sombrero Key mark the seaward realm beyond the main inhabited keys. The mapped landscape is low, narrow, and exposed, emphasizing how delicately Marathon sits between sheltered bay waters and the open Atlantic.
The topographic character of the sheet is subtle but fascinating. Unlike mountain or river-valley maps, where contour lines dominate the drama, “Marathon” is a study in minute elevation, coastal edges, and aquatic space. Its blue and green palette clarifies the boundary between solid ground, shallow water, channels, and deeper marine environments, making the map as much a maritime document as a terrestrial one. The region’s low-lying nature is central to its identity, and the orthophoto treatment makes docks, roads, open lots, mangrove margins, and developed waterfronts readily legible. It is a cartographic record of a place where every foot of elevation and every cut through the shoreline matters.
Historically, the map stands at an important threshold for the Florida Keys. Created shortly after 1971, it records Marathon during a period when modern tourism, residential development, boating infrastructure, and road-connected island life were reshaping the archipelago. In retrospect, it also preserves evidence of shorelines and settlement patterns that have since been altered by intensified development, environmental regulation, hurricane impacts, and rising concern over climate change. The Florida Keys are now understood as one of America’s most vulnerable coastal regions, and this map offers a compelling baseline view of Marathon before many later transformations. Elegant, technical, and deeply place-specific, it is both a navigational image and a historical witness.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Marathon
- Marathon Shores
- Boot Key
- Key Vaca
- Hawk Channel
- East Sombrero Key
- West Sombrero Key
- Florida Bay
- Straits of Florida
- Boot Key Harbor
- Numerous waterfront properties and marine facilities
- Roads and trails connecting various locations within Marathon
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- Created in 1971 and published in 1973
- Historical 1:24,000 scale topographical map
- Special orthophoto map format
- Shows the populated place of Marathon, Florida, and its surrounding area
- Uses survey data to present an extensive view of coastal features
- Displays land and marine environments in a vivid blue and green palette
- Depicts a low-lying coastal region with channels, waterfront properties, and natural features
- Color is used to enhance the visual understanding of elevation and water depth
- Reflects significant post-1971 developments in Marathon and the Florida Keys, including urbanization and environmental changes linked to development and climate change
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.
Titled simply “Marathon,” this United States Geological Survey map was created in 1971 and published in 1973, capturing the central Florida Keys at a moment of accelerating coastal development. At 1:24,000 scale, it presents the populated place of Marathon and its surrounding marine landscape with unusual immediacy, using the orthophoto technique to blend the precision of topographic mapping with the visual richness of aerial imagery. The result is a vivid blue and green portrait of land, water, roads, channels, and waterfront settlement. Key Vaca, Boot Key, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon Shores, and the neighboring waters of Florida Bay and the Straits of Florida appear as part of one intricate coastal system.
The USGS was especially well suited to produce a map of this kind. By the late twentieth century, the agency had become the authoritative cartographic voice of American terrain, combining field survey, aerial photography, geodesy, and standardized topographic design. Orthophoto maps represented a particularly modern stage in this tradition: aerial photographs were corrected for distortion so that features appeared in their true planimetric positions, allowing buildings, shorelines, roads, canals, and vegetation patterns to be read with remarkable clarity. For a place like Marathon, where the relationship between land and sea defines nearly every aspect of life, this method offered an unusually revealing view of the built and natural environment.
Marathon itself occupies a strategic and evocative position in the Florida Keys, stretched across Key Vaca and neighboring islands between Florida Bay to the north and the Straits of Florida to the south. The map shows a settlement deeply oriented toward water: Boot Key Harbor, marine facilities, waterfront properties, channels, causeways, and shoreline roads structure the community as much as any inland street grid. Hawk Channel runs offshore, while East Sombrero Key and West Sombrero Key mark the seaward realm beyond the main inhabited keys. The mapped landscape is low, narrow, and exposed, emphasizing how delicately Marathon sits between sheltered bay waters and the open Atlantic.
The topographic character of the sheet is subtle but fascinating. Unlike mountain or river-valley maps, where contour lines dominate the drama, “Marathon” is a study in minute elevation, coastal edges, and aquatic space. Its blue and green palette clarifies the boundary between solid ground, shallow water, channels, and deeper marine environments, making the map as much a maritime document as a terrestrial one. The region’s low-lying nature is central to its identity, and the orthophoto treatment makes docks, roads, open lots, mangrove margins, and developed waterfronts readily legible. It is a cartographic record of a place where every foot of elevation and every cut through the shoreline matters.
Historically, the map stands at an important threshold for the Florida Keys. Created shortly after 1971, it records Marathon during a period when modern tourism, residential development, boating infrastructure, and road-connected island life were reshaping the archipelago. In retrospect, it also preserves evidence of shorelines and settlement patterns that have since been altered by intensified development, environmental regulation, hurricane impacts, and rising concern over climate change. The Florida Keys are now understood as one of America’s most vulnerable coastal regions, and this map offers a compelling baseline view of Marathon before many later transformations. Elegant, technical, and deeply place-specific, it is both a navigational image and a historical witness.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Marathon
- Marathon Shores
- Boot Key
- Key Vaca
- Hawk Channel
- East Sombrero Key
- West Sombrero Key
- Florida Bay
- Straits of Florida
- Boot Key Harbor
- Numerous waterfront properties and marine facilities
- Roads and trails connecting various locations within Marathon
Historical context & cartographic details
- Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
- Created in 1971 and published in 1973
- Historical 1:24,000 scale topographical map
- Special orthophoto map format
- Shows the populated place of Marathon, Florida, and its surrounding area
- Uses survey data to present an extensive view of coastal features
- Displays land and marine environments in a vivid blue and green palette
- Depicts a low-lying coastal region with channels, waterfront properties, and natural features
- Color is used to enhance the visual understanding of elevation and water depth
- Reflects significant post-1971 developments in Marathon and the Florida Keys, including urbanization and environmental changes linked to development and climate change
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.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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