{"product_id":"old-map-of-mineral-point-wisconsin-by-usgs-1952-kendall-driftless-area-ridges","title":"Old Map of Mineral Point, Wisconsin by USGS, 1952 – Kendall \u0026 Driftless Area Ridges","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1954 from survey work completed in 1952, the US Geological Survey’s “Mineral Point Quadrangle” presents a finely measured portrait of southwestern Wisconsin at mid-century. Centered on Mineral Point, the sheet captures a landscape whose quiet hills and roads belie a dramatic history of extraction, settlement, and regional transformation. Its original title is direct and utilitarian, yet evocative: a quadrangle map devoted to one of Wisconsin’s most storied mining towns. The USGS style is instantly recognizable—precise contours, carefully differentiated transportation routes, watercourses, and settlement patterns—offering not merely a geographic reference, but a disciplined visual record of how land, industry, and community were arranged in the early 1950s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMineral Point occupies a special place in Wisconsin history as one of the state’s earliest and most important lead-mining centers. Long before Wisconsin achieved statehood, miners were drawn to the region’s rich deposits, and the town became closely associated with the “badger” miners who dug into hillsides for shelter and ore. By the time this map was surveyed, the era of frontier mining had given way to a more settled agricultural and small-town landscape, but the terrain still carries traces of that older story. Roads, ridges, valleys, and scattered built features speak to patterns of movement and occupation shaped by mineral wealth, rural labor, and the enduring pull of the Driftless Area’s rugged topography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map’s topographic language is one of its great pleasures. Contour lines sweep across the sheet in elegant, close-knit patterns, describing an undulating world of ridges, ledges, slopes, and valleys around Mineral Point and Kendall. Rather than presenting the land as flat space, the USGS rendering gives the viewer a tactile sense of ascent and descent, of hilltops, drainage cuts, and hidden folds in the countryside. Unnamed streams and watercourses thread through the lower ground, while elevation markings and contour intervals reveal the subtle structure of the landscape. The result is both scientific and artistic: a disciplined survey transformed into a graceful relief portrait.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surrounding infrastructure captured on the “Mineral Point Quadrangle” is equally revealing. Minor roads lace the countryside, connecting farms, settlements, and local routes in a pattern that reflects the practical geography of rural Wisconsin in the postwar years. Rail tracks, where shown, evoke the older economic networks that tied mining, agriculture, and small-town commerce to broader regional markets. Parks and recreational spaces appear amid the working landscape, hinting at evolving uses of the land beyond extraction and cultivation. Together, these features make the map an absorbing document of place: not simply where Mineral Point stood, but how people moved through, worked upon, and understood the terrain around it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a US Geological Survey production, this map belongs to a distinguished cartographic tradition dedicated to systematic, public mapping of the American landscape. In the mid-twentieth century, USGS topographic sheets were indispensable tools for engineers, geologists, planners, hikers, landowners, and government agencies, combining field survey, standardized symbology, and exceptional clarity. The “Mineral Point Quadrangle” exemplifies that mission, preserving a moment when the town’s mining legacy, rural roads, rail corridors, streams, and high ground could be read together in one coherent image. Today, it offers a compelling historical view of southwestern Wisconsin: a measured landscape shaped by geology, labor, settlement, and time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMineral Point, WI\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKendall, WI\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinor roads and rail tracks\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLedges and ridges marked with contours\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNearby valleys and watercourses, including unnamed streams\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParks and recreational areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElevation markers shown through contour lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOther notable elevations in the vicinity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical topographical map of Mineral Point, Wisconsin and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated in 1952 and published in 1954.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey, using survey data from 1952.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMineral Point is a historic mining town with roots in lead mining dating back to the mid-19th century.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map uses contour lines to show elevation changes, valleys, hills, and undulating terrain.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIts color scheme, detail, and symbology reflect mid-20th-century USGS mapping standards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe map serves as a historical record of the area’s past infrastructure, natural landscape, and evolving settlement patterns.\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=\"\/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=\"\/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=\"\/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=\"\/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":68115659030919,"sku":null,"price":358.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68115659063687,"sku":null,"price":963.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":68115659096455,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":68115659129223,"sku":null,"price":358.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68115659161991,"sku":null,"price":963.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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