Published in 1951 by the United States Geological Survey, “Ithaca East” presents the Ithaca, New York, quadrangle at the classic 1:24,000 scale, a level of detail that made USGS topographic maps indispensable to planners, engineers, hikers, and historians alike. Centered on the southern end of Cayuga Lake and the city of Ithaca, the map captures a mid-century landscape in transition: an academic town expanding outward, roads becoming more prominent, and rural valleys still threaded with farms, creeks, and wooded slopes. The title itself is spare and official, in the understated USGS manner, yet the map’s content is richly evocative—revealing the geography that shaped Ithaca’s identity, from steep glacially cut terrain to the waterways that descend toward the lake.

The US Geological Survey brought scientific precision and a distinctive visual language to this map, combining contour lines, standardized symbols, and color-coded land cover into a remarkably legible portrait of place. Brown contour lines articulate the rolling hills, ravines, and abrupt elevation changes that define the Ithaca region, while blue lines trace Fall Creek, local streams, and the drainage network feeding Cayuga Lake. Vivid green fills mark wooded and vegetated areas, offering an immediate sense of the region’s natural texture. Red road lines, meanwhile, emphasize the human framework of highways and local routes that connected Ithaca with Dryden, Newfield, and neighboring settlements. The result is both practical and elegant: a measured, data-rich landscape rendered with quiet cartographic authority.

Ithaca’s dramatic topography is the true protagonist of this map. The city occupies a basin-like setting at the head of Cayuga Lake, surrounded by hills, valleys, and deeply incised gorges formed by glacial and post-glacial erosion. Fall Creek, one of the region’s defining waterways, cuts through the terrain near Cornell University, creating the famous gorge landscape that has long shaped the university’s setting and the city’s sense of place. Nearby natural landmarks, including Buttermilk Falls State Park, Treman State Park, and Enfield Falls, belong to the same spectacular geological story: water, elevation, and bedrock producing cascades and steep-sided ravines. The contour pattern makes these features intelligible at a glance, translating scenic drama into precise topographic form.

The map is also a compelling record of Ithaca as an educational and civic center in the early Cold War era. Cornell University appears not merely as an institution, but as a geographical force—set among slopes, creeks, roads, and neighborhoods that reveal its intimate relationship with the surrounding terrain. By 1951, Ithaca had already developed a distinctive blend of town, gown, and countryside, with academic buildings, residential areas, and transportation corridors embedded in a landscape that remained visibly rural beyond the urban core. The map preserves road systems and settlement patterns before later suburban expansion altered the margins of the city. For collectors, this makes “Ithaca East” especially valuable as a snapshot of mid-20th-century development in one of New York’s most characterful college towns.

Beyond its local significance, “Ithaca East” belongs to the golden age of American topographic mapping, when the USGS systematically documented the nation through quadrangles of exceptional consistency and detail. Its restrained palette and disciplined symbology create a visual balance between scientific utility and graphic beauty: green woodland, blue water, red roads, and finely graded contours working together to describe a living landscape. Cayuga Lake anchors the wider setting, while Dryden, Newfield, Adjoin Creek, and the surrounding rural places extend the story outward into Tompkins County’s broader geography. As a historical document, the map invites comparison with the present; as a cartographic object, it offers a beautifully ordered view of hills, gorges, campuses, roads, and watercourses at a defining moment in Ithaca’s modern history.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Ithaca
• Cayuga Lake
• Fall Creek
• Dryden
• Cornell University
• Buttermilk Falls State Park
• Treman State Park
• Enfield Falls
• Adjoin Creek
• Newfield
• Various roads and highways indicated with red lines
• Local waterways and streams indicated by blue lines

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical topographical map dated 1951
• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Scale: 1:24,000
• Uses contour lines to show elevation changes and terrain detail
• Shows a landscape of rolling hills and valleys with varying elevations and slopes
• Reflects mid-20th-century land use, road systems, infrastructure, and urban development
• Features vivid green fills for vegetation and lighter shades to help distinguish topography
• Created in the reliable, detailed USGS mapping style used for land use, resource management, and geographic reference

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.