{"product_id":"old-map-of-amana-colonies-iowa-by-usgs-1889-iowa-river-cedar-river-oxford","title":"Old Map of Amana Colonies, Iowa by USGS, 1889 – Iowa River, Cedar River \u0026 Oxford","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1889 under the succinct title “Amana,” this United States Geological Survey topographical map captures the Amana Colonies and their Iowa surroundings at a particularly evocative moment in their history. Drawn at the classic 1:62,500 scale, it presents a richly legible portrait of settlement, drainage, and relief across a landscape shaped by agriculture, river valleys, and communal industry. The colonies—Amana, East Amana, West Amana, and South Amana—appear not merely as points on a map, but as the geographic expression of a distinctive social experiment. Established in the 1850s by German-speaking religious immigrants, the Amana villages were still thriving communally when this map was issued, making the sheet a valuable record of both terrain and utopian settlement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map bears the unmistakable discipline of the US Geological Survey, an institution founded only a decade earlier, in 1879, to bring scientific rigor to the mapping of America’s lands, resources, and natural hazards. In this early USGS work, the landscape is rendered through carefully spaced contour lines, revealing the rise and fall of Iowa’s rolling hills with understated precision. Light tonal treatment gives the terrain a subtle sense of depth, allowing ridges, valleys, creek beds, and uplands to emerge without overwhelming the viewer. The result is both practical and elegant: a scientific document that also possesses the quiet visual grace characteristic of late nineteenth-century federal cartography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the center of the map lies the Amana region, one of the most remarkable communal settlements in the United States. Founded by members of the Community of True Inspiration, the colonies developed a network of villages organized around shared labor, religious life, workshops, farms, and mills. This map depicts that community before the eventual abandonment of communal ownership in the twentieth century, when the colonies would reorganize into a more conventional economic structure. Seen here, Amana and its neighboring villages occupy a landscape of fields, roads, waterways, and modest elevations, suggesting the practical intelligence with which the settlers chose and organized their environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surrounding geography is equally compelling. The Iowa River, Prairie Creek, Calkins Creek, and the Cedar River help define the region’s natural structure, their courses threading through valleys that the contouring makes especially intelligible. Nearby places such as Florence, Benton, Clinton, Huxley, Hilton, Oxford, and Monroe situate the Amana settlements within a broader rural network of late nineteenth-century Iowa. These names evoke a world of small communities connected by roads, waterways, and agricultural exchange. The map’s topographic detail makes clear how settlement followed the logic of the land: streams offered water and power, valleys eased movement, and higher ground shaped fields, boundaries, and routes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical object, “Amana” offers more than a record of location; it reveals a meeting point between immigrant idealism, American expansion, and federal scientific mapping. The late 1880s were a period when the United States was increasingly cataloguing its interior with precision, transforming local landscapes into standardized sheets of national knowledge. Yet this map remains deeply local in feeling, preserving the contours of an Iowa community whose cultural identity was unlike any other in the region. Its understated design, carefully observed relief, and concentration of historically resonant place names make it a quietly powerful window into the physical and human geography of the Amana Colonies at their communal height.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEast Amana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWest Amana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Amana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFlorence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBenton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClinton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHuxley\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHilton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIowa River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrairie Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCalkins Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCedar River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOxford\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonroe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished by the US Geological Survey, established in 1879.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:62,500 topographical map with an 1889 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows the Amana Colonies in Iowa and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures detailed contour lines indicating elevation changes, typical of USGS topographical maps.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses light terrain shading to add depth and highlight geographical features.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplays a landscape of rolling hills and valleys, giving insight into local elevation and landforms.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Amana Colonies were established in the 1850s by German immigrants.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe colonies are historically known for communal living.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCaptures the Amana Colonies during a period when they were thriving, reflecting the socio-economic conditions of the era.\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":58766426931584,"sku":null,"price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58766426964352,"sku":null,"price":112.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58766426997120,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58766427029888,"sku":null,"price":41.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58766427062656,"sku":null,"price":112.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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