Published in 1926 from survey work originally created in 1891, the US Geological Survey’s “Iowa City” presents a finely observed portrait of Johnson County and its surrounding Iowa landscape at a pivotal moment in the region’s development. At a scale of 1:62,500, the map balances broad regional coverage with remarkable local detail, placing Iowa City at the center of a network of roads, rural settlements, waterways, and cultivated land. The University of Iowa, already central to the city’s identity, anchors the urban scene, while the surrounding countryside reveals the agricultural character that shaped eastern Iowa’s economy. The map captures a landscape poised between nineteenth-century settlement patterns and the infrastructural changes of the early twentieth century.

The United States Geological Survey, established in 1879, became one of the most important scientific mapping institutions in American history, charged with systematically surveying the nation’s terrain, resources, and geologic structure. This map reflects the USGS’s commitment to precision, legibility, and practical utility. Contour lines trace the rolling topography around Iowa City, showing the subtle but meaningful rises and hollows of the region rather than presenting the land as a flat agricultural grid. Color and line weight distinguish roads, streams, town boundaries, and relief, creating a map that is both scientifically rigorous and visually elegant. It is a product of the great federal effort to make the American landscape measurable, navigable, and comprehensible.

Iowa City itself appears not merely as a dot on the map, but as a civic and educational center embedded within a wider rural world. The presence of the University of Iowa is especially significant: founded in 1847, it helped define the city as a place of scholarship, medicine, law, and public life. By the time of the original 1891 survey, Iowa City had long ceased to be the state capital, yet retained a cultural prominence disproportionate to its size. The map’s roads and neighborhoods hint at the city’s outward growth, while its relationship to the Iowa River underscores the importance of water, elevation, and transport in shaping the settlement’s form.

Beyond the city, the map opens into the townships, farms, roads, and small communities of Johnson and neighboring Washington County. Hills, rural routes, unnamed trails, and township divisions reveal a working landscape organized around agriculture and local movement rather than metropolitan expansion. The Iowa River winds through the sheet as both a natural feature and a historical corridor, influencing settlement, drainage, and travel. Places such as Hills and the surrounding townships emerge within a matrix of fields and lanes, offering a glimpse of the late nineteenth-century Midwest before the dominance of modern highways and suburban sprawl. The result is a richly layered record of everyday geography.

What makes this map especially compelling is its ability to preserve change in progress. The 1891 survey captures Iowa City and its hinterland in a late Victorian moment, while the 1926 imprint places it within an era of automobiles, modernized infrastructure, and expanding federal cartography. Comparing the two dates invites reflection on continuity and transformation: river valleys remain, contours endure, but roads, neighborhoods, land use, and urban scale inevitably shift. The map is therefore more than a navigational document; it is a historical witness to the shaping of an American university town and its agricultural surroundings. Its disciplined topographic style gives enduring form to a landscape in motion.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Iowa City
• University of Iowa
• Johnson County
• Washington County
• Hills
• Iowa River
• Various unnamed roads and trails
• Neighborhoods within Iowa City
• Farmland and rural areas surrounding Iowa City
• Iowa Township
• Washington Township

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map of Iowa City, Iowa and the surrounding area
• Originally created in 1891; published with a 1926 imprint
• Uses contour lines to show elevation changes and the area’s undulating topography
• Depicts rivers, hills, and surrounding rural landscape features
• Clear use of color and line weight differentiates map features for easier navigation
• Provides insight into the geographic and urban development of Iowa City during the late 19th and early 20th centuries
• Useful for comparing historic urban layout, land use, and infrastructure with present-day maps

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.