Published by the United States Geological Survey with a 1966 imprint from 1965 mapping, “Lindsborg” presents a finely measured portrait of central Kansas at a scale of 1:24,000. The map centers on Lindsborg, a town celebrated for its Swedish-American identity, placing its streets, roads, waterways, and surrounding agricultural land within a precise topographic framework. In the mid-twentieth century, before later suburban expansion and infrastructural change, Lindsborg appears here as a compact community set amid open fields, valley floors, and gently rising ground. The sheet captures not merely a location, but a moment in the town’s history: a working rural landscape organized by roads, drainage, farms, and the subtle relief of the Kansas prairie.

The USGS style gives this map its quiet authority. Contour lines trace the undulating surface around Lindsborg with scientific clarity, revealing a landscape often underestimated as flat. The valleys, lowlands, and gradual elevation changes are rendered through elegant bands of brown contouring, while roads and settlement features provide the human geometry imposed upon the land. This is the cartography of practical knowledge: designed for engineers, planners, geologists, surveyors, and travelers, yet possessing a visual refinement born of disciplined observation. Every creek line, road junction, and contour interval contributes to a cumulative impression of place, where natural drainage patterns and rural settlement are shown as interlocking systems.

Lindsborg itself occupies a distinctive cultural position within Kansas history. Founded by Swedish immigrants in the nineteenth century, the town became known as “Little Sweden,” a reputation sustained through architecture, festivals, music, craft traditions, and enduring civic identity. On this map, that cultural center is embedded in its physical surroundings: the roads leading outward to farms and neighboring communities, the river valleys that helped shape settlement, and the open agricultural parcels that defined daily life. Rather than presenting heritage through symbols or illustration, the map reveals the geographic foundation beneath it—the contours, transportation routes, and rural hinterland that supported a community both locally rooted and culturally distinctive.

The Smoky Hill River and the broader drainage of the region give the sheet much of its geographic character. Valley areas around Lindsborg appear as lower, more gently contoured corridors, contrasting with the higher ground indicated by tightening contour intervals. The Saline River region and associated landforms connect this local view to the larger hydrological fabric of central Kansas, where waterways shaped travel, farming, and settlement long before modern road networks. Agricultural fields, smaller roads, and rural tracks emphasize a landscape devoted to cultivation, movement, and seasonal rhythms. In this topographic setting, the map records the practical realities of mid-century Kansas: water, soil, elevation, access, and community.

As a historical document, “Lindsborg” offers a valuable snapshot of a place poised between older rural patterns and later development. The smaller highways and local roads show how the town was connected to the surrounding countryside, while the measured absence of dense expansion highlights the openness of the period. Produced by the USGS, an institution renowned for systematic topographic, geological, and hydrological mapping, the sheet reflects a national project to understand the American landscape in exacting detail. Its appeal lies in that union of precision and memory: a carefully surveyed Kansas town, its Swedish heritage, its rivers and fields, and its gently rolling terrain preserved in the language of mid-century American cartography.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Lindsborg, Kansas
• Smoky Hill River
• Saline River
• Valley areas surrounding Lindsborg
• Various smaller roads and highways
• Agricultural fields depicted on the map
• Nearby rural communities and land features

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Lindsborg, Kansas, and the surrounding area.
• The map is dated 1965 and carries a 1966 imprint.
• Lindsborg is known for its rich Swedish heritage and annual cultural events.
• Contour lines provide a detailed representation of the area’s topography, including rolling hills and valley areas.
• Distinct elevation contours show changes in terrain, with low-lying valleys and higher surrounding ground.
• The map offers a mid-20th-century snapshot of Lindsborg before significant urban development.
• The USGS is known for its systematic geological, hydrological, and topographical mapping, supporting research, planning, and land-use studies.

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.