Published in 1914 from survey work of the same year, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Ames” presents central Iowa with the disciplined clarity of early twentieth-century scientific cartography. Produced under the directorship of George Otis Smith, it belongs to the USGS’s great national project of measuring, classifying, and rendering the American landscape in standardized topographic form. At a scale of 1:62,500, the map captures Ames and its surrounding country not as a mere town plan, but as part of a wider regional system of roads, railways, waterways, farms, and settlements. Its title is admirably spare—“Ames”—yet the sheet opens onto a richly detailed portrait of Story County and neighboring communities at a moment before modern suburban expansion transformed the terrain.

Ames itself forms the natural center of the map, shown within a landscape whose contours, transportation routes, and neighboring settlements reveal the town’s early importance as a regional hub. By 1914, Ames was already closely associated with education, agriculture, and rail connectivity, and the map reflects the broader geography that supported that growth. Nearby places including Story City, Colfax, Elsworth, Milford, Howard, Franklin, Scott, and Grants appear within the mapped world, along with the road and rail corridors that knitted them together. The result is a quietly revealing document of movement and connection: a view of central Iowa in which towns are not isolated points, but nodes in a working rural network shaped by distance, topography, and infrastructure.

The visual language of the map is quintessentially USGS: precise, restrained, and deeply informative. Distinctly colored contour lines articulate elevation changes across the countryside, allowing the viewer to read the shape of the land almost three-dimensionally. Muted tones distinguish terrain, water, roads, and settlement without overwhelming the eye, giving the sheet the measured elegance associated with early federal topographical mapping. Around Ames, the contours disclose a landscape more varied than Iowa’s reputation for flatness might suggest, with gentle hills, drainage patterns, and subtle rises shaping the placement of roads and communities. This technical artistry is part of the map’s appeal: beauty emerges from accuracy, and the landscape is rendered through a vocabulary of line, color, and scientific observation.

The waterways, lakes, and drainage features marked on the map are especially important to its historical character, since they reveal how settlement and transportation followed the natural logic of the terrain. Roads curve with the land, rail lines seek efficient gradients, and towns occupy positions that made sense within the early twentieth-century agricultural economy. The map’s depiction of rail infrastructure is particularly evocative, recalling a period when small Iowa towns were bound to wider markets through track and depot as much as by road. In contrast to later highway-centered development, this 1914 view preserves an older geography of movement—one in which local roads, railroads, creeks, and township boundaries together structured everyday life.

As a historical document, “Ames” is compelling because it captures a region poised between rural continuity and modern change. The geography shown here predates much of the urban growth, infrastructure expansion, and landscape alteration that would reshape Ames and its surroundings over the following century. Yet the essential framework of the region is already visible: the town at its center, the educational and agricultural character of the area, the surrounding communities, and the transportation lines that connected central Iowa to the nation beyond. Under George Otis Smith’s USGS, such maps were made for practical use, but today they offer something more atmospheric: a finely observed record of place, revealing how Ames and its neighboring landscapes looked when the twentieth century was still young.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Ames
• Story City
• Colfax
• Elsworth
• Clear Lake
• Milford
• Howard
• Franklin
• Scott
• Grants
• Michigan State University nearby
• Various roads and rail lines depicted in the area
• Nearby lakes and rivers marked

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey, with George Otis Smith as Director
• Created in 1914 using survey data from the same year
• Historical topographical map at a scale of 1:62,500
• Shows Ames, Iowa and the surrounding area as it was understood in the early 20th century
• Features distinctly colored contour lines to indicate elevation and terrain
• Uses a muted color palette typical of historic USGS topographical maps
• Displays detailed elevation contours and geographic features, revealing the terrain around Ames and nearby communities
• Offers a historical view of an area that has likely seen significant later development, especially in urban areas and infrastructure

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.