Published in 1982 using survey data from 1965, the US Geological Survey’s “Mason” presents a precise 1:24,000 topographic portrait of southwestern Ohio at a moment when rural landscapes, river corridors, and expanding suburbs met in dynamic transition. Centered around the Loveland area and neighboring communities, the map records a landscape shaped by the Little Miami River, branching roads, rail lines, residential streets, wooded parcels, and open land. Its title, “Mason,” places it within the USGS quadrangle system, a nationwide cartographic framework designed to render local geography with exceptional clarity. The result is both a practical survey document and a historical snapshot, capturing the Cincinnati metropolitan fringe as development began reshaping former agricultural and river-valley communities.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map nearly a century of institutional expertise in measuring, classifying, and interpreting the American landscape. Founded in 1879, the USGS became one of the most influential mapping agencies in the world, producing standardized topographic sheets that served engineers, planners, scientists, hikers, and government agencies alike. Its maps were not merely navigational tools; they were foundational records for environmental study, natural-resource management, flood analysis, infrastructure planning, and later suburban development. In the “Mason” quadrangle, that scientific discipline is evident in the careful hierarchy of roads, watercourses, contours, boundaries, and built features, all organized into a cartographic language that allows the terrain to be read almost as a landscape biography.

Loveland is one of the map’s most compelling focal points, set within the wooded and rolling country associated with the Little Miami River. Known for its picturesque neighborhoods and riverside setting, Loveland occupies a historically significant corridor where transportation, settlement, and recreation have long converged. The Little Miami, later celebrated as a National Scenic River, winds through the region as both a natural landmark and organizing feature, shaping valleys, floodplains, and routes of movement. Tributaries, lakes, parks, and green spaces appear alongside residential districts and local roads, revealing the interplay between natural systems and suburban growth. The map captures not only where communities stood, but how water, terrain, and access influenced their expansion.

Cartographically, the map belongs to the classic USGS topographic tradition: restrained, legible, and rich in layered information. Contour lines articulate the region’s subtle but meaningful elevation changes, tracing slopes, ridges, valleys, and lowlands with a precision that transforms the page into a three-dimensional reading of the land. Color-coded symbols distinguish water, woodland, road networks, railways, urbanized areas, and public features, while the dense pattern of side streets and main routes reflects the increasing complexity of local settlement. This is a map designed for close looking, rewarding the eye with details that move from broad regional structure to individual landscape clues—streams, crossings, neighborhoods, and the quiet geometry of human occupation.

Historically, “Mason” is especially evocative because it preserves the geography of the mid-1960s while appearing in print during the early 1980s, a period when the outer Cincinnati region was undergoing notable suburban transformation. Liberty Township, Deerfield Township, Loveland, and nearby residential enclaves were increasingly tied into broader networks of commuting, commerce, and recreation. Roads and railways shown on the map speak to older patterns of connection, while expanding neighborhoods hint at the pressures that would continue to remake the landscape in subsequent decades. As a record of land use, terrain, and settlement, the map offers a refined window into a changing Ohio—where river valleys, rural remnants, and modern suburbia existed side by side.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Loveland
• Liberty Township
• Deerfield Township
• Little Miami River
• Residential neighborhoods
• Parks and natural areas
• Roads and highways, including main and side streets
• Railways
• Water bodies, including lakes and tributaries
• Landmarks and notable features in the surrounding landscape

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map produced by the US Geological Survey.
• Portrays Loveland, Ohio, and surrounding areas.
• Based on survey data from 1965 and published in 1982.
• Highlights both urban and rural land uses in the region.
• Loveland is noted for its picturesque neighborhoods and proximity to the Little Miami River, a designated National Scenic River.
• Features traditional USGS topographic styling, including contour lines, color-coded land use, and notable landmarks.
• Shows elevation changes and terrain variations, including valleys and higher ground.
• Offers insight into land use changes since the 1960s, including suburban growth and environmental transformation.

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.