Published in 1989 from 1984 mapping, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Grinnell” captures a central Iowa landscape at a revealing late twentieth-century moment. At 1:100,000 scale, it presents Grinnell not as an isolated college town, but as the hub of a broader working region of farms, county roads, rail corridors, river valleys, and neighboring communities. The map’s systematic USGS design—precise linework, restrained color, contouring, and carefully classified symbols—translates the terrain into a legible portrait of settlement and landform. Poweshiek and Jasper Counties appear as a measured grid of townships, highways, drainage, and cultivated ground, giving the viewer both a practical geographic instrument and a historical record of the area’s development in the mid-1980s.

Grinnell itself occupies a prominent place on the sheet, its streets and transportation links standing out amid the surrounding agricultural pattern. Founded in the nineteenth century and long associated with Grinnell College, the town developed as a cultural and commercial center on the Iowa prairie, and the map preserves its relationship to nearby communities such as Brooklyn, Malcom, Montezuma, Kellogg, and Gilman. Roads and rail lines show the connective tissue that shaped settlement, commerce, and daily life across this part of Iowa. The surrounding landscape is not dramatic in the alpine sense, but the topography reveals a subtle and historically important prairie terrain: low rises, drainage corridors, and the engineered geometry of rural land use.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s cartographic language is especially well suited to this region. Contour lines and shaded relief reveal the modest but meaningful variations in elevation that define central Iowa’s watersheds and agricultural patterns. Blue waterways, green park and management areas, black cultural features, and red-brown road networks combine into a highly readable visual system. Rivers and creeks are not decorative additions; they are organizing structures, tracing the natural drainage that influenced roads, town placement, farm boundaries, and recreational spaces. The result is a map that rewards close looking, where the apparent regularity of the Iowa landscape gives way to a finely observed pattern of slopes, channels, crossings, and human adaptation.

Water is a key presence on the “Grinnell” sheet, with the Iowa River, Skunk River, Rock Creek, and Diamond Lake contributing to the region’s geographic character. These features mark ecological corridors through a landscape otherwise strongly shaped by agriculture and transportation. Parks, recreational areas, and wildlife management areas add another layer of meaning, showing places set aside for conservation, public access, or habitat amid cultivated land. The map records the balance between use and preservation at a particular historical moment, when rural counties across the Midwest were adjusting to changing agricultural economies, expanding road systems, and evolving environmental awareness. In this sense, its topography is also a social history.

As a government-produced topographic map, “Grinnell” belongs to a distinguished tradition of American scientific cartography. The USGS was created to measure, classify, and understand the nation’s land and resources, and its maps became indispensable tools for planners, engineers, travelers, researchers, and local communities. This sheet reflects that mission with quiet authority: every road, contour, stream, town, and boundary contributes to a larger geographic record. Viewed today, it offers a compelling comparison point for understanding subsequent changes in population, infrastructure, land use, and conservation. It is both a precise depiction of central Iowa and an evocative document of how the region looked, functioned, and connected in the 1980s.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Grinnell
• Brooklyn
• Kellogg
• Montezuma
• Newton
• Marshalltown
• Malcom
• Gilman
• Laurel
• Ewart
• Poweshiek County
• Jasper County
• Iowa River
• Skunk River
• Diamond Lake
• Rock Creek
• Various roads and highways, including U.S. Routes and state highways
• Railroad tracks
• Parks and recreational areas
• Wildlife management areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey as a historical 1:100,000 topographical map of Grinnell, Iowa and the surrounding area
• Created in 1984 and published with a 1989 imprint
• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey, a U.S. government scientific agency responsible for mapping, natural resources data, and natural hazards research
• Features a clear, systematic layout typical of USGS topographical maps
• Uses color coding to distinguish landforms, water bodies, transportation routes, and other mapped features
• Shows elevation changes and natural terrain using contour lines and shaded relief
• Reflects the landscape and urban development of the Grinnell area in the mid-1980s
• Useful for comparing historical land use, infrastructure, and population patterns with contemporary 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 36x24in (90x60cm) 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.