Published in 1942, the United States Geological Survey’s “Gumlog” presents the Blairsville, Georgia region with the disciplined elegance of mid-century American topographic mapping. At 1:24,000 scale, it captures a close, practical view of Union County and the southern Appalachian landscape, where settlement, roadways, rivers, forests, and mountain forms are rendered with scientific clarity. Blairsville appears as the principal town, set amid a web of rural roads, valleys, and upland terrain. The timing is especially evocative: created during the Second World War era, the map records northern Georgia before many postwar changes in infrastructure, recreation, and land use transformed the region. It is both a navigational document and a historical benchmark, preserving the geography of a mountain community at a pivotal moment.

The USGS, founded in 1879, became the great cartographic interpreter of the American landscape, and this map reflects the agency’s emphasis on precision, standardization, and field-based observation. Its contour lines are the defining visual language, tracing the shape of the land in measured intervals and revealing how the terrain rises, folds, and breaks across the Appalachian foothills. Closely spaced contours show the steep slopes and narrow hollows characteristic of the area, while gentler spacing marks broader valley floors suitable for roads, farms, and settlement. Rather than presenting mountains as decorative forms, the map translates relief into data, allowing the viewer to read elevation and movement almost intuitively. The result is restrained, technical, and quietly beautiful.

Blairsville sits within one of Georgia’s most scenic mountain districts, surrounded by peaks, gaps, streams, and forested ridges that define the map’s character. The Nottely River and Nottely Lake provide important hydrographic structure, tying the landscape to the wider Tennessee River watershed and to mid-twentieth-century water management in the region. Roads and trails thread through the valleys, revealing patterns of access shaped by topography as much as by human planning. Named features such as Sharp Top, Bell Mountain, and Track Rock Gap evoke the distinctive landmarks of Union County, while the many unnamed ridges and valleys suggest a landscape more intricate than any list of place names can convey. The map rewards close study with a sense of lived terrain.

The surrounding public lands give the sheet an added richness. Chattahoochee National Forest, established to protect and manage large portions of Georgia’s mountain country, speaks to early twentieth-century conservation efforts and the recognition of the southern Appalachians as a vital ecological region. To the north, the proximity of Nantahala National Forest and the Georgia–North Carolina border places Blairsville within a broader mountain corridor rather than an isolated county seat. Vogel State Park, one of Georgia’s oldest state parks, further situates the area within the rise of organized outdoor recreation. In the 1942 landscape, forests, roads, waters, and communities coexist in a delicate pattern, showing a region poised between traditional rural life and the expanding recreational identity it would later embrace.

As a historical artifact, “Gumlog” offers more than a record of elevations and roads; it preserves a moment in the evolution of northern Georgia. The map predates much of the modern development associated with mountain tourism, second homes, expanded highways, and postwar mobility, making it invaluable for comparing past and present land use. Its depiction of trails, rural routes, watercourses, and settlement patterns can illuminate environmental change, transportation history, and the growth of Blairsville and surrounding communities. The stark precision of USGS cartography gives the viewer a rare dual perspective: one can admire the rugged Appalachian scenery while also seeing the empirical framework by which that scenery was measured, classified, and made legible to a modern nation.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Blairsville, Georgia
• Nottely Lake
• Nottely River
• Vogel State Park
• Chattahoochee National Forest
• Nantahala National Forest
• Sharp Top
• Bell Mountain
• Track Rock Gap
• Union County
• Georgia-North Carolina border
• Various trails and roads, including main highways
• Numerous unnamed peaks and valleys throughout the mapped area
• Nearby communities or features indicated by smaller labeling throughout the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• Created in 1942
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Blairsville, Georgia and the surrounding area
• The USGS, established in 1879, is a U.S. government scientific agency known for geological, hydrological, and topographic mapping
• Uses contour lines to show terrain and elevation changes
• Depicts the rugged mountainous landscape of the southern Appalachian region
• Closely spaced contour lines indicate steep slopes, valleys, and varied relief
• Detailed contours and shading convey depth and elevation
• Serves as a historical benchmark for studying land use, development, environmental change, and geographical conditions in the Blairsville area, especially before and after World War II

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.