Published in 2001 using survey data from 1997, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Medora” presents a finely detailed topographical portrait of one of North Dakota’s most evocative landscapes. Centered on the historic town of Medora, the map captures the meeting point of settlement, river valley, and rugged Badlands terrain at a scale suited to close geographical study. Its classic USGS styling—precise contour lines, restrained color, and carefully organized roads, railroads, boundaries, and hydrography—gives the landscape both clarity and depth. The result is a map that reads as both scientific document and historical snapshot, recording Medora at a moment when tourism, conservation, and regional identity were increasingly shaped by the presence of nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Medora itself occupies a place of unusual cultural resonance in the history of the northern Great Plains. Founded in the late nineteenth century and associated with the Marquis de Morès, the town became tied to ranching, rail transport, and western mythology. On this map, Medora appears not as an isolated romantic outpost but as part of a working landscape: connected by U.S. Route 85, rail lines, township grids, park boundaries, and the winding corridor of the Little Missouri River. The cartography quietly reveals how the town’s modern life depends on both access and setting. Its location amid striking but erodible terrain helped transform Medora into a gateway for visitors seeking the dramatic scenery and historical memory of the Badlands.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of the map’s defining presences, lending the sheet both geographical drama and national significance. The park preserves landscapes that profoundly influenced Roosevelt during his years as a Dakota rancher in the 1880s, experiences that helped shape his conservation philosophy. The map’s contours trace the broken topography of buttes, draws, ridges, and coulees, allowing the viewer to sense the harsh beauty that drew Roosevelt westward. Nearby wilderness areas, public land designations, and park boundaries speak to a twentieth-century commitment to protecting fragile ecosystems and historically meaningful terrain. In this sense, the map records not only landforms, but also the evolution of American conservation and the preservation of western landscapes.

The Little Missouri River gives structure and movement to the map, carving through the Badlands with a sinuous course that contrasts with the rectilinear logic of roads, sections, and townships. Its valley has long shaped travel, habitat, grazing, and settlement in the region, and the USGS rendering makes clear how water, even in a semi-arid environment, organizes the surrounding land. Features such as Buffalo Gap and the surrounding broken country show the complexity of the terrain, where elevation changes occur in tight succession and landforms are often sculptural in character. Through its contour intervals and drainage patterns, the map reveals a landscape made by erosion, exposure, and geologic time.

As a product of the U.S. Geological Survey, the “Medora” map belongs to a distinguished tradition of American scientific cartography. The USGS has long provided the nation’s most authoritative topographic mapping, supporting geology, land management, engineering, resource planning, conservation, and outdoor navigation. Here, that institutional precision is applied to a landscape of exceptional texture: Badlands escarpments, transportation corridors, parklands, township divisions, and public land designations are all integrated into a coherent visual system. The muted palette and disciplined symbology allow the terrain to emerge without embellishment, making the map especially compelling. It is a richly informative view of a place where natural drama, frontier history, and federal conservation meet.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Medora, ND
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• Little Missouri River
• Buffalo Gap
• Badlands
• U.S. Route 85 and other roads
• Railroads
• Adjacent townships and sections
• Forest Service land designations
• Surrounding wilderness areas and parks

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Medora, North Dakota and the surrounding area.
• Created from 1997 data and published in 2001.
• Uses a classic USGS topographic style with contour lines to show elevation.
• Features a muted color palette for landforms and a clear layout of roads and landmarks.
• Emphasizes the diverse terrain of the Badlands region, including varying elevations and intricate geological formations.
• Reflects Medora’s changing tourism and economic landscape, especially in relation to the development of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
• The USGS is known for detailed geological and topographical maps used in natural resource management, land-use planning, and scientific research.

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.