Titled “Carbondale,” this US Geological Survey topographical map was published in 1955 using survey data from 1941, preserving a detailed portrait of southern Illinois on the eve of major postwar transformation. At 1:62,500 scale, it places Carbondale at the center of a richly varied landscape of towns, rail corridors, rural roads, waterways, wooded ridges, and cultivated ground. The sheet captures a region where education, coal, agriculture, and transport converged: Carbondale was already emerging as an important urban center, while nearby communities such as Murphysboro, De Soto, Makanda, Alto Pass, and Anna formed a network of small towns tied together by industry and the land. It is a map of both settlement and terrain, meticulous in detail and quietly evocative of mid-century Illinois.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its topographic sheets indispensable to engineers, planners, geologists, hikers, and local authorities. Contour lines articulate the rise and fall of the land with scientific precision, while careful color separation distinguishes water, woodland, roads, railways, and built-up areas. The result is not merely a navigational document, but a layered interpretation of place. Around Carbondale, the terrain grows more dramatic than many expect of Illinois, descending into creek valleys and rising into broken uplands associated with the northern edges of the Shawnee Hills. The map’s design allows the eye to move easily from urban streets to farm fields, from rail junctions to streams, and from gentle slopes to rugged country.

Carbondale’s prominence on the map reflects its historical role as one of southern Illinois’s principal centers. Its growth was tied to the Illinois Central Railroad, coal extraction, and the presence of Southern Illinois University, which would expand rapidly in the decades after the survey data were collected. The map records the city before much of that later expansion, making the surrounding roads, rail lines, and rural land patterns especially revealing. Murphysboro, to the west, appears as another important node, historically associated with coal, clay, timber, and river-linked commerce. Smaller settlements such as De Soto and Makanda speak to a landscape of local economies, where rail stops, farms, mines, and market towns shaped everyday life across Jackson and neighboring counties.

The natural features shown are among the map’s great pleasures. The Big Muddy River and its tributaries define much of the regional drainage, winding through lowlands and shaping both settlement and agriculture. Pigeon Creek, Old Town Lake, Cedar Lake, Sunset Lake, and Lake Murphysboro add texture to the hydrological story, marking places where water gathered, powered local ecologies, or supported recreation and land use. South of Carbondale, the terrain trends toward the wilder character of the Shawnee National Forest, with wooded hills, ravines, and scenic formations that distinguish this corner of Illinois from the flatter prairie regions farther north. Nearby landmarks such as Little Grand Canyon evoke the erosive power of water and time, carved into sandstone country.

As a historical document, the map offers a compelling snapshot of land use before the full force of postwar suburbanization, highway expansion, university growth, and later reservoir development altered the region. Its roads and railroads reveal the infrastructure that connected farms, coal fields, timberlands, and towns; its contours and watercourses reveal why those connections took the forms they did. Agricultural clearings, wooded tracts, and mining-associated communities coexist in a landscape poised between extraction, education, and conservation. The inclusion of the Shawnee National Forest area is especially significant, reflecting a period when federal stewardship and recreational appreciation were becoming more visible in southern Illinois. Elegant, exacting, and historically resonant, this USGS sheet transforms the Carbondale region into a richly legible terrain of memory and change.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Carbondale, Illinois
• Murphysboro, Illinois
• Alto Pass, Illinois
• De Soto, Illinois
• Makanda, Illinois
• Anna, Illinois
• Lake Murphysboro
• Big Muddy River
• Shawnee National Forest
• Little Grand Canyon
• Pigeon Creek
• Old Town Lake
• Cedar Lake
• Sunset Lake
• Rend Lake
• Various railroads and highways notable for regional access

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:62,500 topographical map.
• Based on data from 1941 and published with a 1955 imprint.
• Shows the Carbondale area during the early 20th century, offering insight into urban development and land use change.
• Reflects regional agricultural and mining activity, including the area’s coal mining history.
• Carbondale is notable as a hub for Southern Illinois University.
• Uses shading and contour lines to represent elevation changes, typical of USGS topographical mapping.
• Employs color to distinguish land types, water bodies, and other landscape features.
• Displays varied regional topography, including hills, valleys, lakes, and surrounding landscapes.

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.