{"product_id":"old-map-of-lawrence-kansas-by-usgs-1950-kansas-river-university-of-kansas","title":"Old Map of Lawrence, Kansas by USGS, 1950 – Kansas River \u0026 University of Kansas","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1952 from 1950 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Lawrence East” captures Lawrence, Kansas, and its surrounding countryside at a particularly revealing mid-century moment. Drawn at the precise 1:24,000 scale of the USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle series, the map balances scientific exactitude with a quietly elegant visual language: fine contour lines model the rolling terrain, while roads, railways, buildings, waterways, and settlement patterns are rendered through the standardized symbols that made USGS mapping indispensable. The Kansas River curves across the sheet as both a natural landmark and a structuring force in the region’s development, defining lowlands, crossings, and the relationship between town and countryside. More than a practical survey, this is a measured portrait of Lawrence before later suburban expansion transformed its edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLawrence itself occupies a place of unusual importance in Kansas history, and this map records the city not as an abstraction but as a living geography of streets, neighborhoods, institutions, and routes. Founded in the charged years before the Civil War, Lawrence became closely associated with the Free-State movement and later grew into one of the region’s principal educational and cultural centers. The presence of the University of Kansas gives the city a distinctive identity, anchoring civic life and shaping patterns of growth visible in the urban fabric. On this quadrangle, the city’s street grid, institutional buildings, and transportation corridors appear alongside nearby farmsteads and rural roads, revealing the close interdependence of town and agricultural hinterland in the early 1950s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cartographic craftsmanship of the US Geological Survey is especially evident in the treatment of terrain. Contour lines move across the map with disciplined delicacy, tracing slopes, bluffs, shallow valleys, and the undulating landforms typical of eastern Kansas. Rather than merely naming places, the map explains them: the alignment of roads, the location of settlements, and the course of drainage all become intelligible through elevation and landform. The Kansas River’s meandering channel is a central visual feature, accompanied by the subtle topography of its floodplain and adjacent rises. Color coding distinguishes built-up areas, natural features, and transportation networks, allowing the viewer to read the landscape at multiple levels—civic, geological, agricultural, and hydrological—within a single, coherent design.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surrounding rural landscape is one of the map’s great quiet pleasures. Beyond Lawrence, the quadrangle records Wakarusa, farmstead locations, minor roads, trails, and the connective tissue of a working Kansas countryside. These details evoke a world of local movement: routes linking farms to town, roads following ridges or crossing drainage lines, and settlements positioned according to land, water, and access. The map’s careful notation of these places preserves a historical geography that often disappears beneath later development. It offers a snapshot of the region when Lawrence was already an established university city, yet still closely bordered by open land, cultivated fields, and scattered rural communities whose patterns had been shaped over generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreated by the US Geological Survey, “Lawrence East” belongs to one of the most respected cartographic traditions in American public science. USGS quadrangles were designed for accuracy, utility, and consistency, serving engineers, planners, geologists, educators, military users, and local governments alike. Yet their appeal extends beyond function: they reveal the landscape with a clarity that is both analytical and beautiful. This map stands as a documentary record of Lawrence’s mid-twentieth-century form, showing how the city, the University of Kansas, the Kansas River, rural roads, and surrounding landforms coexisted at a specific historical moment. For collectors of Kansas history, university towns, or American topographic mapping, it offers an unusually intimate view of place—measured, detailed, and rich with historical resonance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLawrence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWakarusa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKansas River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious streets and neighborhoods within Lawrence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNearby rural areas and farmstead locations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoads and trails connecting communities\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLandmarks and institutional buildings specific to Lawrence and surrounding areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap name: Lawrence East\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the US Geological Survey as a historical 1:24,000 topographical map.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1950, with a 1952 imprint.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe US Geological Survey is known for meticulous mapping and surveying work used for government, scientific, and planning purposes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLawrence is noted for its vibrant history and as the home of the University of Kansas, making it an important cultural and educational hub.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures detailed elevation contours, landforms, and standardized symbols representing geographical features, settlements, and landmarks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses color coding to distinguish populated areas from natural landscapes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects the landscape and urban development of the area in the mid-20th century, offering a historical snapshot of changes in topography and urban planning.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/fr\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/fr\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/fr\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58764530549120,"sku":null,"price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58764530581888,"sku":null,"price":146.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58764530614656,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58764530647424,"sku":null,"price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58764530680192,"sku":null,"price":146.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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