Published in 1992 using survey data from 1985, the US Geological Survey’s “Mason City” presents a finely structured portrait of north-central Iowa at a moment poised between rural continuity and modern expansion. At 1:100,000 scale, the map embraces Mason City, Clear Lake, Ventura, Lake Mills, and the surrounding agricultural townships, setting them within the measured geometry of roads, section lines, drainageways, and subtle elevation changes. Its title is simple, but the landscape it describes is richly layered: a working Midwestern terrain of farms, creeks, highways, rail corridors, small towns, and lakeside recreation. As a historical topographic record, it captures the region’s physical and civic form as it stood in the late twentieth century.

The map was produced by the United States Geological Survey, the federal scientific agency founded in 1879 to study the nation’s geology, waters, landforms, and natural resources. USGS maps are admired not merely for their utility, but for their disciplined visual language: a blend of scientific exactitude and cartographic restraint. Here, contour lines describe the land’s quiet undulations, while water features, transportation routes, settlement patterns, and grid references combine to create a lucid navigational framework. The result is a map that rewards close inspection, transforming a seemingly familiar agricultural landscape into a precise system of elevations, watersheds, routes, and human occupation.

Clear Lake is the most prominent natural feature on the map, a broad and historically beloved body of water west of Mason City. Long valued for boating, fishing, summer cottages, lakeside parks, and resort culture, Clear Lake gives the sheet much of its recreational character. Nearby Ventura and the smaller rural communities around the shore evoke the interplay between agriculture and leisure that defines this part of Iowa. The lake’s shape, shore roads, and surrounding lowlands are rendered with the clarity typical of USGS work, inviting the viewer to read not only its geography but also its role as a social and environmental centerpiece.

Mason City anchors the eastern portion of the map, appearing as the region’s principal urban center amid a wider matrix of farms and transport corridors. Known for its architectural heritage, including associations with Prairie School design and notable early twentieth-century civic buildings, Mason City stands in contrast to the open rural spaces around it. The Winnebago River, Lime Creek, Indian Creek, and the Shell Rock River system articulate the landscape through drainage and contour, showing how water has shaped settlement, agriculture, and route-making. Roads and highways connect town to countryside, while the grid of surveyed sections recalls the enduring imprint of nineteenth-century land division.

As a historical document, this map preserves a late-1980s view of north Iowa before subsequent decades of development, infrastructure change, and environmental management altered portions of the region. Its traditional topographic style—contours, color differentiation, water symbols, route markings, and rectilinear survey grids—makes visible the relationship between natural form and human use. Fields, farmsteads, rural roads, parks, creeks, and lakes appear not as isolated details but as parts of a coherent landscape system. For collectors, “Mason City” offers more than geographic information: it is an elegant scientific record of place, capturing the textures of Midwestern life in the measured language of the USGS.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Clear Lake
• Mason City
• Ventura
• North Iowa
• Indian Creek
• Winnebago River
• Lake Mills
• Shell Rock River
• Lime Creek
• Calhoun Lake
• Unnamed rural locales and farms
• Roads and highways, including labeled routes
• Railways, if depicted
• Parks and recreational areas surrounding Clear Lake and Mason City
• Field locations shown within the section grid system

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:100,000 topographical map shows Clear Lake, Mason City, and the surrounding area in Iowa.
• The map was created using survey data from 1985 and published with a 1992 imprint.
• The US Geological Survey, established in 1879, is a U.S. government scientific agency known for producing geospatial and topographic data.
• The map uses a traditional topographic style, including contour lines, shaded relief, and color gradients to show elevation and landscape features.
• Grid lines provide a framework for navigation, orientation, and reading the surveyed landscape.
• Lakes, rivers, and other water bodies are clearly marked, highlighting the area’s natural geography.
• Clear Lake is shown as an important natural and recreational feature, associated with boating, fishing, and outdoor activities.
• Mason City is notable for its historical architecture and cultural sites.
• The map captures the region’s landscape before later urban development and environmental changes.
• As a historical map, it provides insight into land use, transportation routes, rural settlement patterns, and geological features at the time of publication.

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.