Published in 1961 using map data from 1959, the USGS topographical map titled “Baraboo” captures a richly varied corner of south-central Wisconsin at a moment when its towns, roads, railways, rivers, and resort landscapes were poised between rural quiet and modern growth. Centered on Baraboo, the sheet extends across a region shaped by ancient geology and enduring waterways, with Lake Wisconsin, Devil’s Lake, Prairie Lake, Crystal Lake, and the Wisconsin and Baraboo Rivers providing a striking hydrological framework. In the precise language of contour lines, woodland tinting, and blue watercourses, the map records not only settlement and infrastructure, but also the physical drama of a landscape famous for bluffs, valleys, lakes, and forested ridges.

The United States Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual grammar that made its topographic sheets indispensable to scientists, planners, engineers, educators, and travelers. By the mid-twentieth century, USGS mapping had become a national project of extraordinary ambition: to measure and describe the American landscape with accuracy, consistency, and clarity. Here, the 1:62,500 scale offers a generous view of both town and countryside, balancing close local detail with regional context. Roads, railways, drainage lines, public lands, and settlements are woven into a coherent cartographic portrait. The result is a map that feels both practical and elegant, a technical document transformed by the complexity of the terrain it depicts.

Baraboo itself anchors the sheet, but the surrounding names give the map much of its character: Lodi, Merrimac, Sauk City, and numerous smaller communities appear amid farmland, wooded uplands, lakeshores, and river corridors. Lake Wisconsin dominates the southern portion of the region, its broad waters linked to the Wisconsin River system and the human activity clustered around crossings, roads, and shore settlements. Merrimac, long associated with movement across the lake, sits within this watery geography, while Sauk City marks another important point along the Wisconsin River corridor. The map preserves the relationships among towns, transportation routes, and natural features as they stood in the late 1950s.

The topographic character of the Baraboo region is especially compelling. Contour lines gather and spread across the map, revealing rolling hills, steep slopes, valleys, and the distinctive landforms associated with the Baraboo Range. Devil’s Lake, one of Wisconsin’s most celebrated scenic landmarks, is framed by the East and West Bluffs, whose abrupt relief is made legible through the dense pattern of elevation lines. Nearby state park and forest lands underscore the area’s long-recognized natural significance. The green woodland areas, blue lakes and streams, and carefully modeled terrain convey a landscape of remarkable variety, where glacial history, resistant quartzite ridges, and riverine erosion have left a dramatic imprint.

As a historical document, “Baraboo” offers a mid-century snapshot of a region that has continued to evolve through suburban expansion, changing agriculture, recreation, conservation, and transportation development. The map records roads and railways before later realignments and modern growth altered patterns of movement and settlement. It also captures the enduring appeal of lakes, forests, bluffs, and waterways that remain central to the identity of the Baraboo area. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Wisconsin’s landscapes, this USGS sheet is more than a technical survey: it is a carefully measured portrait of place, preserving the interplay of geology, settlement, and natural beauty in one of the state’s most distinctive regions.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Baraboo
• Lake Wisconsin
• Devil’s Lake
• Prairie Lake
• Crystal Lake
• Lodi
• Merrimac
• Sauk City
• Wisconsin River
• Baraboo River
• State Forest
• State Park
• East and West Bluff
• Numerous smaller lakes and waterways
• Roads and railways as indicated on the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for its extensive and influential topographic mapping work.
• Historical 1:62,500 scale topographical map dated 1959 with a 1961 imprint.
• Uses detailed contour lines and shading to show elevation changes.
• Color palette distinguishes major landscape features, including green for forested areas and blue for water bodies.
• Shows a varied landscape of rolling hills, valleys, lakes, and waterways.
• Represents the region as it appeared in the late 1950s, before later urban development, land-use changes, and landscape alterations.

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.