The “Red Wing Quadrangle” is a United States Geological Survey topographic map created in 1974 and published with a 1994 imprint, offering a precise portrait of southeastern Minnesota’s Mississippi River country. Centered on the historic city of Red Wing, the map captures a landscape where civic growth, river commerce, agriculture, and wooded uplands converge. At the standard 1:24,000 scale, the quadrangle presents the area with the clarity and authority for which USGS mapping is renowned: roads, watercourses, contours, forested tracts, and settlement patterns are rendered in a disciplined visual language. It is both a scientific document and a historical snapshot, preserving the shape of Red Wing and its surroundings at a moment before later decades of development and changing land use.

Red Wing itself gives the map much of its historical resonance. Situated along the Mississippi River, the town became an important commercial point in the Upper Midwest, benefiting from river transport, agricultural trade, and its position near Lake Pepin. It is also widely associated with Red Wing pottery and stoneware, an industry that gave the town a distinctive cultural identity well beyond Minnesota. On this map, the city appears not as an isolated urban center but as part of a larger riverine landscape: streets, roads, rail and transport corridors, nearby farms, and natural slopes all show how settlement adapted to the terrain. The result is a layered view of a community shaped by industry, craft, agriculture, and the broad current of the Mississippi.

The topographic character of the “Red Wing Quadrangle” is especially compelling, marked by rolling hills, incised valleys, bluff country, and broad lowlands near the Mississippi River. Contour lines describe the rise and fall of the land with elegant precision, revealing the physical drama of a region where river erosion and glacial history have left a varied surface. The Mississippi dominates the geography, accompanied by tributaries, backwaters, and nearby Lake Pepin, whose expansive waters form one of the most notable natural features of the area. Balsam Lake and smaller waterways add further detail, while the pattern of valleys and uplands explains the placement of roads, fields, and settlements. This is a map in which terrain is not background, but the central narrative.

The presence of forested and recreational lands adds another dimension to the map’s appeal. Areas associated with the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest and Pinewood State Forest point to the ecological richness of southeastern Minnesota, where hardwood stands, ravines, and upland habitats form part of a broader conservation landscape. These places also speak to changing twentieth-century attitudes toward land management, recreation, and environmental stewardship. Trails, roads, and county routes thread through agricultural and wooded terrain, suggesting a region used for work, travel, hunting, hiking, and river access. The USGS color system distinguishes wooded areas, water, built environments, and open land, creating a visually ordered account of how natural and human geographies intersect around Red Wing.

As a USGS production, the map reflects one of the most influential cartographic traditions in American public life. The Geological Survey’s quadrangles were designed for accuracy, utility, and consistency, serving engineers, planners, scientists, land managers, outdoor travelers, and local governments alike. In the “Red Wing Quadrangle,” that rigorous method becomes a historical record of mid-1970s Minnesota: farms spread across suitable ground, roads follow practical corridors, and the city occupies its strategic river position. Since 1974, patterns of development, recreation, conservation, and infrastructure have evolved, giving the map added documentary value. Its disciplined topographic style, understated palette, and wealth of geographical detail make it a refined and revealing study of a celebrated Mississippi River town and the remarkable landscape surrounding it.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Red Wing, Minnesota
• Mississippi River
• Lake Pepin
• Balsam Lake
• Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest
• Pinewood State Forest
• County road designations
• Various trails and roads indicated on the map
• Hills, valleys, and flatlands
• Agricultural areas surrounding Red Wing

Historical context & cartographic details

• The map is titled Red Wing Quadrangle.
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 scale topographic map dated 1974 with a 1994 imprint.
• Shows the Red Wing area as it appeared in the mid-1970s, before later urban development and land-use changes.
• Uses standard USGS topographic styling, including contour lines to show elevation changes.
• Features color coding to distinguish land uses, vegetation, water, and other geographic features.
• The area is characterized by rolling terrain, river valleys, tributaries, and varied topographic relief.
• Reflects USGS cartographic practices of the 1970s, with clear delineation of natural and built features.
• Red Wing is historically known for pottery production and its role as a Mississippi River commerce hub.

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.