Published in 1964 from 1938 survey work, the US Geological Survey’s “Three Lakes Quadrangle” presents a richly detailed view of one of northern Wisconsin’s most lake-studded landscapes. Centered on the community of Three Lakes, the map records a region where settlement, woodland, and water are inseparably intertwined. As a planimetric map, it emphasizes the precise horizontal placement of natural and human features—shorelines, roads, streams, buildings, and boundaries—rather than dramatic relief modeling. This gives the sheet a crisp, practical clarity, especially suited to a terrain defined less by mountains than by glacial basins, forest roads, and intricate chains of lakes. It is a historical snapshot of the area as understood in the late 1930s, later formalized for publication in the mid-twentieth century.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined visual language that made its quadrangles indispensable to engineers, planners, foresters, travelers, and local authorities. Founded in 1879, the USGS became the nation’s great cartographic institution, translating field surveys into standardized maps that could be read consistently from Maine to California. In the “Three Lakes Quadrangle,” that institutional precision is applied to a landscape of remarkable complexity. Water bodies are cleanly distinguished from land, while roads, settlements, and forested tracts are arranged with a practical legibility that reflects the map’s navigational purpose. The result is both scientific and elegant: a carefully ordered depiction of a place where every lake, inlet, and rural route contributes to the character of the whole.

The map’s most striking feature is the abundance of water. Three Lakes lies amid a constellation of named lakes including Eagle Lake, Spirit Lake, Lower Ninemile Lake, Upper Ninemile Lake, Lovers Lake, Clearwater Lake, Catfish Lake, Squaw Lake, Deer Lake, Van Vliet Lake, Fish Lake, and Whitefish Lake, along with many smaller ponds and connecting waterways. This is classic Northwoods terrain, shaped by glacial action into a mosaic of basins, wetlands, low divides, and forest margins. The map captures the geography that made the region attractive for fishing, boating, timber work, seasonal cabins, and quiet resort development. Its careful delineation of shorelines is especially evocative, revealing how settlement patterns followed access to water and how each lake formed its own small world within the larger landscape.

Three Lakes itself appears not as an isolated town but as a hub within a broader recreational and ecological network. Roads and local routes thread between lakes, linking homesteads, camps, landings, and wooded parcels. The surrounding forests and natural reserves suggest a landscape still strongly defined by timber and wilderness, even as twentieth-century infrastructure reached deeper into the Wisconsin interior. The map belongs to a period when northern Wisconsin was transitioning from older extractive economies toward a more leisure-oriented identity, with lakeside tourism, fishing culture, and second homes becoming increasingly important. In that context, the quadrangle is more than a navigational document; it is evidence of a changing relationship between people and the Northwoods environment.

As a historical record, the “Three Lakes Quadrangle” is especially compelling because it preserves a prewar view of a landscape that has continued to evolve. Shoreline development, road improvements, conservation measures, changing forest cover, and ecological shifts may all have altered the region since the 1938 survey data was gathered. Yet the essential geography—the lake chains, forested corridors, and watery intricacy of the terrain—remains powerfully recognizable. The map invites comparison between past and present, showing how carefully measured cartography can become a form of cultural memory. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Wisconsin’s lake country, it offers a refined and information-rich portrait of Three Lakes at a pivotal moment in its modern history.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Three Lakes
• Eagle Lake
• Spirit Lake
• Lower Ninemile Lake
• Upper Ninemile Lake
• Lovers Lake
• Clearwater Lake
• Catfish Lake
• Squaw Lake
• Deer Lake
• Van Vliet Lake
• Fish Lake
• Whitefish Lake
• Other unnamed smaller lakes and ponds
• Adjacent rivers and waterways
• Nearby forests and natural reserves

Historical context & cartographic details

• Published by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
• Created in 1938 and published in 1964.
• Planimetric map of the Three Lakes area in Wisconsin.
• Created using survey data, with a focus on precise land use and geographical detail.
• Shows the populated place of Three Lakes, Wisconsin, along with surrounding lakes, rivers, and waterways.
• Employs a typical topographical style with clear delineation between water bodies and land.
• Uses clear symbols and colors to represent geographic features and aid navigation.
• Provides detailed depiction of terrain, lakes, and forested areas.
• Captures the geographical features of the area as understood in the late 1930s.
• Offers historical insight into land use, development, and ecological conditions before later changes to the region.

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 24x36in (60x90cm) 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.