Titled “Hammondsport,” this US Geological Survey topographical map presents the celebrated Keuka Lake country of western New York with the clarity and authority for which the USGS became renowned. The map is dated 1903 and carries a 1951 imprint, placing early twentieth-century survey work within a later publication history. At a scale of 1:62,500, it captures Hammondsport and its surrounding uplands in impressive geographic detail, from lakeshore settlements to rural roads, wooded slopes, and river valleys. The sheet belongs to an era when scientific mapping was transforming how Americans understood terrain, resources, settlement, and travel. Here, the Finger Lakes landscape appears not merely as scenery, but as a measured and legible world of contours, waterways, communities, and cultivated hillsides.

The US Geological Survey, founded in 1879, was created to bring systematic scientific order to the mapping of the United States, and this map reflects that mission beautifully. Unlike more decorative nineteenth-century maps, USGS quadrangles were designed for precision: useful to engineers, travelers, planners, farmers, geologists, and local authorities alike. Yet their disciplined cartography has an aesthetic power of its own. The carefully drawn contour lines, crisp lettering, and balanced color work give the map a quiet elegance, while also revealing the structure of the land. In the Hammondsport region, where steep hills rise from deep lake basins and streams cut through agricultural valleys, the USGS method is especially effective, turning complex terrain into an intelligible and visually compelling composition.

Keuka Lake is the natural centerpiece of the map, its waters anchoring a landscape long prized for fishing, summer travel, and lakeside settlement. Hammondsport, situated at the lake’s southern end, became one of the region’s most evocative communities, associated with boating, tourism, and the broader cultural romance of the Finger Lakes. Around it, the map identifies towns and districts including Bath, Campbell, Tyrone, Barrington, and Pulteney, each set within a network of roads, trails, valleys, and ridgelines. The Canisteo River and its tributary country add another geographic rhythm to the sheet, contrasting the enclosed lake basin with the wider drainage systems that shaped movement, farming, and settlement across Steuben and neighboring counties.

The map’s cartographic style is particularly striking for its combination of contour lines and subtle color shading, which together create an almost three-dimensional reading of the terrain. The Finger Lakes region was formed by deep glacial action, and the topography around Keuka Lake shows this inheritance in steep slopes, narrow valleys, and elevated ridges. On the map, close contour intervals signal abrupt ascents from lakeshore and streambed to hilltop, while broader spacing suggests gentler agricultural ground. The earthy palette enhances this interpretation, giving the land a rugged, tactile presence. For collectors and historians alike, the sheet offers a richly layered view of a region where geology, settlement, and rural industry are inseparable.

Historically, this map captures a landscape in transition. By the early twentieth century, the Hammondsport and Keuka Lake area was already known for agriculture and recreation, and the Finger Lakes’ viticultural identity was beginning to take lasting shape. The slopes and microclimates around the lakes would become increasingly associated with vineyards and wine production, while improved roads and tourism transformed once-remote lakeside communities into seasonal destinations. The map preserves the older framework of rural roads, small settlements, river corridors, and working countryside before later development altered the region’s appearance. It is both a practical topographical document and a historical portrait of New York’s lake country at a moment when natural beauty, transportation, agriculture, and leisure were becoming deeply intertwined.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Hammondsport
• Keuka Lake
• Bath
• Campbell
• Tyrone
• Barrington
• Pulteney
• Canisteo River

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:62,500 topographical map shows Hammondsport, Keuka Lake, and the surrounding area in New York.
• The map is dated 1903 and carries a 1951 imprint.
• Created by the US Geological Survey, an agency established in 1879 and known for scientific research, reliable geographical data, mapping, and resource management.
• Hammondsport and Keuka Lake are significant for their scenic beauty and historical importance in fishing, winemaking, and tourism.
• The map uses color shading and contour lines to represent topographic features, creating a three-dimensional effect that shows elevation changes.
• Its earthy color palette enhances the visibility of the region’s rugged terrain.
• The map emphasizes hilly terrain, including steep areas, valleys, ridges, rolling hills, and changes in elevation and slope.
• It reflects changes in land use and development in New York state from the early 20th century onward.
• The surrounding Finger Lakes region has been shaped by tourism and agriculture, especially viticulture.

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.