Published in 1958 from survey data gathered in 1956, the “Bloomington Quadrangle” captures a pivotal mid-century moment in south-central Indiana. Produced by the United States Geological Survey at the precise 1:24,000 quadrangle scale, it presents Bloomington not as an abstract city plan, but as a landscape of streets, ridges, creeks, campuses, farms, and wooded hills. The USGS’s disciplined cartographic language gives the map both scientific authority and visual elegance: urban areas are crisply emphasized, terrain is modeled through contour lines, and waterways and vegetation are carefully distinguished. As a historical portrait, it records Bloomington before later decades of suburban growth, highway expansion, and environmental transformation reshaped the city’s margins.

Bloomington’s urban core is one of the map’s most compelling features, rendered with a clarity that makes the city’s mid-century structure immediately legible. The street grid, principal roads, and built-up areas stand out in red, giving visual prominence to the civic heart of the quadrangle. Indiana University appears as a defining landmark, anchoring the city’s eastern side and reminding us of the institution’s long influence on Bloomington’s geography, economy, and identity. Around the denser urban fabric, smaller roads, lanes, and rural routes radiate outward into the surrounding countryside. The result is a richly layered view of a college town at a moment when its urban footprint remained closely interwoven with fields, woodlots, and creek valleys.

The topography surrounding Bloomington is shown with the understated sophistication characteristic of USGS mapping. Contour lines trace the rolling hills and shallow valleys of Monroe County, revealing a landscape shaped by drainage, limestone country, and gradual elevation changes rather than dramatic peaks. Clear Creek, Jackson Creek, and numerous smaller tributaries thread through the quadrangle, their courses helping explain the placement of roads, settlements, and low-lying agricultural land. Small lakes, wetlands, and wooded tracts add texture to the terrain, while color distinctions help separate open land, vegetation, water, and urban development. For anyone interested in reading the land beneath the city, the map offers a remarkably detailed guide to Bloomington’s natural setting.

Beyond Bloomington itself, the quadrangle includes neighboring places and transitional landscapes that deepen its historical appeal. Ellettsville appears to the northwest, connected by roads that speak to the regional movement of people, goods, and daily life. Liggett Heights and other smaller named areas preserve a more local geography, the kind often overlooked in broader state maps. Major routes, including U.S. Route 37 and State Road 46, provide the framework for mid-century mobility, while numerous smaller roads and trails reveal a more intimate rural network. The map balances urban growth with surrounding farmland, forest, and stream valleys, making it a valuable record of how Bloomington related to its wider Monroe County landscape.

As a USGS production, the “Bloomington Quadrangle” belongs to one of America’s most important mapping traditions. The agency’s topographic maps were essential tools for engineers, planners, geologists, conservationists, and travelers, combining field survey, scientific measurement, and refined graphic design. In this 1956 landscape, one can see Bloomington before many later changes: expanded residential subdivisions, altered transportation corridors, and the regional transformation associated with the later creation of Lake Monroe to the southeast. The map therefore functions not only as a geographic document, but as a historical benchmark. It preserves the relationship between town, university, forest, creek, and countryside at a moment when Bloomington was poised between small-city character and modern expansion.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Bloomington, Indiana
• Ellettsville
• Clear Creek
• Liggett Heights
• Lake Monroe
• Hoosier National Forest
• Jackson Creek
• Indiana University
• Bloomington's urban area outlines
• Several small lakes and wetlands
• Major highways and roads, including U.S. Route 37 and State Road 46
• Numerous smaller roads and trails
• Streams and tributaries running through the area
• Parks and natural reserves

Historical context & cartographic details

• The map is titled Bloomington Quadrangle.
• Produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map of Bloomington, Indiana and the surrounding area.
• Survey data was collected in 1956, and the map was published with a 1958 imprint.
• The USGS has played a major role in topographical mapping, natural resource assessment, and environmental studies in the United States.
• Shows Bloomington and its surrounding rural and urban landscape in the mid-20th century.
• Features color-coded topography indicating elevation, vegetation, and land-use differences.
• Bloomington’s urban layout is highlighted in red.
• Uses contour lines to show elevation changes.
• Depicts natural features such as hills, valleys, streams, and surrounding terrain.
• Reflects how Bloomington’s urban and rural areas have changed over time, including shifts in land use and population density.

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.