The 1944 U.S. Geological Survey map titled “Croton Falls” presents northern Westchester and southern Putnam County at the intimate and highly legible scale of 1:31,680. Centered on Katonah and Croton Falls, it captures a landscape of village roads, reservoirs, ridges, lakes, and wooded uplands at a moment when the region still retained much of its rural character. Created during the final years of the Second World War, the map belongs to an era when precise federal topographic mapping was essential for planning, engineering, conservation, and public works. Its careful rendering of contours, waterways, settlements, and transport routes makes it both a technical document and a quietly evocative portrait of the Hudson Valley’s eastern hinterland.

The U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the disciplined clarity that made its quadrangles indispensable to scientists, surveyors, municipalities, and travelers. Elevation is expressed through closely spaced contour lines, revealing the rolling hills and shallow valleys that shape the Croton watershed. Greens and browns distinguish wooded terrain, open land, and relief, creating a restrained mid-century palette that is as informative as it is elegant. Streams thread through the map toward the Croton River system, while ponds, lakes, and reservoirs punctuate the terrain. The result is a finely balanced composition: practical, exacting, and richly descriptive of a landscape where geology, hydrology, and settlement are inseparable.

Katonah is one of the map’s most compelling focal points, a village renowned for historic homes, cultural institutions, and surrounding parkland. Its story is deeply tied to New York City’s water supply: the original Katonah was famously moved in the late nineteenth century to make way for reservoir construction, giving the village an unusual place in the history of American infrastructure. Nearby Croton Falls, with its mills, rail connections, and watershed setting, anchors another strand of the region’s development. Together, these communities appear within a matrix of lanes, streams, and rising ground, suggesting a settled but still pastoral world before the full force of postwar suburban expansion.

The map also embraces a wider constellation of notable places, from Mahopac and Peach Lake to Lake Carmel, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, and the county lines dividing Putnam and Westchester. Route 22 and Route 35 provide important east-west and north-south reference points, while later generations would understand parts of this regional corridor in relation to Interstate 684. In 1944, however, the landscape reads more as a network of local roads, rail access, farm routes, and village connections than as a modern commuter belt. The Croton Reservoir and associated waterways are especially prominent, underscoring the area’s role in the broader environmental and civic geography of metropolitan New York.

As a historical document, “Croton Falls” preserves the terrain before many later subdivisions, widened highways, and suburban patterns altered the region’s appearance. The hills, lakes, unnamed trails, and minor roads recorded here give insight into how residents moved through and understood the land in the mid-twentieth century. For collectors, the map offers more than place names: it reveals the underlying structure of a beloved New York landscape, from the ridgelines around Pound Ridge to the waters feeding the Croton system. Its blend of scientific precision and regional memory makes it a distinguished cartographic portrait of Katonah, Croton Falls, and their surrounding countryside.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Katonah
• Croton Falls
• Lake Carmel
• Croton River
• Peach Lake
• Mahopac
• Interstate 684
• Route 35
• Route 22
• Town of Lewisboro
• Pound Ridge
• Croton Reservoir
• Putnam County
• Westchester County
• Several unnamed roads and trails

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map
• Created in 1944
• Published by the U.S. Geological Survey
• The U.S. Geological Survey is known for producing detailed terrain mapping for scientific research and public use
• Uses distinctive color gradients to illustrate elevation
• Contour lines indicate variations in landform
• Mid-20th-century cartographic style with greens and browns representing different terrain types
• The area is characterized by rolling hills, lakes, and streams
• Serves as a post-World War II historical snapshot of the region’s geography
• Shows how developments and natural features have changed over time

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.