Updated Resource: Historical USGS Maps Online For Free

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:40 am

Press release: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2929

Quote:

Nearly 90,000 high resolution scans of the more than 200,000 historical USGS topographic maps, some dating as far back as 1884, are now available online. The Historical Topographic Map Collection includes published U.S. maps of all scales and editions, and are offered as a georeferenced digital download or as a scanned print from the USGS Store.

"I applaud your continuing effort to digitize the entire set of USGS quadrangle maps and we anxiously await the completion of the project. This effort is of great consequence for the research community" said Dr. John R. Hébert Chief, Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress. Not all of the historical collection resides in any one location or in any one catalog. In a partnership with the Library of Congress and other map depositories, the USGS will build a complete master catalog and duplicate maps that may be missing from any of those sources.

Historical maps are an important national resource as they provide the long-term record and documentation of the natural, physical and cultural landscape. The history documented by this collection and the analysis of distribution and spatial patterns is invaluable throughout the sciences and non-science disciplines. Genealogists, historians, anthropologists, archeologists and others use this collection for research as well as for a framework on which a myriad of information can be presented in relation to the landscape. For more than 130 years, the USGS topographic mapping program has accurately portrayed the complex geography of our nation through maps using the lithographic printing process. The historical collection contains high resolution scanned images from the USGS legacy series and other sources.

Historical maps are available to the public at no cost in GeoPDF format or as a printed copy for $15 plus a $5 handling charge from the USGS Store . The electronic maps are georeferenced and can be used in conjunction with the new USGS digital topographic map, the US Topo.

The entire historical collection is being loaded into the USGS Store at a rapid pace. Check the website for continuous updates: http://nationalmap.gov/historical

Al Stangenberger · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 12:59 pm **Posts:** 650

In addition to this new resource, the USGS also has an on-line database of geographic names which is useful in locating places:

http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic

Every entry is referenced by latitude and longitude, and the site portals to many on-line services such as Google Maps and Terraserver with those coordinates.

The names have been collected from topographic maps, nautical charts, and other sources such as Gudde's authoritative reference on California Place Names.

It is a very useful source for locating old railroad stations, etc..

Frisco1522 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 15, 2011 3:49 pm

Now if they just had the same thing in aerial photos. I've read somewhere where the USGS photographed the entire USA in 1940 and have always wondered if it was accessable. I'd love to zero in on yards and engine terminals from 1940 and study them.

Frank Hicks · **Posted:** Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:26 pm

Frisco1522 wrote:

Now if they just had the same thing in aerial photos. I've read somewhere where the USGS photographed the entire USA in 1940 and have always wondered if it was accessable. I'd love to zero in on yards and engine terminals from 1940 and study them.

Not sure whether this is the exact same project you're thinking of, but 1938-1941 Illinois aerial photos (for all but about a dozen counties which are supposed to be online soon) are here:

http://www.isgs.uiuc.edu/nsdihome/webdocs/ilhap/

This is one of the most user-unfriendly site of its kind I have ever seen, but it is certainly usable if you have the patience and it's an endlessly fascinating resource.