{"product_id":"old-map-of-angola-indiana-by-usgs-1939-lake-james-crooked-lake-clear-lake","title":"Old Map of Angola, Indiana by USGS, 1939 – Lake James, Crooked Lake \u0026 Clear Lake","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1939 using survey data collected that same year, the US Geological Survey’s “Angola East” presents a finely observed portrait of northeastern Indiana at a moment before postwar expansion reshaped much of the American landscape. Centered on Angola, the county seat of Steuben County, the map belongs to the USGS 1:24,000 topographic series, a scale prized for its intimate balance of regional context and local detail. Roads, rail lines, settlements, lakes, woods, and relief are rendered with the disciplined clarity that made USGS mapping indispensable to engineers, planners, travelers, and land managers. As a historical document, it captures Angola and its surrounding countryside in a precise prewar snapshot, revealing patterns of movement, settlement, and land use in 1939.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most immediately striking feature of “Angola East” is its abundance of water. Lake James, Crooked Lake, Clear Lake, Goose Lake, Kessington Lake, W. B. Lake, Beaver Lake, Isle Lake, and Saint John’s Lake form a constellation of blue across the sheet, emphasizing the glacially shaped character of Steuben County. These lakes are not decorative additions but essential elements of the region’s identity, influencing settlement, recreation, transportation, and agriculture. Their irregular shorelines and proximity to one another suggest the legacy of Ice Age processes that left northern Indiana dotted with kettle lakes and rolling terrain. The map’s careful delineation of these waters offers a rich view of a landscape where natural beauty and practical geography are inseparable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map’s topographic language is especially evocative, using contour lines to describe the subtle but important rises and falls of the land around Angola. Rather than dramatic mountains or deep river gorges, this is a landscape of rolling uplands, gentle hollows, lake basins, and undulating agricultural ground. The spacing of the contours allows the viewer to read the terrain intuitively, distinguishing flatter developed or cultivated areas from more broken ground near lakes and wooded tracts. Green markings identify vegetation and denser forested areas, adding ecological texture to the scene. This combination of elevation, hydrography, roads, and land cover gives the map a quiet richness, rewarding close study with an understanding of how people inhabited and traversed the land.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAngola itself appears as the organizing presence of the map, connected by local roads and highways to surrounding rural communities, lakeside areas, and township lands such as Union Township. Rail lines further anchor the town within the broader transportation networks of northern Indiana, recalling an era when rail infrastructure remained vital to commerce and regional mobility. Nearby features such as Clear Lake Golf Course speak to the recreational development already emerging around the area’s lakes, while the surrounding roads trace patterns of rural access and settlement. The map is particularly compelling because it shows a community balanced between town, farm, woodland, and water, before the intensification of modern suburban growth and automobile-oriented development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreated by the United States Geological Survey, “Angola East” reflects the institution’s celebrated commitment to accuracy, standardization, and public utility. By 1939, the USGS had spent decades refining a cartographic style that could serve scientific, civic, military, and commercial purposes while remaining visually elegant. This map exemplifies that achievement: restrained in design, dense in information, and remarkably legible. For collectors, historians, and admirers of American landscapes, it offers more than a record of place; it is a study in how geography was measured, organized, and understood in the early twentieth century. The lakes, contours, roads, and townscape together create a nuanced historical portrait of Angola and the surrounding Indiana lake country.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAngola, Indiana\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLake James\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrooked Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClear Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGoose Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKessington Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eW. B. Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBeaver Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIsle Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaint John's Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnion Twp.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClear Lake Golf Course\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLocal roads and highways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRail lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap title: Angola East\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by: US Geological Survey (USGS)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublication year: 1939\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMap scale: 1:24,000\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical topographical map showcasing Angola, Indiana, and its surrounding areas, using survey data collected in 1939\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses contour lines, shading, and careful delineation of natural features to depict the area’s topographic character\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlue areas represent lakes and waters, while green areas signify vegetation or dense forests\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetailed contour lines indicate elevation changes and suggest the hilly or undulating nature of the region around Angola\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides insight into land use and geographical features prior to later development in the area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHelps illustrate changes in urban development, land management, and natural resource use since 1939\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith 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 \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":68139118100871,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68139118133639,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":68139118166407,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":68139118199175,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68139118231943,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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