“Cooperstown,” dated 1945, is a finely detailed topographical portrait of one of central New York’s most storied landscapes, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the War Department, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. At a scale of 1:31,680, the map captures Cooperstown and its surrounding countryside with the precision demanded by mid-twentieth-century civil and military mapping. Its brown contour lines, green land-cover indications, and carefully notated roads, waterways, and settlements reveal a region shaped by glacial terrain, rural settlement, and expanding modern infrastructure. Created at the close of the Second World War, it belongs to an era when accurate domestic mapping was both a scientific endeavor and a strategic national priority.

At the heart of the map lies Cooperstown, elegantly arranged near the southern end of Otsego Lake, the famed “Glimmerglass” of James Fenimore Cooper’s literary imagination. Main Street, Lakeside Drive, Route 28, and connecting county roads trace the anatomy of a village already defined by tourism, local commerce, and its lakeside setting. The surrounding map records nearby communities and landmarks such as Hartwick Seminary, Fly Creek, Burroughs Park, Crystal Lake, Ridge Road, and Mount Vision. Together, these names evoke a landscape where hamlets, farms, wooded ridges, and watercourses were interwoven long before postwar development altered the region’s patterns of residence, recreation, and travel.

The cartographic beauty of this sheet lies in its topographic language. Contour lines rise and fall across the page, marking elevations from roughly 1,500 feet to more than 2,000 feet and giving sculptural form to the hills and valleys around Cooperstown. The viewer can read the land almost as if walking it: slopes gather tightly where hillsides steepen, loosen where valleys broaden, and curve around basins, ridges, and upland shoulders. Green areas suggest vegetation and land character, while blue waterways anchor the composition. Otsego Lake dominates the scene, and the Susquehanna River’s emergence from this lake underscores Cooperstown’s important position at the headwaters of one of America’s great river systems.

Historically, the Cooperstown region is a meeting place of natural drama and cultural memory. Otsego Lake, framed by wooded heights and rural roads, helped shape the identity of the village, from Indigenous travel corridors and early Euro-American settlement to literary fame and modern leisure. Glimmerglass State Park, shown at the lake’s northern reach, preserves part of this celebrated environment, while the mapped roads and farms speak to the area’s agricultural heritage. Since 1945, tourism, heritage institutions, recreation, and residential growth have transformed land use around Cooperstown, making this map a compelling snapshot of the region before many later pressures reshaped its rural character.

The involvement of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Corps of Engineers lends the map both technical authority and historical resonance. USGS topographic sheets were designed to be practical instruments—useful for engineers, planners, scientists, travelers, and public agencies—yet they also possess an austere graphic elegance. Here, the disciplined layering of contour, color, symbol, and label turns the Cooperstown landscape into a readable terrain of ridges, roads, lakes, parks, and settlements. For admirers of New York history, American topography, or the geography of beloved cultural places, this 1945 map offers more than orientation: it preserves a moment when Cooperstown stood poised between its pastoral past and its increasingly prominent role as a destination.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Cooperstown
• Otsego Lake
• Glimmerglass State Park
• Susquehanna River
• Lakeside Drive
• Main Street
• Route 28
• County Road 16
• Ridge Road
• Hartwick Seminary
• Fly Creek
• Burroughs Park
• Crystal Lake
• Mount Vision
• Hudson River near Cooperstown
• Several unnamed hills and valleys
• Various public and private roads throughout the area

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map name: Cooperstown
• Produced by the US Geological Survey, in collaboration with the War Department, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army.
• Historical 1:31,680 topographical map showing Cooperstown, New York, and the surrounding area.
• Dated 1945.
• The map prominently features the populated area of Cooperstown, along with surrounding landscapes and waterways.
• Displays contour lines in varying shades of brown to highlight topography, with green areas indicating vegetation or lower elevation regions.
• Includes a detailed legend and notation to show elevation changes and important features.
• Elevation is represented through contour lines ranging from 1,500 to over 2,000 feet.
• Depicts hills, valleys, and water bodies across the region.
• The area has undergone significant land-use and development changes since the mid-20th century, influenced by tourism, agriculture, and urban growth.

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 18x24in (45x60cm) 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.