Titled “Kelleys Island,” this elegant US Geological Survey quadrangle presents one of Lake Erie’s most distinctive Ohio islands at 1:24,000 scale. The map was created from 1959 survey work and issued with a 1968 imprint, preserving a mid-century view of the island before later decades of recreational development and environmental change. Kelleys Island appears as both a settled community and a sculpted limestone landscape, set within the surrounding blue expanse of Lake Erie. Roads, paths, shoreline details, vegetation, and carefully drawn contour lines give the sheet its characteristic USGS clarity. The result is a refined topographic portrait: practical in origin, yet rich with historical atmosphere, showing how land, water, settlement, and transport were organized on this celebrated island.

The US Geological Survey brought a rigorous national mapping tradition to this work, producing quadrangles that became indispensable for planning, engineering, conservation, navigation, and outdoor recreation. By the mid-twentieth century, USGS maps had achieved a distinctive visual language: restrained typography, precise contouring, blue hydrography, green woodland tinting, and crisp symbols for roads, structures, and public facilities. On “Kelleys Island,” that style is especially effective, because the island’s modest elevation changes and irregular shoreline reward close reading. The contour lines reveal the subtle topography of a Lake Erie island shaped by glacial action, quarrying, settlement, and shore erosion. It is a map made for accuracy, yet its balanced composition and quiet palette give it a refined cartographic beauty.

Kelleys Island itself has long held geographic and historical interest. Lying north of Sandusky Bay and west of the Marblehead Peninsula, it occupies a strategic and scenic position among Lake Erie’s island chain, with South Bass Island visible in the broader regional context. The map records the island’s bays, roads, airport, and inhabited areas, suggesting a place where maritime life, agriculture, quarrying, tourism, and seasonal residence intersected. North Bay and East Bay shape the island’s distinctive outline, while the surrounding lake dominates the composition. Nearby references such as Danbury Township, Sandusky Bay, and Marblehead Lighthouse situate Kelleys Island within the navigational world of Ohio’s Lake Erie shore, a region historically linked to ferries, fishing, commerce, and summer travel.

One of the map’s most appealing features is its depiction of Kelleys Island State Park and the island’s green areas, which stand out against the blue waters of Lake Erie. The color scheme is not merely decorative; it conveys land cover, hydrology, and terrain with immediate visual intelligence. Roads and paths trace the human framework of the island, while the airport marks the modern mobility that connected this relatively small place to mainland Ohio and the wider Great Lakes region. The shoreline is particularly compelling, alternating between bays, points, and developed edges. Seen together, these details make the map a valuable record of land use in the late 1950s, when conservation, recreation, and residential growth were all shaping the island’s future.

As a historical document, “Kelleys Island” invites comparison between the mid-century landscape and the island known today. Its contours, symbols, and place names capture a moment when USGS mapping translated local geography into a standardized national language, preserving details that might otherwise fade from memory. The map offers insight into transportation routes, settlement patterns, shoreline configuration, public land, and the relationship between Kelleys Island and neighboring features such as South Bass Island, Marblehead Lighthouse, and Sandusky Bay. For admirers of Great Lakes history, Ohio geography, or American topographic design, it is an especially evocative sheet. It combines the scientific discipline of federal mapping with the romance of an island landscape surrounded by one of North America’s inland seas.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Kelleys Island
• Lake Erie
• Sandusky Bay
• Danbury Township
• Marblehead Lighthouse
• South Bass Island
• Kelleys Island State Park
• North Bay
• East Bay
• Kelleys Island Airport
• Various roads and paths along Kelleys Island
• Surrounding water features and coordinates marked on the map

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical 1:24,000 topographical map shows Kelleys Island in Ohio and the surrounding area.
• The map is dated 1959 and carries a 1968 imprint.
• Published by the US Geological Survey, known for producing detailed topographical maps used for land planning, resource management, and recreation.
• The map features a clear color scheme, with the blue waters of Lake Erie contrasting against green land areas representing vegetation.
• Precise contour lines show elevation changes across the island and surrounding terrain.
• The map provides insight into the geographic layout and land use of Kelleys Island in the late 1950s.
• It allows comparison with contemporary maps to assess changes in development, environmental conditions, and geography 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.