{"product_id":"old-map-of-mercer-wisconsin-by-usgs-1955-turtle-flambeau-flowage-flambeau-river","title":"Old Map of Mercer, Wisconsin by USGS, 1955 – Turtle-Flambeau Flowage \u0026 Flambeau River","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1966 from a quadrangle originally dated 1955, the United States Geological Survey’s “Mercer” presents northwestern Wisconsin at the practical and elegant scale of 1:62,500. Centered on the community of Mercer and the intricate waters of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, the map captures a landscape defined by lakes, rivers, forest, and modest but expressive relief. Its topographical language is exacting: contour lines trace the rise and fall of the terrain, while the highlighted planimetric features give special clarity to roads, trails, shorelines, and human-made structures. The result is a mid-century portrait of a region where settlement, recreation, and resource management met the dense lake country of Wisconsin’s northern woods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe USGS brought to maps such as this an unrivaled commitment to national measurement, standardization, and public usefulness. By the mid-twentieth century, its topographic quadrangles had become essential instruments for engineers, foresters, conservationists, hunters, anglers, and local planners. “Mercer” reflects that institutional precision, but also the quiet beauty of government cartography at its best: color, line, and symbol working together to make a complex environment immediately intelligible. Water features are distinctly set apart from land, forested areas are legible across the sheet, and the mapped routes form a delicate network through otherwise remote country. It is a functional document with an unexpectedly graceful visual rhythm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dominant presence on the map is the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, one of Wisconsin’s great water landscapes. Created by damming the Flambeau River system in the early twentieth century, the flowage transformed a chain of lakes and river channels into an expansive reservoir of islands, bays, and irregular shorelines. On this map, that complicated geography becomes a compelling cartographic pattern, with water reaching into the surrounding forest in long, branching forms. Nearby Island Lake, Trade Lake, Ritchie Lake, Bear Lake, South Turtle Lake, and North Turtle Lake further enrich the scene, revealing a region shaped as much by glacial inheritance as by modern water management.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMercer itself appears within a broader setting of woods, roads, trails, creeks, and scattered lakes, emblematic of the northern Wisconsin communities whose identities were formed by timber, transport, and outdoor life. Rice Creek and the Flambeau River are part of the hydrographic framework that made the area valuable for logging and later beloved for fishing, boating, and cabin culture. The map’s highlighted planimetric detail is especially engaging here, showing the practical infrastructure that threaded through the forest: routes to lakeshores, crossings over streams, and tracks leading into less settled terrain. These details give the map a human scale without diminishing the wilderness character of the place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, “Mercer” offers a valuable glimpse of the region during a period when northern Wisconsin was balancing extractive history with emerging conservation and recreational priorities. The mid-century landscape recorded here predates many later changes in shoreline development, forest management, transportation, and tourism, making the map a benchmark for understanding how land use has evolved. Its contours and elevation markers disclose the subtle topography beneath the forests, while its lakes and waterways preserve the enduring structure of the terrain. For anyone drawn to the Northwoods, this map is more than a geographic reference: it is a finely composed record of water, timber, settlement, and time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMercer, Wisconsin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTurtle-Flambeau Flowage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIsland Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFlambeau River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrade Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRitchie Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBear Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Turtle Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth Turtle Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRice Creek\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVarious unnamed water bodies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNumerous forested areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoads and trails across the region\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSpecific contours and elevation markers indicating varying terrain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCreated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOriginally dated 1955 and published in 1966\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopographical map at a scale of 1:62,500\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlanimetric features are highlighted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows Mercer and the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage in Wisconsin with surrounding areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDisplays significant water bodies, forested areas, and elevation contours characteristic of northwestern Wisconsin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides mid-20th-century insight into land use changes, natural resource management, and regional development\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses vibrant color to clearly differentiate land and water features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetailed planimetric features enhance usability for outdoor activities such as hiking and fishing\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":68128579617159,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68128579649927,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":68128579682695,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":68128579715463,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68128579748231,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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