{"product_id":"old-map-of-ottertail-minnesota-by-usgs-1973-otter-tail-lake-rush-lake","title":"Old Map of Ottertail, Minnesota by USGS, 1973 – Otter Tail Lake \u0026 Rush Lake","description":"\u003cp\u003eMapped in 1973 and published in 1975 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Ottertail” captures a richly watered corner of west-central Minnesota at the precise 1:24,000 scale associated with America’s classic modern topographic mapping. Centered on the populated place of Ottertail, the map presents a landscape defined by glacial lakes, rolling ground, rural roads, and carefully measured elevation. Its title is spare and local, yet the sheet opens onto a broader story of Minnesota’s lake country in the 1970s: a region where settlement, recreation, agriculture, and natural drainage patterns meet. The USGS’s disciplined cartographic language gives the map both scientific authority and visual clarity, transforming a modest rural area into a finely indexed historical record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became one of the great mapping institutions of the modern world, charged with documenting the physical structure and natural resources of the United States. By the time this Ottertail sheet was made, USGS topographic maps had become essential tools for engineers, planners, geologists, hunters, hikers, local governments, and landowners. Their distinctive visual system—blue for water, green for woodland, black and red for roads and built features, brown contour lines for relief—created a universal cartographic grammar. On this map, that system is especially effective, because the landscape is intricate rather than monumental: a subtle terrain of lakeshores, low rises, channels, wetlands, and settled roads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater dominates the geography. Otter Tail Lake appears as the great regional presence, joined by Rush Lake, Battle Lake, Shell Lake, Blind Lake, Long Lake, and numerous smaller bodies of water that give the sheet its characteristic texture. The East Otter Tail River and Ottertail River thread through the terrain, linking lakes and lowlands in a drainage network shaped by glacial history. This is a map of lake country in the most literal sense, where roads bend around shorelines and settlement gathers near water. The blue shapes are not ornamental; they reveal the forces that determined travel, property, recreation, and habitation across this part of Minnesota.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe contour lines provide the map’s quieter drama. Though the region lacks dramatic mountains, its hilly, undulating relief is carefully expressed through close and open intervals of brown linework, showing the rises, depressions, and slopes left by ancient ice. These elevations matter: they explain the placement of roads, the location of forested patches, the form of lake basins, and the agricultural possibilities of the surrounding land. Green shading marks wooded areas, offering a glimpse of the environmental pattern as it stood in the early 1970s. In combination, the contours, hydrography, roads, and vegetation produce a layered portrait of a working rural landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a historical document, the Ottertail quadrangle is particularly evocative because it records the area at a moment before later decades of development, shoreline change, road improvement, and shifting land use further altered the map’s subject. It preserves the relationship between the town of Ottertail and its surrounding lakes, trails, roads, woods, and open ground with the exacting neutrality of federal survey cartography. For anyone connected to Otter Tail County, Minnesota lake culture, environmental history, or the aesthetics of twentieth-century topographic design, this map offers more than location. It is a measured snapshot of place: practical, beautiful, and quietly rich in regional memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOttertail\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRush Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOtter Tail Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBattle Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShell Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlind Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLong Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEast Otter Tail River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOttertail River\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoads and trails\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eForested areas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurrounding lakes and natural features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:24,000 topographical map of Ottertail, Minnesota and the surrounding area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMapped in 1973 and published in 1975.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe USGS is a scientific agency of the U.S. government, established in 1879 and known for mapping the nation’s natural resources and geography.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures a clear, functional layout typical of USGS topographic maps.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses contour lines to show elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes consistent color-coding for land and water features, including water, forests, and urban areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows numerous lakes, rivers, and varied elevations reflecting the hilly terrain of this part of Minnesota.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eServes as a historical reference for 1970s land use, geological features, development, and environmental conditions.\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=\"\/es\/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=\"\/es\/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=\"\/es\/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=\"\/es\/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":68128582369671,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68128582402439,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":68128582435207,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":68128582467975,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":68128582500743,"sku":null,"price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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