Titled “Long Lake,” this U.S. Geological Survey topographical map was compiled in 1955 and issued with a 1965 imprint, preserving a mid-twentieth-century portrait of the central Adirondacks in northern New York. At a scale of 1:62,500, it situates Tupper Lake within a broader landscape of lakes, rivers, forest tracts, roads, and settlements, giving the viewer both regional sweep and practical geographic detail. The map belongs to the USGS tradition of precise federal mapping, in which contours, hydrography, transportation routes, and land cover are brought together into a coherent visual record. Its greens, blues, browns, and fine linework evoke a terrain of deep woods, glacial basins, and rising uplands—an Adirondack landscape shaped as much by water and forest as by road and village.

The U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879, became the authoritative cartographic voice for the American landscape, and this map reflects its mature mid-century style. Rather than emphasizing political drama or decorative flourish, the sheet offers a disciplined, information-rich representation of place: contour lines reveal slope and elevation, blue lines and washes articulate the intricate lake and river systems, while roads, trails, and settlement symbols trace the human imprint upon a largely wild region. In the Adirondacks, such mapping was especially valuable, as the landscape’s complexity—its wooded ridges, water routes, wetlands, and remote camps—required careful surveying. The result is a map that is both technical and evocative, translating a rugged recreational and forested region into a clear, navigable cartographic language.

The geography shown is dominated by the lakes that give the Adirondacks much of their character. Long Lake, Tupper Lake, Raquette Lake, Indian Lake, Lake Lila, Little Tupper Lake, Forked Lake, and Blue Mountain Lake appear as a chain of distinctive water bodies embedded in heavy woodland and rolling upland. These lakes were not merely scenic features; they shaped travel, timber operations, settlement patterns, and later tourism throughout the region. The surrounding rivers and streams, including the Deer River and Oswegatchie River, suggest an older network of movement through the wilderness, long predating modern roads. Their presence on the map underscores the Adirondacks as a watershed landscape, where canoe routes, portages, fishing grounds, and forest industries were bound to the contours of water.

Human settlement appears sparingly but meaningfully, emphasizing the contrast between community and wilderness. Tupper Lake stands out as the principal populated place, historically associated with logging, rail access, and the rise of Adirondack recreation. Nearby names such as Harkness, Hossic Point, Oxbow Lake, Tully Lake, and Brick Pond add texture to the region’s local geography, marking hamlets, landings, and smaller natural features that would have mattered greatly to residents, travelers, and surveyors. State Route 30 is particularly important, threading through the map as a modern corridor across a terrain once navigated chiefly by water and trail. The depiction of roads alongside forest paths captures a transitional Adirondacks: increasingly accessible, yet still defined by remoteness, woodland, and topographic challenge.

As a historical document, the map records the Adirondack region at a moment when conservation, recreation, and development were all reshaping northern New York. The extensive greens and contouring convey a heavily forested, hilly terrain characteristic of Adirondack Park, while the mapped trails and forestry areas hint at land management, outdoor travel, and the continuing significance of natural resources. Comparing this 1955 survey picture with the region today would reveal changes in roads, settlement density, recreation infrastructure, and land use, yet the essential geographic framework remains beautifully recognizable: lakes cupped among uplands, rivers winding through forest, and small communities set within a vast protected landscape. “Long Lake” is therefore more than a topographic sheet; it is a finely ordered snapshot of Adirondack geography in the modern American mapping era.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Tupper Lake
• Long Lake
• Raquette Lake
• Indian Lake
• Harkness
• Hossic Point
• Lake Lila
• Deer River
• Oswegatchie River
• Oxbow Lake
• Tully Lake
• Little Tupper Lake
• Brick Pond
• Blue Mountain Lake
• Forked Lake
• State Route 30
• Several trails and forestry areas

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map title: Long Lake
• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Historical 1:62,500 topographical map
• Dated 1955 with a 1965 imprint
• Uses varying greens to indicate elevation and vegetation
• Includes contour lines to show topography and landforms
• Features symbols for water bodies, roads, and other mapped details
• Shows varied elevations, lakes, and forested areas typical of the Adirondack region
• Reflects mid-20th-century geographical understanding of the area
• Useful for observing how land use, development, and natural resources may have changed 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.