Every Lake
Indiana
The Crossroads of America — a straight-sided state with the Ohio River curving under it.
Indiana in relief
The land itself, cut in six steps of birch from the lowlands to the high ground — the cities starred, the summit and rise on the title block. No counties, no roads: just the shape of Indiana.
About Indiana
Indiana is nearly a rectangle: meridian and parallel on three sides, with the Ohio River curving along the bottom and Lake Michigan taking a bite out of the northwest corner. The Wabash runs diagonally across and then south to form the lower western border. Glaciers left the northern two-thirds flat and rich — the Tipton Till Plain is some of the best farmland in the country — while the unglaciated south is hills, limestone quarries and caves. Ninety-two counties, almost all of them laid out on the survey grid in neat squares.
Indiana entered on December 11, 1816 as the 19th state. Indianapolis was chosen in 1820 for the center of the map and laid out the next year around a Mile Square and a central circle, on a plan borrowed from Washington. The state's motto is earned: more interstate highways converge on Indianapolis than on any other city, with I-65, I-69, I-70 and I-74 all meeting inside I-465. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been running since 1909, and US-31 and the old National Road still cross downtown.
- Six layers of birch — the land in elevation steps
- The summit and total rise on the title block
- The major cities, starred and named
- Title block with the admission date and capital
- A double rule engraved around the edge
- Every county line and the state border
- The interstates with their shields — 15 on this board
- The major cities, starred and named
- Title block with the admission date and capital
- A mile ruler engraved around the frame
