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1986 Map of Indianapolis

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of Indianapolis
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Indianapolis serves as the focal point of this 1980s planimetric study, showcasing the dense urban core and its rapidly expanding suburban ring. The map illustrates a mature transportation network dominated by the I-465 beltway, which connects outlying communities like Beech Grove, Speedway, and Lawrence. On the city's northeast side, the Fort Benjamin Harrison Military Reservation stands as a significant federal footprint, while to the west, the Eagle Creek Reservoir and Eagle Creek Park provide a large-scale recreational and water management buffer between the city and Brownsburg.

Beyond the capital, the landscape transitions into the agricultural and river-carved terrain of Central Indiana. The White River winds southward through the center of the sheet, joined by tributaries such as White Lick Creek near Mooresville. To the west, Greencastle anchors the map's edge, situated near the headwaters of Big Walnut Creek. The presence of the Conrail system and numerous state roads like State Road 67 and State Road 37 highlights the region's historical reliance on both rail and highway corridors to link rural county seats to the metropolitan center.