Locating places from old Topo maps

Jeepfreak81

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
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334
Location
Northern NH
Hi All, so I'm still pretty new at this but after searching some old topo maps I've found a few places I'd like to investigate further. However, it's really hard to figure out where they are specifically. Some are surrounded by lots of woods and an old road but nothing else.

I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to approximate GPS coordinates somehow. Has anyone else come across similar issues? Or is it just a matter of walking all over the woods and hoping you come across something obvious?
 
Even in the age of GPS, it's still important to be able to use a map. A GPS isn't enough when there's a swamp/cliff/river/thicket/ravine/etc. between you and your target. You can't just walk in a straight line until you get there.

I had a great time learning map reading... there's a lot more to it than lat and lon. You learn to read the details on the map, and recognize them on the ground... slopes, ridges, streambeds, etc. The features can be followed to the target just like you'd follow streets and intersections in a city. In New Hampshire, there are plenty of reference points!

Get a modern topo map of where you live, and it'll be easy to learn how the map relates to the landscape.
 
Ok I guess what I need to do is learn how to properly read the map. I have basic map reading skills but need to be able to properly interpret the actual long/lat.

Oh and yes, I can put that into my GPS :roll::laughing:

I don't intend to use the GPS to walk a straight line to the location, but it would be nice to know I'm searching in the right area. Perhaps a free online map reading course is in my future.
 
It's called orienteering. May books on the subject. As was said, using a compass and a topo to find your way, being able to relate what you see on the map to natural features and use those as guide posts. Even how to triangulate your location using the compass and distant features.
It's actually alot of fun and a great thing to learn. I'm afraid the days of topo quads, compasses, dividers and nautical charts are over. $hit, I remember getting excited when I learned to use RDF (radio direction finder) to navigate. You'd triangulate your location using onshore radio stations that transmitted a known signal. All fun but a thing of the past I'm afraid.
 
Ok I guess what I need to do is learn how to properly read the map. I have basic map reading skills but need to be able to properly interpret the actual long/lat.

Oh and yes, I can put that into my GPS :roll::laughing:

I don't intend to use the GPS to walk a straight line to the location, but it would be nice to know I'm searching in the right area. Perhaps a free online map reading course is in my future.

I only say that because your map will give you Lat/Lon, not a true GPS coordinate.
 
If you can find your site on the Historic Aerials site maps you can get the longitude and latitude coordinates.
 
Maprika is an awesome way to overlay old maps and then send them to your phone. When you use them in your phone you see your gps location on the old map. I mapped my township with the 1875 map and I used road crossings, bridges and other things for anchor points. I can bring up the map on my phone and literally follow my gps dot while driving down a road that has been there since 1875. There are other landmarks that have been there that long also and I used these to test accuracy and it is very close. It does take time to do the overlay and set the anchors but it is a great tool when done, I have found 3 homesites in fields that nobody knew of. Youtube has some great tutorials how to use it, that is how I learned.
 
Maprika is an awesome way to overlay old maps and then send them to your phone. When you use them in your phone you see your gps location on the old map. I mapped my township with the 1875 map and I used road crossings, bridges and other things for anchor points. I can bring up the map on my phone and literally follow my gps dot while driving down a road that has been there since 1875. There are other landmarks that have been there that long also and I used these to test accuracy and it is very close. It does take time to do the overlay and set the anchors but it is a great tool when done, I have found 3 homesites in fields that nobody knew of. Youtube has some great tutorials how to use it, that is how I learned.

Great info. I'll have to try that idea. Thanks.
 
Maprika sounds like just what I'm looking for. I'm going to check that out for sure. I have tried to line things visually using Google Earth but it's difficult to eyeball especially with limited landmarks in the area.

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Ok, first of all, Maprika is awesome! I was able to overlay a screenshot of an old topo map I found online, like up about 6 points of reference as best I could and then see it on satellite imagery. In addition, I got GPS coordinates which I've now plugged into Google Earth and saved for later investigation.

I can see myself using this a lot. On a side note, I noticed the buildings in question show up on a topo map from the 70's and not a modern one. But they also don't show up on the old topo map I found from 1931. It's a pretty remote area, could it be that they missed it on the old maps? I suppose they could have been built prior to the 70's and then disappeared by the 90's but seems a bit unlikely with what I know about the area.
 
Oh I forgot to add. An easier way is to download a KMZ file of your county topo from USGS website. That is already geo-referenced and will load in google earth without tweaking.
Then i take my old map (like the one in the video) and i can even more precisely match up plat lines to get an almost exact location of old homesteads. Hope this helps


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I haven't tried Maprika yet. I most likely will but right now I use http://www.custommapsapp.com . Looks like the same functionality but I can't say which is more polished.

I still use a map and compass to travel to the general area then use the GPS and landmarks to find the site. Looking at a GPS over any distance in the woods just has me going in circles. Use the compass to find a landmark in the direction I want to go and head to that, get there, repeat.
 
Even without GPS or a coordinate system you should be able to pretty closely determine your relative position, or position of landmarks with just a map and a compass.

Knowing how to perform resections and intersections is a very valuable skill I learned in the Army.


The concepts are easy to understand and apply.

Probably tons of info available via google.
 
Oh I forgot to add. An easier way is to download a KMZ file of your county topo from USGS website. That is already geo-referenced and will load in google earth without tweaking.
Then i take my old map (like the one in the video) and i can even more precisely match up plat lines to get an almost exact location of old homesteads. Hope this helps


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This is an excellent suggestion about using a KMZ file. Here's the USGS website https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/.
 
Even without GPS or a coordinate system you should be able to pretty closely determine your relative position, or position of landmarks with just a map and a compass.



Knowing how to perform resections and intersections is a very valuable skill I learned in the Army.





The concepts are easy to understand and apply.



Probably tons of info available via google.



Agreed, orienteering is a great skill to have. I also learned in the Military at SERE school.
However a county map from 1885 is much easier to use in google earth. In the end I try to work smarter not harder [emoji6]


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