Fist off the history of topography was initiated from a man named James Wesley Powell, a geologist in the 80's, who convinced congress to gather a team in developing topographic maps. Not only did his efforts benefit for resources and hydrology of the western landscape but it benefited outdoor enthusiasts to navigate more safely.

A very beneficial feature of topographic maps are the magnetic declination. The angle between magnetic north and true north can be found using the legend on the map keeping the hiker on the correct course. This is especially important considering when hiking out in the mountains there is no signal to help guide the explorers out there. Although finding trails can be fun it can also be very dangerous. A compass is needed to adjust to the declination angle on the maps legend. An example, if east of Mississippi River adjust the declination angle in westward direction. If west of the river adjust in an eastward direction.

Each contour is a line of equal elevation so the contours never cross. The lines define the general shape of the terrain. Finding the elevation on a topographic map starts with finding the nearest labeled line and counting the number of lines above and below it. In the photo the closest line is 9250 and the next number is 10,500. Those subtracted is 1,250 meaning the contour interval of the map. The more close the lines are the steeper the slope. In the photo the lines seem pretty steep so the possibility of a mountain in this area is great.