Description
The Historical Road
Map Collection contains a variety of historical road
maps, tourist
maps, and highway
maps from cities, states, and geographic regions throughout the world. The collection contains more than 3,800 road
maps ranging from 1937-2007, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1950s-1990s. Historical road
maps from the United States detail the pre-Interstate system of automobile and travel networks, while often including interesting
illustrative details of early tourist boosterism. Most of the
maps were produced by private companies, like Chevron, Esso, Rand McNally, or AAA, as well as by various governmental agencies,
with the goal of promoting travel and tourism.