Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Center for Sacramento History
Title: Sanborn fire insurance maps collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS0176
Physical Description:
4 Linear Feet
Date: 1905-1958
The collection is open for research.
All requests to publish or quote from private manuscripts held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted
in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron.
No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
[Identification of item and/or item number], Sanborn fire insurance maps collection, MS0176, Center for Sacramento History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Maps in this collection have unknown acquisition information, except the Sacramento map book from 1952-1956, which was acquired
from the City of Sacramento Planning Department (accession number 2005/055).
Processed by Kim Hayden, 2023.
Sanborn Map Company was established in New York by civil engineer and surveyor Daniel Sanborn. The company published fire
insurance maps, known as Sanborn maps, of cities throughout the United States to help fire insurance companies assess liability.
Sanborn maps were published until 1977.
This is an artificial collection made up of Sanborn maps from the Center's holdings, most of which have unknown provenance.
Those that do have documented acquisition information are also listed in their respective collections. The collection contains
Sanborn maps for the cities of Sacramento, North Sacramento, and Elk Grove. The maps show streets and street names; property
boundaries; locations of buildings on properties; detailed information about buildings, including use, address, block number,
material used for construction, and locations of doors and windows; and other details. A key to these details is provided
at the beginning of each book. Sanborn would update the maps periodically by providing paper slips showing new building or
street information that would be pasted over the original area. Shining a flashlight under a pasted update reveals the old
information, allowing the user to see the evolution of a property.