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RMCA - Fall 1996 Newsletter Preview

Starting a Collection of Official State Highway Road Maps
By Charles Neuschafer, RMCA #83

  One of the joys of collecting road maps is being able to enjoy the hobby without spending a lot of money. Sure, some of the yearly motoring maps and guide books are getting more expensive, reflecting their scarcity and popularity among collectors. However, many of the moe recent oil company and auto club maps are relatively cheap...and there's one category that's attractive, collectible and free: official state highway maps.

  The first official state highway maps appeared in the mid-1920's and were rather prosaic, utilitarian affairs issued by the state highway authorities for the benefit of motorists. These pocket-sized, folded maps showed state and county roads, often categorized by surface, and were distrubuted at one charge.

  The 1926 Official Highway Map of Wisconsin, for example, identifies road surfaces as "concrete, other than concrete (largely gravel), all weather earth (normally good despite rains), heavy clay earth (slippery after rains), and sandy (heavy goign after prolonged dry spells)." Unfolded, this map measures 24 1/2 x 21" and is printed on one side only.

  ...

Map Sheet

Pure Oil Company Road Maps - 1927 - 1968-69

 

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