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Club Information Map Information Buy/Sell/Trade Maps Miscellaneous
| RMCA - Fall 1999 Newsletter PreviewThe Road Maps of the Standard Oil Company of California and its Western
Subsidiaries - PART ONE In mid-1996, I began to collect road maps. I soon found myself drawn to the graphics of the oil company maps, especially those from the early years and from Standard of California ("SOCal") into the '60s. As a result, I narrowed my interest primarily to maps issued by SOCal and its western subsidiaries. As I progressed into my collecting of SOCal maps, I discovered various marketing activities by SOCal which made collecting of those maps considerably more complex than just finding a map for a state or locality for a particular year. In buying and trading for SOCal maps, I discovered that many of the people with whom I was dealing, including recognized dealers who belong to this organization, were unaware of the effects on map collecting of SOCal's marketing activities. This discovery led me to write this article, by which I hope to shed a bit of light on the mysteries of SOCal maps. I am not an expert; I am merely a collector and interested hobbyist, the way most of us are in this club. I have an interest in maps issued by a particular brand of gasoline. I have several hundred maps issued by SOCal and its subsidiaries and successors, and it is the examination of these maps and certain other literature that had led me to the conclusions I am sharing with you. I do not have all the answers. In fact, I still have a lot of questions. If readers find errors in my article, please advise me and the other members, so we can all have the benefit of the corrected information. Any additional information any readers may have and would be willing to share with the rest of us would be most gratefully accepted. This applies especially to the period from 1915 to 1932, the period when SOCal began building service stations in the West. I have not confirmed when in that period SOCal began to issue road maps to its customers; the earliest year for which I have SOCal maps is 1928, although other collectors have advised me that SOCal started several years earlier. One collector has advised me that he possess a 1924 SOCal map of California, which is the earliest year I am presently aware of. ... RMCA Meets, Changes Name ... Jeppesen Maps at New Denver Airport Road map collectors who have occasion to visit the new Denver International Airport should take the opportunity of seeing the Elrey B. Jeppesen memorial display in the main terminal building, as much of it relates to early road maps and air navigation charts. Indeed, if you fly the friendly skies of United Airlines, you can hardly miss stopping in Denver, as it is United's hub where flights interconnect, but there are 22 other airlines that fly in and out of there, too. If you have enough time between flights, go down to the lowest level of whichever concourse you're on and take the train to the main terminal. ... Map Sheet Standard Oil of California Covers - 1923-1978
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