From Colonialism to Tourism: Maps in American Culture

Alternate Routes

California Highway Map, official tourist picture map.

Prior to the proliferation of mainstream automobile sales, travel for Americans meant taking the train, trolley, or standard horse and carriage. Traveling by road was not for the faint of heart and was considered a potentially dangerous adventure, limited to those with a purpose.
In the early twentieth century, the motorcar was a rich man’s toy and road conditions were often dismal. In the 1920s, as cars became more available to the average citizen, road conditions improved and leisure travel increased in popularity. Maps became readily available at gas stations and were often made free by companies that would profit from car, fuel, and related commodities. Auto clubs also provided maps for a subscription fee. The Automobile Association of America (A.A.A.) perfected route-specific, spiral-bound maps called “TripTik” travel planners, which continue to be produced for their members today but saw their heyday during pre-GPS guided road trips. They included not just routes, but also road conditions and improvements, attractions, and other points of interest. They were highly detailed and heavy with text. This created a boom in road map creation that continued until the gas shortages of the 1970s.

The Tourist's Pocket Map Of The State Of Ohio

Photo-auto maps. (New York to Albany and Saratoga Springs, Saratoga Springs to Albany and New York).

Travel and Tourism: Maps for Every American

Westward Expansion

The Rise and Fall of America’s Forests

Depicting a Fractured Society: Civil War Maps

Moving Forward

Hysterical Map of the Yellowstone Park with Apologies to the Park.

With the growth of passenger railroads and the development of the national highway system, the twentieth century saw a large increase in personal leisure travel. Events such as World's Fairs and the rise of national sports leagues, as well as the creation of ambitious entertainment destinations like Disneyland and other amusement parks, brought about new types of maps designed for the American tourist.
While most travel maps provided accurate information about a given area to help plan transit routes, souvenir maps, created for regions or specific destinations, were designed to be both fun and functional. Cartoon imagery, photographs, and other art depicted popular tourist sites, local flora and fauna, and geographic highlights. Instead of purchasing these prior to a trip, travelers received them at their destination. Souvenir maps served the dual purpose of being a visually appealing keepsake as well a promotional tool to recruit more visitors.  
Crafted by park owners, town tourism boards, and industry-specific stakeholders, souvenir maps were widely available starting in the 1930s and continue to be prominent today.

From Colonialism to Tourism: Maps in American Culture

“You went where?”: Souvenir Maps

“You went where?”: Souvenir Maps