ROAD MAP COLLECTORS of AMERICA Rand McNally`s Auto Road

ROAD MAP COLLECTORS of AMERICA
NE
Volume 11 -Fall, 1998
Rand McNally's Auto Road Maps of 1912
by Dave Cole (#72)
THE RAND· McNALLY
Motorist's Road Map
A facsimile
of the cover
for the
"Rand
McNally
Motorist's
Road Map
in Sections
-Section I"
Well, as it turns out, Rand McNally was not idle during this
time. They did publish a few road maps, and they even sold
maps and guides published by others. This came to light
recently when I bought a small hard-bound book map titled,
"The Rand McNally Motorist's Road Map in Sections Section I", published in 1912.
This looks like a hard-bound book, covered with dark red
cloth and a gold stamped title (a facsimile of this cover is
shown above - the dark cover does not photocopy well). The
booklet measures about 4\12'' by 7lh.'', and is about Y4" thick.
in Sections
SECTION I
CIDCAGO
AND SURROUNDING COUNTRY, SHOWING %5,000
MILES OF HIGHWAYS
RAND McNALLY & COMPANY
The history of automobile road maps in the U.S. has never
been written up in great detail, but those historical works that
exist, such as Walter Ristow's "American Road Maps and
Guides" article in the May, 1946, Scientific Monthly, and
Roderick Clayton McKenzie's master' s thesis, "The
Development of Automobile Road Guides in the United
States", UCLA, 1963, would have us believe that Rand
McNally, the biggest of all road map publishers in this
country, was virtually absent from the road map field from
1912 to 1917. Even Rand McNally's own publications imply
that the company offered nothing between their Photo Auto
Maps, which were last issued in 1912, and their Auto Trails
maps, which began in 1917. The Photo Auto Maps, were
small books of photographs showing key turns in the routes
laid out for motorists, and Rand McNally published them for
about five years, starting in 1907. Their Auto Trails maps,
later called Auto Road Maps, were the most popular and best
detailed of their kind from 1917 onward. But doesn't it seem
strange that the company should go dormant in the road map
game from 1912 to 1917, a time when automobile ownership
was growing at a faster pace each year, with ever more
motorists needinP ro:~cl clirP-r.tinno::?
No this does not look like typical Rand McNally cartography,
but it is in fact that part of Section I of their "Motorist's ·Road
Map" series showing the area just west and north of the City of
C'hic-<aon
~~~it
lnnlrPtl in 1Q1?
RMCA NEWSLETIER (Fall, 1998)
the Chicago area for their tours around the immediate
vicinity, and they certainly give a wealth of information for
that. The fact that Rand McNally issued a series of maps for
the Chicago area is only fitting since Chicago served as, and
continues to serve as, Rand McNally's headquarters. Each of
these maps were made to sell for 50¢ in the form described
above. They were also sold dissected and mounted on cloth - a much more substantial and long-lived form of folding
map -- for $2, postpaid.
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Pasted inside the front cover is a seven page pamphlet that
describes Rand McNally' s retail store and various auto road
maps and guides that could be purchased. The last two pages
of the pamphlet are devoted to "General Road Directions for
Motorists' Road Map", which is a written narrative
describing route directions for motorists leaving Chicago and
Milwaukee. Pasted inside the back cover of the hard binding
is the map itself, all folded up. Opened, it measures 34" by
28", although the description of the maps in the pamphlet
claim they are only about 24" x 28".
Anyone familiar with Rand McNally's style of cartography
would never guess that this is one of that company' s
products. The original was entirely hand drawn (by whom, it
is not noted) with all roads shown in double lines, and major
ones highlighted in red. "All towns, railroads, electric lines,
rivers, lakes, schools and churches also shown", according to
the descriptive text, and indeed they are. The scale is 4 miles
per inch. This particular map covers the territory north and
west of Chicago as far north as Madison and Milwaukee,
Wisconsin; as far west as Freeport and Sterling, Illinois; and
as far south as Aurora, Illinois -- about 13,390 sq. mi.,
although the text promises 20,000 sq. mi. The bounds of this
map are indicated as solid lines on the key map shown above.
However, the Section I book states that there are three more
such maps in the series, Section II, III, and IV. They are
described in the text as being the same size as Section I, and
the major cities each map includes are listed, so approximate
boundaries of these maps can be fairly well ascertained. The
assumed boundaries of these other three sectional maps,
which would have overlapped each other, are shown on the
key map as dashed lines. In order to cover all of the cities
listed for them, these three maps must have been oriented
with the longer dimension running north and south.
Obviously, these maps were intended mainly for motorists in
The fmal two pages of the seven page pamphlet pasted inside
the front cover of the Section I map book describe other
Rand McNally maps sold at the time. One item, published
by Rand McNally, was a "new road map of Chicago and
surrounding country including Cook, Lake and Dupage and
portions of the adjoining counties in Illinois and a strip of
Lake County in Indiana". Thus it duplicates the areas
mapped in the "Motorist' s Road Map in Sections" already
described, but the map must have been drawn at a much
larger scale, as it sold for $1 with a flexible red cloth-covered
binding, or $2.50 in a Morocco leather case. Also sold by
Rand McNally in their store were the Automobile Blue
Books, published by the Automobile Blue Book Company of
Chicago and New York. There were five volumes for 1912,
covering most of the U.S., and Rand McNally sold them for
$2.50 per volume, postpaid. It hardly seems likely that Rand
McNally would sell maps and guide books published by
others, but this little pamphlet in the Motorist' s Road Map
assures us that they did just that. They also offered a series
of "Western States Highways Maps", described as being "in
cloth covers, pocket size showing distinctly all highways ...".
Each map covered one state -- Arizona, Nevada Colorado,
New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming -- and
sold for $1 each, postpaid. No publisher is shown for these
maps, but the chances are great that they were done by the
Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado. Clason is
known to have offered such maps for all these states as early
as 1908, with the exception of Nevada (which must have
been added to Clason' s offerings before 1919), and each
were also priced at $1 .
One fmal guide for motorists offered by Rand McNally was
titled, "Chicago to Milwaukee and Runs Thereabout". It had
a paper cover and sold for 25¢, and was described as being
very concise, "for the autoist or cyclist only, covering short
trips around Chicago and along the Lake Shore including
Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, Fox Lake Region, and Lake Geneva
and vicinity". This guide must have been another publication
from a source outside Rand McNally, but thus far its identity
has not been discovered.
Thus, Rand McNally did not drop out of the road map
business between 1912 and 1917 after all. Their publications
for 1912 were limited to maps and guides for the local trade,
but they sold maps made by others for the rest of the country
too. Chances are great that if they did this in 1912, they kept
it up for a few years too -- probably until the popular Auto
Trails series superseded the earlier maps. If any RMCA
member has more information on Rand McNally maps of this
period, please let me know about them.
RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
The Editor's Corner
Heloise is at it Again !!!
At long last, here is the Fall newsletter. This newsletter
completes my first year as editor, and I certainly hope you
have found the newsletters to be informative, interesting, and
fun. I know I got this one off to you a little later than I had
hoped, but I hope that you are generally pleased with the
consistency of receiving four per year, generally within (or in
this case not too long after) the season for which the
newsletter is dated.
Perhaps anticipating that our favorite domestic junk recycling
columnist might again threaten our hobby, member Richard
Horwitz (#314) checked the December 1st "Hints from
Heloise" column, and was shocked to see the following:
After hearing all of the wonderful things about the Chicago
meet, I'm sorry I missed it. I am especially sad that I missed
the opportunity to meet most of you (it's tough for us west
coast guys). Fortunately, our own West Coast Swap Meet
went very well. A lot of important things occurred at the
Chicago meet, which are described elsewhere within this
newsletter. Congratulations to all who attended, especially
Saturday's General Meeting, because your participation
resulted in some important decisions which are resulting in
significant growth in the club and improving the club's
ability to respond to the needs and desires of members.
As always, thanks to everyone who has responded to my
requests for articles, member proflles, puzzles, comics, etc.
Unfortunately, I still have not had a lot of response to my call
for articles themselves, so I would like to repeat my
challenge within the last newsletter for all of you to please
submit at least one idea for a newsletter article (or anything
else pertaining to the newsletter). As I stated earlier, even if
you don't have the time or inclination to write a full article,
you can make a significant contribution to the club by
providing a suggestion for an article (along with perhaps a
suggestion as to who we might be able to tap to write it).
Unfortunately, I did not receive one response to this request
last time, which was disappointing. To ensure that the
newsletters continues with the depth and breadth I hope you
feel they provide, I can not stress enough that each member
should try and contribute something at some point (even if
only a helpful suggestion).
I would especially like to thank the prolific Dave Cole.
Including this newsletter, Dave has had an article in 8 of the
10 newsletters which contained articles (the first newsletter
was only a color map sheet). That is quite impressive, and to
think I still have a few in the hopper.
Please send articles, ideas for articles, member proflles, road
map facts, puzzles, comics, RMCA meet pictures, color map
sheet ideas, etc. to:
Larry Wymer
3511 Winter Park Dr. #90
Sacramento, CA 95834
horne phone: (916) 921-0243
workphone: (916)441-3804
work fax:
(916) 441-6594
work e-mail: [email protected]
Dear Heloise: Just read the letter about using old road
maps to make envelopes. We have traveled extensively
both in the United States and around the world and
have accumulated lots of maps. Instead ofjust putting
up a map to keep track of our trips, we decided to use
the maps as wallpaper for our guest bathroom.
Answer: This is a fantastic decorating idea. Many of
us have lots of old travel maps that just sit.
Earlier this year, Richard was the first member to notice
Heloise's first column pertaining to the destructive use of
road maps, which Dave Schul commented on in the last
Newsletter.
Following this latest column, Richard
comments: "Unbelievable! First making envelopes out of
maps, then wrapping package, now its wallpaper. Our
messages don't seem to get through"
Apparently Heloise has disregarded numerous messages that
RMCA members have sent her, including a detailed letter
from Dave informing her of the value of maps and existence
of our club. It seems that the responsible thing for Heloise to
do would be to amend one of these responses with a
statement such as - " ...Although this is a great idea for newer
mhps which have little value, note that some rare and older
road maps are collectors items which might be valuable. So
be sure to check with an antique store to appraise your maps
before using them as decoration." Of course, ideally, it
would be nice if she fmished with something like ..."or
contact the following road map collectors group who could
tell you if you have trash or something to sell for cash."
Although this might just be wishful thinking, perhaps if
enough of us contact Heloise with these types of sentiments
(e-mail:
[email protected]), maybe she'll
fmally stop encouraging senior citizens with piles of maps
chronicling their travels across the United States in their
Model A during the-20's from wallpapering their homes.
Road Map Fact
Interesting quotes from the "Things Worth Noting" section
within the introductory section of the 1927 Rand McNally
Auto Road Atlas:
•
•
"Women drivers of motor vehicles should be given
special consideration-- and watching."
"It takes gas to propel a motor vehicle - profanity won't
do it"
"The most obnoxious animal in the world is the road hog.
He is as objectionable as any other hog and you can't eat
him."
And don't forget to send your best wishes to President Dave
Schul and his wife, who are expecting a new little map
collector soon.
•
Till next time.
Editors Note: Please share interesting tid-bits of road map trivia and
knowledge with fellow RMCA members. Everything 's welcome.
Send to the editor via e-mail, phone or snail-maiL
Larry
RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
member who attended, "Thank
you Mr Berlow!"
It was great to see old friends and
meet new ones while we all shared
our knowledge and love for this
hobby. Some age-old mysteries
about road maps were solved and
some myths debunked. In the end
though, it was the maps we all
came for and all of us added some
gems to our collections.
West Coast Road Map Meet Attendees
A fuzZ)· picture so you know what west coast RMCA members silhouettes look like
back/ middle (standing from left): unknown, Dave Cole (#72), Scott Oglesby (#414), Larry
Wymer (#215), Joel Windmiller (#51), Curtis Carroll (#46), Dennis Toth, Bob Wandel
(#223), Dan Sidlow, Peter Sid low (#11 ), Chuck Bloom (#I 0), Dave Com pas (#173)
front (squatting/seated from left): Mike Ballard (#281), Kevin Walsh (#113), unknown,
Mike McCoy (#208), Lon Metzger, (#271), Bob Berlow (#284)
Plans are forming for a third meet
A few members are advocating a
spring meet to coincide with a
central California "gas bash." If
you have any opmtons or
suggestions, please contact me at
[email protected] or
Dave
Compas
at
[email protected].
photo submitted by Mike Ballard (#281)
Collectors Convene in California
lor successful Map Meet
by Curtis Carroll (RMCA #46)
Nearly two dozen RMCA members, and some soon to be
members, descended on the sleepy central valley agricultural
town of Tulare to spend a day and night selling and
swapping, buying, and bargaining road maps of all kinds.
The West Coast Road Map Meet is evolving and this second
annual meet was better than the first in many ways. The
venue, the Best Western Town and Country In, had better
and larger rooms than the first meet, and the rooms were
attached by an inside hall, so going from room to room was
infinitely easier than before. The maps offered by the
attendees were more plentiful and of an overall higher quality
than the first meet. Could it mean we're all getting a little
better at managing our collections as we learn more about
this incredibly diverse avocation we call road map
collecting?
A meeting room was provided for an extremely informative
and entertaining slide presentation by RMCA member Bob
Berlow (#284). Bob used graphs and maps from his
collection to explain the evolution of western US numbered
highways and their road surfacing. We all came away a little
more knowledgeable and appreciative of the explosive
growth and slow decline of US numbered highways,
especially those in California. It was fitting that a talk like
this took place at a site along the former US-99. From every
RMCA Founder
Dick Bloom (#1)
contemplates a map
at 3rd Annual
RMCA Meet
Club Takes New Roads at
3rd Annual RMCA Meet
Holding true to the precedent established last year in which
the 2nd Annual RMCA Swap Meet was better than the 1st,
this year's 3rd Annual RMCA Swap Meet was better than
both of the first two meets. About 50 RMCA members,
along with about 15 non-members or soon-to-be members,
and some very understanding spouses, came to the eastern
Chicago towns of Highland and Hammond, located in the
extreme northwestern corner of Indiana - the same location
as last year's meet.
Many attendees arrived Friday night at the AmeriHost Inn in
Hammond, where old friends reunited, and members either
met or reacquainted themselves with each other. Quite a few
attendees got a head start on the action with room-to-room
RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
trades and sales, but
mostly everyone just
enjoyed being in the
company of fellow
map geeks.
After
having stayed up until
midnight
with
a
group of attendees
chatting over a beer
or two discussing
maps and politics.
Bill Bleckwenn (#12)
commented that the
occasion
reminded
him fondly of late
night bull sessions in
the dorms during his
college days.
RMCA President
Dave Schul
demonstrates how he
can identify the make
and year of a map by
touch alone
Also
on
Friday
evening, most of the
officers,
including
Editor Larry Wymer
via
speakerphone
from California, and other
interested members, held a
brainstorming session where
they discussed the status and
direction of the club, the
newsletter, and established a
rough agenda for Saturday's
General Meeting.
On Saturday everyone departed for the Lincoln Center,
which although is located only about one mile south of the
AmeriHost Inn, is actually located in the adjoining City of
Highland. There they were met by others who came in just
for the show. That was when the fun began, with attendees
rotating among about 35 tables in which maps were traded,
bought, sold, or simply admired and pined for. Most
everyone came away from the action with a least a few
prized additions for their collections.
Following the main event, a General Meeting of the club was
held in the Lincoln Center's auditorium. The meeting was
the largest gathering of members yet, and provided an
unprecedented and invaluable opportunity for discussions
and decisions regarding the club and its future. Founding
member Dick Bloom and President Dave Schul opened the
meeting by thanking Wayne Stitt (#136), Nikki, and
everyone else who worked so hard to bring the meet about.
Dave and Dick then handed the meeting over to Chuck
Bloom (#10), who oversaw the remainder of the meeting.
Special guest Jim Akerman (#44), from the Newberry
Library, then gave a fascinating presentation about the status
and future of the Library, including the exciting news that the
·· Library had recently acquired General Drafting 's archives.
(note: more about the Newberry Library will be presented in
the Winter newsletter). The RMCA club then took a big step
with the establishment of a board of directors (see page 6).
The group then discussed the possibility of relocating the
show to Indianapolis, but the consensus was that the current
location is ideal, so why change it? A very somber
discussion was then held about how the club could help heirs
of a member who passes away divest their collection (see
page 6). Overall, the meeting proved to be a crucial
milestone in the history of the club, and is expected to
continually be so at future meets.
Meet Organizer
Wayne Stitt
Following
the
General
Meeting, a group met to
propose and discuss the
creation of the Petroleum Road
Map Project, which, if created,
would provide a listing of oil
company maps, similar to the
Official Maps Master List
(OMML). .
However, the
discussions got really tedious
with questions such as: what
qualifies as an oil company
map?, how do we classify all
of the variations on companies
and subsidiaries?, etc. This
project will likely challenge
members for quite some time.
Special accolades to Marcel Monterie (#456 ) who wins the
"farthest traveled" award having flown in from Ireland for
the meet. Also, thanks to Judy Aulik, who supplied cheese,
John "Chief Texaco" Ross, who brought donuts, and Wayne
and Nikki, who provided sodas and coffee for the masses.
Everyone departed Indiana with fond memories and an early
anticipation of next year's event. Stan DeOrsey (#76), who
came with his wife Joan, noted that she had a thoroughly
good time, and enjoyed the many conversations she had with
collectors and other spouses. Thus if someone dido 't attend
because of spouse reluctance, he strongly encourages they
attend next year and bring along the other half.
Photos submitted by
Dodd Vernon (#55)
RMCA NEWSLEITER (Fall, 1998)
Announcing the New
RMCA Board of Directors
&
Creation of Club Bv-laws
At the recent RMCA Swap Meet, officers and other members
discussed the creation of a Board of Director's and set of Bylaws for the club. RMCA founding member and first
President Dick Bloom, along with current RMCA President
Dave Schul, have each found themselves feeling
overburdened with the unenviable task of heading an
increasingly growing membership which looks to the
President as the sole person in charge of the club. Many
members incorrectly think at times that an opinion expressed
by Dave is the club's opinion, and do not recognize that
Dave is basically just another map collector and RMCA
member, albeit an extremely dedicated one who has accepted
the challenge of overseeing the administrative responsibilities
of the club. But since the club is not a dictatorship, but
merely a collective of interested map collectors, the decision
was made that a Board of Directors should be formed which
would represent the club as a whole, diversify the leadership
responsibilities of the club, and work towards the formation
of a set of by-laws for the club. An interim Board of
Directors was formed which consists of the following
members:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dick & Chuck Bloom (shared seat)
Stan DeOrsey
Mark Greaves
Dave Schul
Wayne Stitt
Larry Wymer
RMCA Members Jon Roma (#449) and Dave Leach (#8)
have agreed to help formulate a set of by-laws. Following
the incorporation of by-laws, elections will be held to
establish an elected Board of Directors. Any thoughts or
ideas about the by-laws should be directed to Jon Roma at
[email protected] or Dave Leach at [email protected].
Stay tuned!
DIAIPI11111!1atA\
-~~~ liii~~~~-(-lrc •
IIOrlld UltimatelY HabD8D1 ~
Matllr Map c4'11~ on il .·: -iJ
!''· •
"
Swap M et, tbe followihg sensitiVe
could the cJuti help a m~m~ or the
is.\fe~wa~ raised: .
H~' la_member ,di~e~\!h~ir roJI¢t!ti~n? [email protected],}i ' .~ll
hat to4'hlnk about It, If IS mevftabJe1fi.1\te'ach ofie ctflus Wlll
end up with a gri vmg~~%1W~! ffi'iJTr,~t9 deqde what to do
with a valuable co\\~Wrti9fl1 &>f10 ~1\P§ t UlHt~ loved one was
passionate about aridSpema'1ifetlmet51Iitdibg, unless the
det:fs!~ r~~·!·, maded'!by the collector themselves, or the
collic'tibw i's ·s6-ldJbr•donated beforehand.
As we all know from combing antique stores, etc., many
maps become available through estate sales in which the
maps are often haphazardously thrown in with other
materials, sometimes sold for pennies, and sometimes even
discarded. Although our collections are a bit more extensive
and would likely be regarded with a little more care, fellow
RMCA members who are our friends deserve better. It
would be a shame if the collection we so lovingly built were
sold in a fire sale by a grieving l<:>ved one for only a
minuscule fraction of its value, or sold to someone who
didn' t have the best interests of map collectors in mind. For
this reason, a discussion was held at the RMCA meet about
how the club could help.
Among the ideas which were presented at the meeting were
the following:
•
•
•
•
Collections could be sold via an RMCA sponsored
auction, with proceeds going to the deceased's estate.
A member could designate one or more RMCA
members who would agree to sell the maps for the
person, again with proceeds going to the deceased's
estate.
The collections could be donated to the Newberry
Library.
The collections could be donated to an RMCA museum
(which exists in concept only)
If you have any thoughts about this, please either post your
thoughts on the Roadmaps-l newsgroup, or contact Dave
Schul or one of the other members of the RMCA Board of
Directors. We will discuss this issue at future RMCA
meetings, and within future editions of the newsletter.
WANTED
Publicitv Chairperson
Seeking interested RMCA member to fill newly created
position of Publicity Chairperson. Great pay (gratitude of
fellow members), fringe benefits (working closely with some
wonderful human beings-your fellow members), and good
hours (whenever you feel like it). Interested candidates
should usend1 <ll H<iletaile.d J'.emunttrJiisl ~fu .-ef.er.e:n~~ aod':l A1
gemm~us~i brib.b fp HIR.Mf{4o headquanwrs. r11; lf·rbclb.t!JYtqn:;
Q~:nis.ideretl ins.u;6ficiehtbtM'e1rwilb tiivJ: nthe. ·c positi.OA d~ ~
menibjlr~ho!hi!nts at•a:nJint~~bin! tharp@sition :>l:~iG ·r~dm':lm
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RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
Reminiscences of
Childhood Road Map Collecting
by Bob Chinello (#351)
The mustard colored old book with the cracked and torn
spine that sat atop a shelf of encyclopedias was a world atlas
published by the National Geographic Society. Many
childhood hours were spent studying its pages and when, in
the spring of 1947, a fellow 6th grade student showed me the
free road maps he had collected on a recent trip, I was
intrigued. My neighborhood pals, Clayton and Jim, were
equally fascinated and service station attendants throughout
the streets of Fresno, CA that summer witnessed three hot,
tired, but determined lads begging for free road maps. We
walked for miles, sometimes up and down three lane
highway 99, choking on diesel exhaust and dodging traffic,
building our collections. But ultimately, we were getting the
same maps from the same gas stations: Shell, Chevron,
Signal, Associated, Richfield, Texaco, and others, and were
no longer welcome at some venues. Clayton was given a
Mobil map of the New England states by his neighbor. How
excited and jealous Jim and I were.
One day, Jim and I went once again to the local Shell service
station. By now, the attendant recognized us. He went into
the office li;Ild produced a couple of pre-printed postcards.
"Fill these out and send them to the address on the other side.
They will send you road maps in the mail -- (and maybe
you'll leave me alone!!!)."
The address on the card was: Shell Touring Service, 100
Bush Street, San Francisco, CA. The information requested
was trip destination, preferred route to be taken, and
approximate departure date. All we had to do was raise a
penny for the postage. I conservatively selected a direct
route to Charleston, South Carolina as my ftrst faux jaunt,
while Jim and Clayton picked other eastern destinations.
We were amazed when large
corrugated cardboard packages
arrived. Not only did they contain
maps of every state and major city
on the routes, but guides to motels
& auto courts, national parks and
"fmgertip
tour"
monuments,
booklets, and dozens of brochures
of
from
various
chambers
commerce, points of . interest, and
assorted tourist traps. We exhibited
remarkable reserve in controlling
the urge to send off more cards
immediately. We only wrote them
about every 2 weeks from then on.
Later, we noticed that Shell had
similar services in New York and
Los Angeles, so we tripled our
"traveling" plans. Then Clayton
of
discovered that Standard
California had a touring
service at 220 Bush Street in San Francisco. The flood gates
were then opened. We soon had access to the touring
bureaus of Esso, Kyso, Pan-am, Sohio, Humble, Standard of
Indiana, and other Standard affiliates. Soon Mobil, Texaco,
Amoco, Gulf, and B-A heard of our frequent junkets.
Through the fall of 1947 and most of 1948, a day rarely went
by that did not see a package of maps delivered to one of our
three houses. Because we favored H.M. Gousha maps, and
especially those produced for Shell Oil, 100 Bush Street got
more of our attention than the others. We did worry that the
clerical staff employed by Shell would notice the volume of
post cards generated by the residents of one little
neighborhood in Fresno that seemed to do an inordinate
amount of traveling. But we imagined that the possibility of
the same person handling all of our post cards would be
remote.
The end of our adventure came one Sunday morning when a
special delivery package arrived from British-American Oil
Touring Service in Montreal, Quebec. I had put the
departure date too close to the day I had mailed the request,
and they had rushed the maps to assure their arrival before
my mythical journey began. Her sympathies lying with Big
Oil, the extra postage incurred by B-A upset my mother, and
she declared an end to the free hde.
Puberty was about to strike anyway, and "fmgertip tours"
would take on a new meaning. Jim, Clayton and I dumped
about 5,000 road maps onto a hapless eleven year old lad
who lived down the street, but the three of us each saved a
complete set of 1948 Shell maps of every state and major
city. Alas, none of them have survived to this day. No
doubt, they all reside in assorted land ftlls today.
Ten years later, while attending San Francisco State College,
I was hired by the California State Automobile Association
on Van Nuys A venue as a touring counselor in their travel
department. I was thrilled because I was actually being paid
to use road maps. Of course, we all sneered at the lowly and
inaccurate "Triptik," but clients
invariably requested them. One day
the manager of our department
asked that I drive down to the Shell
offices on Bush Street and pick up a
stack of maps that they had agreed
to give us. I stepped briskly into the
lobby of the 25 story Shell Oil
building at 100 Bush Street and
asked the guard near the door which
floor the touring office was on. He
said, "Go back outside and around
the corner. You can't miss it!"
However, I nearly did! The small
street level office along the side of
the Shell tower was occupied by a
single lone woman who ran the
entire operation. She must · have
wondered why I was quietly
chuckling to myself as I pictured
another Shell employee in this tiny
room ten years earlier.
RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
Member Profiles
Bob Wandel (#223)
I have been a gearhead since I was a little boy. I learned to
identify the year, make and model of nearly all American
cars on the road as my family traveled. My brother and I
used to challenge each other to a game of identification, with
my dad as the judge. I was a teenager in the late '50s, so I
was there when the mid-' 50's cars that are so coveted today
were new. I was "in love" with the two-seater T-hirds, ' 55'57 Chevys and "Vettes, "Flip-top" Fords, and the Chrysler
300s. I also liked British sports cars such as the T-series
Mgs, MGAs, and XK.-120, -140, and -150 Jaguars; and
antique cars, especially the Model A Fords. Although I
longed for such cars in those days, it was only recently that I
could fmally afford to own some of them. I now have a
small collection of antique cars, which includes a '31 Model
A Ford, '40 LaSalle coupe, '48 MGTC, '57 Thunderbird and
'57 Corvette. Yes, I am today enjoying the cars of my youth.
I am a retired CPA and corporate fmancial manager. I
presently live at Lake Tahoe, on the Nevada side of the state
line; about 2 miles from California. In mid-1996 I began to
collect road maps. My initial mission was to find mint
condition road maps of California and Nevada in the correct
years, to be placed in the gloveboxes of the cars. After
having found the RMCA on the internet, I learned of a map
auction at the UC Berkeley Geography Department where I
purchased a quantity of random maps including National
Geographic maps and oil company, official and locallyissued roadmaps. This rather large purchase provided me
with a base collection, but it had no direction.
I soon discovered the futility in attempting to use the shotgun
approach since there were just too many maps to attempt to
collect them all. I immediately lost interest in the National
Geographies maps and most locally-issued maps, and had to
decide whether to focus on oil companies or officials.
Although the officials are very nice maps, have terrific
graphics and represent a capability to reasonably attain a
nearly complete collection, I 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, since I
live in its trading area, and Conoco, because I have strong
ties to Colorado. Also, and I admit this is purely a personal
preference, I found that I preferred Gousha maps to RandMcNally maps, especially prior to WWII.
Related to maps is my interest in highways. I enjoy taking
the old maps and following the old alignments of federal and
state highways. I have particularly enjoyed tracing U.S. 40
from the Bay Area to Reno, NV and U.S. 50 from
Sacramento to Kansas.
My other hobby of interest to a group like this is Petroliana.
I have my cars, and I am acquiring my maps. I am also
acquiring gas pumps, signs, cans, oil bottles, racks, etc. from
SOCaVChevron. I'll never have a collection like Roy Reed
has, but I hope to have a representative sample of
paraphernalia from SOCaVChevron appropriate for each of
my cars. For example, I would like to have an appropriate
gas pump, a sign, an oil rack and bottles, etc., to display in
the area where I park my Model A, and likewise for each of
the other cars, to make it feel as if the car is parked in an
appropriate era SOCaVChevron gas station.
I am married to a terrific lady named Margie, and between us
we have six children. All are grown and two are married.
We have one granddaughter, Allyson, who just turned one.
Dave Schul (#56)
RMCA President
In the summer of 1996, when club founder Dick Bloom
passed the symbolic baton to me, I had the honor of
becoming the second president in the history of this fine
organization. A relative novice collector at that point, I spent
as much time as I could learning the history of oil companies
and discussing the relative merits of different cartographers,
trying to expand my collecting knowledge beyond my
personal interests. It soon became obvious to me that
members of this organization collect every kind of map
imaginable, so no matter how many people I meet or chat
with on the phone, every one seems to have some interesting
bit of information completely new to me.
My collection is relatively small, consisting of a little over
100 road atlases, about 2,500 official highway maps, and
8,000 or so city and county maps. I've always been
interested in roads and highway construction, making me one
of the few collectors more interested in what's inside the map
than what's on the cover. As far back as I can remember
there was always a new Rand McNally road atlas waiting for
me under the Christmas tree. One day I found an old one in
an antique store, and so my quest for a complete collection
began. I'm five atlases short of my goal now, but as I've
discovered other atlas makers along the way, I've picked up
as many unique brands as I can find. The official highway
maps are interesting to me because they are usually the most
accurate state and provincial maps available, even if not
always the most attractive. My city map collection is an
offshoot of another interest, county collecting. They come in
handy when I'm trying to find my way through an unfamiliar
county seat, and I enjoy trading them with my brother James
in Dayton (RMCA #185).
Being a PhD student in geography at the University of
Kansas gives me the opportunity to put my collection to use
in academic research and competitions -- so far it's earned me
two awards and $250 -- and, more importantly, the
opportunity to portray the collecting and study of road maps
in a positive light. Students do not pass my class without
demonstrating a working knowledge of maps. It's my small
effort towards eliminating geographic illiteracy in this
country.
My wife, Cathy, and I are expecting our first child in
January. When I'm not working on my map collection, I can
often be found watching college football or basketball,
sampling faux Dr Pepper beverages, or driving from court
house to court house along some lonely country road.
RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
Upcoming Shows
Editor's Note: This list is compiled from a variety of sources and may
include errors. lt is recommended that you verify dates, locations, and that
shows haven't been canceled, postponed, etc. If you find that a listed show
is a poor forum for map collectors, please let me know so the listing can be
deleted next year. If you are going to have a show or know of a show which
should be listed, please contact me.
January 8-10, Frosty Wheels '98, I-24 Expo Center,
Nashville, TN, 1-24 exit 66. Info: Mike Howell- (615)4530039 or (615)374-9549.
January 16, 7th Annual It 's A Gas Swap Meet & Auction,
Boone County Fairgrounds, Columbia, MO. Info: John
Troxel- (573)896-8609 or Mike Russell- (573)442-6759 ..
February 13, 5th Annual Northeast Gas Bash & Auction,
Chatham, NY. Info: Dwight Sawyer- (518)392-4808.
March 5-6, 3rd Annual Texas Gas Swap Meet & Auction,
Will Rogers Exhibit Bldg, Ft. Worth, TX. Info: Kenney
Boone - (817)246-7441.
March 7, 2nd Annual Chicago/and's Petroleum &
Advertising Show & Auction, Will Co. Fairgrounds, Exit 327
on I-57, Peotone, IL. Info:Wayne Swearnigen-(708)687-9387.
March 13, 2nd Annual Central California Gas. Oil &
Advertising Meet, Stanislaus Co. Fairgrounds, Turlock, CA.
Info: Paul Mote - (209)544-6683.
March 13, 3rd Annual Mason-Dixon Gas, Elicott City Lions
Club, Ellicot City, MD. Info: Keith Elza·- (410)796-4474.
April 10, New Jersey Gas & Oil Collectors Show & Auction,
Old Feed Mill Auction Gallery, Boonton, NJ. Info: Ed
Natale- (201)848-8485 (evenings).
sources include: Petroleum Collectibles Monthly, Check the Oil and
Primarily Petroliana (http://home.stlnet.com/-jimpotts/index.html)
FAMILY CIRCUS
RMCA OUicers & Chairpersons
Dave Schul (#56)
Mark Adkinson (#289)
Larry Wymer (#215)
Mark Greaves (#39)
Matt Alberts (#321)
Dick Bloom(# 1)
Joel Windmiller (#51)
Guy Kudlemyer (#121)
President & Treasurer
Secretary
Editor
Historian
Web Page Administrator
RMCA Founder/1st President
Newsletter Publisher
Newsletter Ads
Past Issues of Newslener Available
Need past issues of the RMCA Newsletter or color map sheets?
Available issues and prices (including postage) are listed below.
Volume !Date)
Newsletters- Feature Articles ($1.00 each)
(NOTE: The I st newsletter was ONLY the color map sheet)
2 (Summer '95)
"The Conoco Touraide"t'General Drafting Date Codes"
3 (Summer '96)
"A Brief History of Phillips 66"
4 (Fall'96)
"Starting a Collection of Official State Highway Maps"
5 (Spring ' 97)
"Who Gave Away the 1st Free Road Maps?- Part I"
6 (Summer '97)
"Who Gave Away the 1st Free Road Maps? - Part Il"
"Mapmakers Go To War"
7/8 (Win ' 97-98)
"Who Gave Away the 1st Free Road Maps?- Part Ill"
(7/8=$1.00 total) "The Beginning of General Drafting Road Maps"
9 (Spring '98)
"Foldex Maps-The Ones with the Miracle Folds"
"Mid-West Maps 1926-1934"
"The Auto Road Map-An American Paper Landscape"
10 (Summer '98)
"The Berkshire Life Insurance Company Road Map
of 1883 - The First Free Road Map?"
Volume (Date)
1 (Spring '95)
2 (Summer '95)
3 (Fall '95)
4 (Winter '95)
5 (Spring '97)
6 (Summer '97)
7 (Fall '97)
8 (Winter '97-98)
9 (Spring '98)
10 (Summer '98)
Color Map Sheets ($1 .50 each)
Sinclair
Cities Service
Standard of Ky (issued w/ Summer '96 newsletter)
Pure (issued w/ Fall '96 newsletter)
Wisconsin Officials
Marathon
Standard (oflndiana)
Deep Rock
Skelly
Richfield
Send check or money order to:
Mark Adkinson
5832 NW 62"d
Terrace, Oklahoma City, OK 73122
email: [email protected]
Road Map Fact
''That means
10 is just
for planes, rockets, or
hot-air balloons."
The longest driveable road in the world is the Pan-American
Highway, which is around 16,000 miles in length and runs
from Fairbanks, Alaska (as the Alaskan Highway), south
through the US along I-15, continuing south through Mexico
and Latin America to Santiago, Chile (with off-shoots along
the way), then east to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and north
again to Brasilia, Brazil where the highway terminates.
There is currently an incomplete 54 mile section in the rain
forests along the Panama/Columbia border known as the
Darien Gap (which has been traversed by 4-wheel drive).
Editors Note: If these "facts" are incorrect, please let me know!
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RMCA NEWSLETTER (Fall, 1998)
FOR SALE: Roadmaps from the '30s to the
50's for sale (gas companies, AAA and
Official Highway Departments.) USA and
Canada. All VG+ condition. Ask for your
list and write me a note. Wolfgang J.
Lammert, 6 Fairview Crescent, Amprior,
ONT., Canada, K7S 3V7. (RMCA #80).
WANTED: Mobilgas zone maps of
Michigan; Chicago Motor Club maps, any
state, but especially "Chicago and Vicinity."
Pre-1940 maps of Michigan, Indiana,
Illinois, Nevada, Chicago and Detroit. Any
maps from the Detroit Automobile Club of
Michigan, or the Detroit Automobile Club.
Chicago Daily News maps of "Chicago and
Vicinity." Chicago street guide (Rand
McNally),
1945-1950. Road atlases.
Touring guides (which include at least part
of Michigan, Indiana, or Illinois.) Ralph
Marson, 8070 Busch, Centerline, Ml 48015.
(810) 754-3808. (RMCA #88).
I am looking for the following: Canada
maps of Pacific 66, SuperTest, and White
Rose; any maps of Wisco 99, Standard
Indiana late 1950s and before, pre-1965
Phillips 66, and any Michigan gasoline
station maps and Officials from 1972 and
before; pre- I %4 California Officials and
gas station maps. Mr. Tom Baird, I 0526 S.
Walnut Dr., Traverse City, MI 49684.
(RMCA #327).
WANTED: CONOCO 1927, Cities Service
1931, Gulf 1918-'21, Pure 1933, Richfield
west pre-1933, Sinclair pre-1930, Shell of
California 1931, Tydol 1928 & '31. Also
other brands and years, and pre-1941
World's Fair and Expo maps. Have traders.
John Thompson, PO Box 10153, Ft. Wayne,
IN 46850. (219) 422-0838. (RMCA #38).
MAPS AND MORE PUZZLE
Across
3. Iowa Map Meet
4. RMCA Secretary
7. Megamapster
8. State Map Listing
9. Rockefeller Legacy
11. Socal Map Nut
12. After Cities Service
Down
1. Indiana Map Meet
2. RMCA Map Meet
5. Newsletter Edito
6. Map Company
9. RMCA President
10. RMCA Webmaster
puzzle submitted by Mike Ward (#230)
Classified Ads
MICHIGAN
OFFICIALS
WANTED:
Especially Pre-1950. Have many prime oil
& official maps to trade, and will trade out
of my collection as well. Will also trade for
any other state & province officials. Also
interested in Michigan oil road maps. I am
also trying to locate Jackson County, MI
maps, and would be grateful to anyone who
may have one or more buried in their
collection. Larry Wymer, Home: (9I6) 9210243. Work: (916) 441-3804. E-mail:
[email protected]. (RMCA #215).
WANTED: Paying cash for Chicago
Tribune Chicago Land maps, 1920s to 1960.
Ron Morgan, 1123 S. Vail Ave., Arlington
Hts., IL 60005. (847) 437-7451. (RMCA
#154).
Wanted to Buy: TEXACO Cruising Charts-One or sets from 1930's to last published.
Also other charts. Let's do business. John
Ross--Evenings after 6:00pm. (903) 8821223. Drawer 2263, Lindale, TX 75711.
(RMCA #177). "THE BEST TIME TO
SELL IS WHEN YOU HAVE A WILLING
BUYER."
WANTED: Dated road maps, city and state,
midwest preferred, SUNOCO/Sun Oil
preferred, for the following years: 1968,
1970-1971, 1984-1985. Also dated official
maps for the same years, midwest preferred.
Michael L. Updike, 6061 Venice Drive,
Commerce Township, Ml 48382-3661
(RMCA #437).
Need the following maps for my collection:
Billups, Knox, Panhandle, Gibble Gas,
Westland, and Hicksatomic. Charles Wells,
6533 Monnett Rd., Climax, NC 27233.
(336)674-6254 (RMCA #254).
OFFICIAL HIGHWAY MAPS WANTED:
If you have any for sale or trade, especially
pre-1940 Ohio, Illinois, or Kansas, I'll trade
oil company maps and other officials for
them. Please contact Dave Schul at 2214
Princeton Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66049.
(785)
832-8717.
E-mail:
[email protected]. (RMCA #56).
TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD:
Send ad text to:
RMCA Classifieds
c/o Guy Kudlemyer
P.O. Box 19
Thurston, OR 97482
Cost for I issue is $1.00 for 50 words or less
& $1.50 for over 50 words. If you want
your ad to be in multiple issues, be sure to
send additional payment. Revisions to prepaid
ads
can
be
e-mailed
to:
[email protected]
Editors Note: We have had requests that
certain words be bolded, and that graphics
be inlcluded within classified ads.
Although we will try and facilitate these
requests eventually, we regretably are not
currently
able
to
provide
these
embellishments.
Although it would
probably not be a problem for just one ad, it
would prove to be burdensome for a number
of ads due to the limitations of those of us
creating and publishing the newsletter. And
to be fair to everybody, since it is believed
many advertisers would feel the need to
spruce up their ads to be equally visable, we
would like to maintain simplicity for the
time being. We apologize for this limitation.
The RMCA Newsletter is the quarterly publication of the Road Map Collectors of America, published for the purpose of promoting road map collecting.
All rights are reserved, including the right to reproduction, in whole or in part, without expressed permission. Written contributions and editorial
comments are welcome, and should be directed to editor Larry Wymer, 3511 Winter Park Dr. #90, Sacramento, CA 95834 ([email protected]). All
subscriptions and back issue orders should be directed to secretary Mark Adkinson, 5832 NW 62"d Terrace, Oklahoma City, OK 73122
([email protected]).
All other business should directed to president Dave Schul, 2214 Princeton Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66049
([email protected]). Map collectors interested in joining RMCA are also invited to investigate the RMCA web site .at www.roadmaps.org.
RMCA Newsletter - Fall, 1998
Uncommon Chevron Scenic Covers, 1948 - 68
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Stanford Univ.
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Univ. of the
Pacific
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Bridge
Courtesy of Curtis Carroll #46 and Joel Windmiller #51
View from
Malahat Dr.