1960 Winter Olympic Games Squaw Valley, California

Souvenir map of the area around Lake Tahoe – home of the 1960 Winter Olympics.

One of several pleasing pictorial maps drawn by Don Bloodgood during his illustrious career, this map of Squaw Valley distills the dual identity of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games and the rugged Sierra Nevada landscape. Lively illustrations of major Olympic events are featured – note the conspicuous absence of a bobsled track, which was famously omitted from the 1960 games due to construction costs.

These athletic scenes are set alongside representations of the cultural, natural, and industrial milestones of the region surrounding Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. In Bloodgood’s signature style, cowboys, prospectors, and surveyors share the canvas with modern athletes and tourists. The coverage extends well beyond the Olympic facilities to include Reno, Carson City, and Placerville, weaving together the mountains, deserts, and rivers of the American West.

Published and sponsored by Shell Oil, the map served as both a souvenir and a subtle prompt for the mid-century motorist to explore the region—filling up at Shell stations along every mountain pass.