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 does its best to distill the identity of both the Olympic games and the surrounding region.

Illustrations of major Olympic events (note the absence of a bobsled track – its construction was deemed too expensive) can be seen alongside representations of the cultural, natural, and industrial milestones of the area around Lake Tahoe on the border between Nevada and Colorado. Cowboys, prospectors, and surveyors are enjoying the region next to athletes, sportsmen, and tourists.

The depicted area is extended beyond the Olympic facilities to include Reno, Carson City, Placerville and the surrounding mountains, deserts, and rivers. Shell Oil, the publisher and sponsor of this map, would have undoubtedly wanted the audience to hit the road and explore the region fully, filling up at Shell fueling stations all along the way.