A Good-Natured Map of Alaska

Charming pictorial map advertising steamship tours to Alaska.

This eye-catching map of the northern Pacific Ocean highlights the routes of the Alaska Steamship Company between Seattle, Washington and ‘The Last Frontier’ over two decades before the latter’s statehood. Company routes, plus those of relevant railroads, connecting lines, and the proposed Alaska Highway are also noted according to the legend in the lower left.

Much of the image is dedicated to shedding the stereotype that Alaska was a backwards, inaccessible place fit only for the Inuit and desperate gold miners. Distances between points have been cleverly distorted and illustrated vignettes highlight many of the harsher aspects of the landscape with a humorous tone. A comic panel in the lower-left summarizes the ideal itinerary of an Alaska Steamship Company cruise, starting and ending at Pier 2 in Seattle and oddly omitting all mention of landfall!