Clason’s United States Green Guide

Spectacular overview of America’s road network during the mid-1920s.

According to some incredible research by Carl Liedholm of Michigan State University, the Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado first started creating pocket guides in 1906, three years after its earliest maps were issued. These were focused on the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs, but would eventually broaden to encompass entire states. In 1908, the iconic green covers were introduced, and in 1920 the name ‘Green Guide’ was formally adopted. Liedholm states;

“The Green Guides were a unique product of the Clason Map Company. They were pocket-sized (approximately 4″ x 6”) guides that were published for many states and several cities. Each guide consisted of a booklet, ranging in length from 15 to over 60 pages with detailed information about the state or city, and one or more large maps that were pasted within the covers.

Each of the state guides included a commercial index of the cities and towns that provided information on their individual populations, elevations, industries, hotels, and banks. In addition, there was general information about the state that would be of interest to the traveler on such topics as state history, scenic wonders, national parks, roads, railways, and “interesting facts about the state.” Downtown city maps and pictures were incorporated into the textual descriptions.”

This is a fine example of the 1924 edition of Clason’s Green Guide of the United States, the same year the covers were updated to advertise Clason Atlases. To the front cover is attached a folding map of the Transcontinental Trails of the United States. Pole markings reflect the haphazard organization of the auto trails the year prior to the organization of the U.S. Numbered Highway System.

A second folding map, disbound, shows the main automobile roads in addition to railways, towns, and geographic features. The guidebook includes a wealth of information on National Parks and National Monuments, an index of cities, rivers, and routes, road sign descriptions, and a view of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in addition to the aforementioned generalized contents.

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