Map of Los Angeles Section

A rare pictorial map showcasing the automotive industry across the Los Angeles area in the mid-1920s.

This eye-catching road map of the region surrounding Los Angeles was copyrighted in 1924 and published locally by the Co-Operative Booster’s Association (CBA). This regional trade organization was established by “real, responsible business people who are anxious to render you the highest class service possible in their respective lines,” according to promotional text on the back panel. Based on the map’s contents, the vast majority of participating members were directly tied to the burgeoning automotive industry, including roadside service stations, diners, tourist hotels, and repair garages.

In the freewheeling era of early motor tourism, finding reliable amenities was critical for travelers, and the CBA issued distinctive placards to denote their certified businesses. Dozens of these participating structures are meticulously illustrated as detailed vignettes across the sheet, which is otherwise clean and rendered as a skeletal outline of primary regional thoroughfares. These charming illustrations offer a fantastic window into the early roadside architecture that would become a permanent legacy of Southern California’s early “motor mania.” Gas stations feature vintage globe-topped fuel pumps, hand-written signs stand proudly in front of mom-and-pop diners, and local proprietors (many explicitly named) are intimately pictured alongside their respective workplaces.