Official Road Map Black Hills of South Dakota

“For a real vacation…The Black Hills are unsurpassed in America.”

This detailed road map of the Black Hills region in South Dakota is emblematic of the passion with which Americans hit the road in the years immediately preceding World War II. With the Great Depression firmly in the rear view mirror, motorists flocked to attractions across the country.

The Black Hills, otherwise relatively remote, became much more accessible with paved road access. Only a handful are shown with solid lines on this map, published in 1937 by the Mid-West Map Company of Aurora, Missouri. Other roads are improved, graded, dirt or ‘under construction or impassable’, according to the legend in the lower right.

Several attractions are noted with small illustrations or logos within the image, with accompanying advertisements in the border and on the verso. The verso also includes photographs and text promoting the region, with one particularly notable section as follows:

“The West – the real West that you’ve read about and dreamed about – still exists. A romantic, unspoiled domain, the Black Hills of South Dakota, still affords the thrills of riding, hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, hunting, and enjoyment of natural beauty. This west belongs to you. It is found in the national forests, state parks, and monuments of the Black Hills region.”

The local Sioux tribes, who have laid territorial claims to the region dating back centuries, would have to disagree.