Official United States Tourist Service Map of Idaho – Utah

Depression-era road guide of Utah and Idaho.

This interesting tourist guide to Idaho and Utah encourages the reader to hit the road and enjoy the great outdoors during the mid-1930s. Paved, gravel, and dirt roads are shown with solid, dashed, and cased lines, respectively, while distances between points are noted. Red overprinting labels a curious mix of local businesses, including bait shops, auto cabins, garages, hotels, restaurants, and more. Furthermore, small letters approximate the locations of widely available fish and game, doubling the utility as a hunting/fishing guide to both states. Further advertisements can be seen in the negative space, along with inset plans of Boise and Salt Lake City.

The map was published by the United States Tourist Service of Portland, Oregon. Undated, but most likely issued in 1936, as the Boise Hotel (today’s Hoff Building), completed in 1930, is advertised as being ‘Only Six Years Old.’ The firm produced several tourist guides to various western states and regions, but their output doesn’t appear to have survived the Great Depression.