State Highway Map of California

A rare and gigantic early road map of California.

This monumental road map of California was compiled and engraved by W. Elliott Judge and published in 1913 by The Complete Map Works of San Francisco. Just three years prior, the ‘State Highways Act’ took effect, allowing for the issuance of bonds to create a network of roads connecting all county seats across the state. The three-member California Highway Commission was organized in 1911 to oversee its construction and maintenance, and work began the following year.

This map shows a year’s progress on the system, which is highlighted in red throughout the image. It remains a piecemeal network, though the areas around Los Angeles and San Francisco show high concentrations of completed roadways. Insets of each city can be seen in the lower right. Immediately above is the legend, which shows symbols used to identify stage roads, steam railroads (constructed and proposed), and electric railways. Scores of stops are labeled, with distances between points provided in many instances.

The upper right is occupied by a comprehensive index of towns and cities and their accompanying populations – some places have less than 20 residents. Nearby is an interesting diagram that shows the comparative size of California and 10 smaller states, a reflection on the monumental undertaking facing the California Highway Commission.

The map is rare, with only two institutional holdings in OCLC for the 1913 edition, as well as one each for the 1915 and 1916 editions.

Source: California Highways