The United Light and Power Company and Affiliated Companies

Property of the United Light & Power Company across the early 1930’s.

This collection of three maps captures the progression of asset ownership of the United Light & Power Company (and it’s affiliated corporations) in the years of 1930, 1932, and 1933. Each map shows a variety of information outlined in an accompanying legend; including transmission lines, power plants, furnished towns, ‘foreign’ (competitor’s) property, and even the routes of interurban railways. Property that isn’t congruous to the geographic area depicted (much of the Midwest) is included through a variety of inset maps. Each sheet was published by the Whitney-Graham Company and is dated in the lower right corner.

Based on a similar map found in the David Rumsey collection, it’s possible these maps were originally issued as part of annual editions of “The Blue Book of Map Making.” From his website,

Promotional atlas issued by the Buffalo-based map publisher Whitney-Graham Company, maps dated 1926-1930, The atlas consists of a page of introductory text, followed by a total of 20 maps pasted on, some folded. Bound in blue cloth covered boars with title pasted on front cover. The maps are in color, some pictorial, depict the United States rail systems or utility networks in the northeast quadrant of the country, with an emphasis on the Midwest, natural recourses, industry, a Standard Gas and Electric Company map, a telegraph map of the world, and small maps of Europe and the Adirondacks. Maps showing political and administrative boundaries, major cities, rivers, lakes, forests and mountains. Some maps are dated on lower left or right margins.

Source.