Vintage state highway, etc. maps

[Doug Loudenback]

While browsing the ODOT website, I ran across some maps that I hadn't found before, in a systematic index anyway.

Here are 2 links you may want to save (this software converted the links to the same visible name, but they are different):

Oklahoma Maps
Oklahoma Maps

The highway maps run from 1873 to current. Some include the backside with various images.

Here's are screen captures of Oklahoma City from the backsides of the 1929 and 1931 state highway maps. The most significant change: the oil fields

[Prunepicker]

Hadley Bowman, at Bethany Discount Drug, has a lot of old maps on display
in his pharmacy. One in particular has the railroads of the early 1900's.
They're the type of maps that school teachers had that worked like
retractable window shades.

It's worth the trip.

[papaOU]

I have an early railroad map and highway map. It's fun to have someone to find a location on the highway map since it does not include lakes or interstates.

[grantgeneral78]

Those old maps are great...never really seen most of them before.

[BB37]

Those old maps are great...never really seen most of them before.

The 1909 OKC map was interesting because of all the 1889 homesteads still in place. In particular, the Harn, Classen and Shepherd homesteads are all shown and labeled. I grew up near NW 23rd and Villa and watched the last of the Shepherd homestead disappear as Shepherd Mall was built in the early '60s.

On a couple of the 1920s maps I noticed there used to be a rail line between El Reno and Guthrie, running through Richland and Piedmont (both near Surrey Hills where I live today).

[RealJimbo]

In 1967 I worked at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. My boss there was an avid metal detector hobbiest. When it got really slow I was sent to the Oklahoma Historical Society library to photocopy old maps to be used for treasure hunting. Of greatest interest were the old railroad maps that showed every old ghost town, water and coal stop and wide spot in the road. That was kind of fun and taught me a bit about research.