Welcome to My Map Page!

When I was a kid in the 1950s my parents did a lot of traveling around the U.S. by automobile. I fell in love with the free Oil Company Road Maps that were always at the heart of every trip. Stashed away in a drawer of the dining room buffet table, the creased and torn maps reminded me of the adventures we had on our travels all year long!

When it dawned on me sometime in the 1980s that the "free" Oil Company travel maps of my youth were no longer free I began to search for them at garage sales and flea markets and my "collection" grew out-of-control! When they could be had for free by the boxful there was no limit on the number I could bring home, but in recent years savvy dealers in "antiques and collectibles" have driven-up the price of older and unique maps to the point where I can no longer afford them.

State-Issued Road Maps:

Beginning in the 1950s many of the U.S. States began to produce and distribute their own road maps through the various Highway and Tourism Departments.

Unlike the Oil Company Road Maps that are no longer available for free, many states still provide these maps to prospective visitors for the price of a call to an 800 number or a letter to the appropriate state agency.

National Geographic Maps:

I have also been impressed with the Maps and Magazines produced by The National Geographic Society since I was a kid. I used to think that only wealthy people could afford to belong to the National Geographic Society - iamgine my surprise when my in-laws gave me a subscription for a Christmas gift during the first years of my marriage! My faithful mother-in-law has renewed that subscription every year now for 30 years and I have enjoyed it immensely.

Details of a Few Sample Oil Company Road Maps