By Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen and Anna Stewart.
Title: Oregon State Highway Maps, 1918-1991
ID: MAPS ORStateHwy
Primary Creator: Oregon. State Highway Department
Extent: 1.5 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: The Oregon State Highway Maps are arranged in four series: I. Road and Recreation Maps, 1920-1930; II. Main Traveled Automobile Roads, 1918-1953; II. Official Highway Map of Oregon, 1954-1991; and IV. Commercial Highway Maps, 1941-1984.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The Oregon State Highway Maps consist primarily of the official highway map produced annually by the Oregon State Highway Department. The maps depict federal and state highways, key landmarks, and other information for drivers and visitors.
In Series 2, Main Traveled Automobile Roads, Oregon maps from 1918, 1922, 1935, and 1945 have been digitized and are available upon request. In Series 3, Official Highway Map of Oregon, maps from 1954, 1956, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1991 have been digitized.
The Oregon State Highway Maps consist primarily of the official highway map produced annually by the Oregon State Highway Department from the late 1910s through early 1990s. The collection also includes road and recreation maps produced by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1920s-1930s and several commercial highway maps.
Highway maps produced annually by the Oregon State Highway Department are included for almost all years between 1918 and 1991; maps for 1918-1942, 1945, 1948-1977, 1979-1986, and 1991 are part of the collection. Two of the commercial highway maps also include Washington. All of the maps are at a small scale (approximately 1 inch = 15 miles) in order to depict the entire state on one sheet. The more recent maps include maps of cities and towns. Many of the maps have linen backing that obscures text on the verso. Some of the state highway maps are photocopies. Duplicate copies of some maps are part of the collection.
In addition to showing federal and state highways in Oregon, the maps depict municipalities; predominant land features, such as rivers, lakes, and mountain ranges; state boundaries; populations of cities; mileage between towns and junctions; and National Parks, State Parks, and wildlife refuge locations. The maps also note locations of airports, roadside rest areas, fish hatcheries, lighthouses, county seats, and winter sport areas. Many of the maps also include tourist information for travelers, crucial State Laws pertaining to automobiles and drivers, and mileage tables for calculating trip distances.
Official highway maps published by the State Highway Department are available online in the Oregon Maps digital collection.
More Extent Information: 84 maps; 2 map folders and 1 oversize box
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Note: These materials were transferred from the Oregon State University Libraries' maps collection to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center in 2014.
Related Materials: Additional and more current highway maps for the state of Oregon are available in the Oregon State University Libraries general map collection. The Special Collections and Archives Research Center's holdings also include Highway Maps of Oregon Counties (MAPS Highway) and Oregon State Highway Division Maps of Oregon Cities and Towns (MAPS ORCities). More detailed maps of Oregon national forests are available in the National Forests in Oregon Maps, 1910-1989 (MAPS USFS).
Preferred Citation: Oregon State Highway Maps (MAPS ORStateHwy), Oregon State University Special Collections anf Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Oregon. State Highway Department
Oregon. Department of Transportation
United States. Forest Service
Natural Resources
Oregon--Description and travel.
Oregon--Maps.
Roads--Oregon--Maps.
Maps (documents)
Tourist maps.
Transportation maps.