1960 Gerald Eddy Strip Map of the West Coast Highway System

A c. 1960 strip road map by Gerald Eddy, produced for the Harolds Club casino in Reno, Nevada. Between the recto and verso, the entire route from Nome, Alaska, to the Mexico-Guatemala border is charted, with primacy of place given to Reno and Harolds Club specifically.

A Closer Look

The recto traces the route from Nome and Fairbanks, Alaska, to Reno (largely along U.S. Route 97), while the verso continues from Reno through Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson (along U.S. Route 93), Hermosillo, Mazatlán, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and eventually to the border with Guatemala. Other routes to Reno from Seattle, Portland, and the San Francisco Bay Area are also noted. Throughout, signs indicate the distance to Harolds Club, while illustrations depict mountains, cities, rivers, and other features, including Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, and the Atomic Energy Commission Testing Area near Las Vegas.

Harolds Club

Opened in 1935, Harolds Club, not to be confused with another Reno casino Harrah's (which bought the former casino and closed it in 1995), was among the earliest and most successful casinos in Reno and in Nevada writ large. The brothers Harold and 'Pappy' Smith were clever marketers, using bright electronic signage and a massive mural over the casino's entrance to drawn in patrons, while also using print media like the present strip map to reach a broad audience far beyond the city limits of Reno.

Publication History and Census

This strip map was drawn by Gerald Eddy for Harolds Club Casino around the year 1960. It is undated but presumed to be an early edition of this strip map, which was reissued regularly with slight variations such as the title box on the recto and sponsorship information on the verso. Later editions, including from 1961 and 1962, have previously been sold by us.