1950 Smith Pictorial Map of New Mexico

A wildly amusing cartoon map of New Mexico, produced around 1950 by Larry Smith. Drawn in Smith's distinctive style, it features Native Americans, cowboys, gunfights, cactuses, and a mushroom cloud from the Trinity Test.

A Closer Look

Coverage embraces the entire state, with highways and major roads are traced in red. Cities and towns are noted, often with accompanying illustrations, such as an artist painting a picture of a cactus at Taos. Drawings of Native Americans, cowboys (including Billy the Kid), skiers, and other figures appear throughout, along with geographical features such as Carlsbad Caverns. A figure holding a drink near El Paso and Juárez is almost certainly a reference to Prohibition, when American brewers and distillers moved across the border to continue operations, attracting regular cross-border customers. The site of the first test of the atom bomb (the Trinity Test) in July 1945 is depicted nearby. The verso includes a mileage chart between towns and cities in New Mexico, along with promotional text and photographs.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn and distributed by Larry Smith around 1950 for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. It is not known to exist in institutional collections and is scarce to the market. Smith also produced similar cartoon maps of Arizona and Michigan, which are equally scarce.