1953 M. H. West Co. Map of Dallas, Texas

A large and detailed folding map of Dallas, Texas, produced in 1953 by the Dallas Railway and Terminal Co. and published by M. H. West. Co. The map captures Dallas during its post-WWII economic boom.

A Closer Look

The booming metropolis of Dallas is displayed, with the public transportation network highlighted. A table at the bottom-right notes the streetcar, trolley coach, and motor coach lines. Streets, highways (many later reclassified as interstates), parks, cemeteries, waterways, railways, and other features are labeled throughout. Fair Park, site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, and the Cotton Bowl, appear near center. An alphanumeric grid surrounds the map, corresponding to an index on the verso. The verso also includes two insets of areas unable to fit on the recto, including the vicinity of Hensley Field. Several other airports appear, including Love Field, Mustang Airport, White Rock Airport, Redbird Airport (now Dallas Executive Airport), and Hudson Airport. Some were short-lived facilities established during World War II, while others are still in use. The aerospace industry was one of several that contributed to Dallas' rapid expansion in the mid-20th century, along with oil, finance, and electronics/computing.

The city did unusually well during the Great Depression thanks to the oil industry, setting it up for a robust postwar economic boom (the population of Dallas nearly tripled between 1940 and 1970). However, the streetcar network emphasized here was not a beneficiary of Dallas's economic growth and shut down in 1956.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared in 1953 by the Dallas Railway and Terminal Co. and published by M. H. West. Co. It is noted at three locations in the OCLC: Stanford University, Yale University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.