1945 Kroll Map Company Pictorial Map of Puget Sound, Washington, and Vancouver

A stunning 1945 Kroll Map Company pictorial bird's-eye view map of the Pacific Northwest, the Puget Sound, and the surrounding region, including Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia. Oriented to the west-northwest, the map depicts from the Pacific Ocean to the mountains east of Seattle and from the Canadian Rockies north of Vancouver to Mount Rainier. Individual buildings in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Vancouver are illustrated, including the state capitol building in Olympia. The Seattle-Tacoma airport is also labeled. Numerous smaller towns and villages throughout the area are labeled. Both Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier National Park are depicted in detail, with several locations labeled within the park, such as Paradise Inn on the slopes of Mount Rainier. Other buildings in secluded areas are illustrated and labeled as well, the Big Four Inn, the Mt. Baker Lodge, and the Harrison Hot Springs to name a few.

Highways and ShippingThe Pictorial Border

The map's border adds to its charm. Along the sides are what appear to be Lodgepole Pines, trees native to the Pacific Northwest. In the corners, figures resembling those created by Native Americans and First Peoples native to this part of the world add to the overall aesthetic created by the map. The border enhances the feeling that this map accurately depicts the region. Several vignettes are included along the top and bottom, with outdoor activities, such as skiing, sailing, tennis, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting along the top. At the bottom, modern technological advances are depicted, such as the newest locomotive, trucks for long-haul transportation, factories, and a B-29 Superfortress. Boeing, which was based in Seattle, developed the B-29 and built it in Seattle, as well as in several other locations across the country. By 1945, the B-29 had become a recognizable aircraft, both due to its size and the large role it played in the Pacific during World War II. Two different B-29s were used to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Dating this Map

The inclusion of a B-29 allows us to date this map with some accuracy. The B-29 concept was not developed until 1940, with its first flight in 1942, and it was not put into service until May 1944, allowing us to date this map with some certainty to 1945.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Edwin Poland, printed by the North Pacific Bank Note Company, and published by the Kroll Map Company of Seattle in 1945. There are at least three states of this map, but probably more, with the first published in the 1930s. The major differences between the two editions are noticeable in the border, where certain vignettes are replaced in the later edition. There is also an edition repurposed for advertising with a red arrow at top center. We have also seen a black and white version. The OCLC records examples of this map as being part of the institutional collections at the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Arizona, the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, and the Seattle Public Library. There is additionally an example at the David Rumsey Map Collection at Stanford.