1958 Harvey Pictorial Tourist Map of the American Southwest

This attractive 1958 pictorial map of the American Southwest was produced by the Fred Harvey Company, the concessioner for the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. The map promotes not only the famous geological attractions of the Southwest but also 'Harvey Car' cultural tourism to both Native American historical sites and living villages.

Harvey Car Tourism

At its peak, the Fred Harvey Company ran 84 hotels and restaurants along the railway from Topeka to San Francisco, with many locations in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Later, the company expanded into demonstrations of Native American crafts and 'Indian Detours,' which took tourists in private 'Harvey Cars' from rail stops into Indian Country. The present map dovetails with these promotions, combining verso imagery of Navajo and Pueblo artistic motifs with a map detailing attractions.

A Closer Look

The map spans New Mexico, Arizona, southern Colorado, Nevada, California, and southern Utah. Towns and cities are shown in relation to the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, the Southern Pacific, the Union Pacific, and the Rock Island Line. Throughout are illustrations of regional tourist attractions, ranging from natural features (the Grand Canyon Rainbow Bridge, Carlsbad Caverns) to Native American sites (Hopi Villages, Chaco Canyon, the Painted Desert, Mesa Verde) to modern wonders (Roosevelt Dam, Boulder Dam, and Los Angeles). An inset map details Grand Canyon National Park. A table at the bottom compares the altitude of the attractions with that of major American cities. Illustrations of Native American symbols cover the verso.

Changes

Between the 1946 and 1958 editions, General Grant National Park changed its name to Kings Canyon National Park. Hoover Dam appears by that name on the 1958 edition, but is labeled as Boulder Dam on the 1946.

Publication History and Census

This is the second edition of Fred Harvey's 'Illustrated Map of the Great Southwest' published in 1958. We note examples of the present edition in the collections at the University of Pittsburgh, Southern Methodist University, the Denver Public Library, the University of Utah, the University of Arizona, the University of California Riverside, and the Autry Museum of the American West. The edition published in 1946 was printed in blue and white.