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Maps and Books
The number of books on old roads, pioneer trails, auto trails, and the nation's federal highways is rapidly increasing. I'll try to cover some of the most essential maps and books. I'll gladly accept book reviews for inclusion in this section if you've purchased a book and would like to offer your opinion on its worth.
There's a review of most of the Route 66 maps and books over at Parsa's Virtual Route 66 Roadtrip site. Here's a direct link to Parsa's Recommended Route 66 Resources. (I really have to get rid of the silly frames and fully convert the site over to CSS!)
Vintage Road Maps
City maps illustrate the development of auto trails and federal highways through the towns and cities of America.
Reproduction Maps
Lincoln Highway wall map produced by the
Lincoln Highway Association.
This reproduction map measures 14 x 21 inches (35.5 x 53.3 cm).
Click on the map to find out more, or to purchase from the Lincoln Highway Trading Post.
Yellowstone Trail 1919 route folder produced by the
Yellowstone Trail Association.
The folder measures 4 x 9 inches (10.2 x 22.9 cm), and contains 32 pages of maps and road descriptions.
Click on the map to see the YTA description. The map can be purchased online from various sellers.
Books
There are several current books on the Lincoln Highway and the Yellowstone Trail. Here I've listed a few of those, as well as links to find more. There are also a few books on other named trails and U.S. highways.
Greeting from the Lincoln Highway by Brian Butko. This 288 page book has hundreds and hundreds of photos and 15 color maps of the highway. Mr. Butko is currently working on a compact guide with more and better maps.
On the Road to Yellowstone
by Harold A. Meeks. Dr. Meeks is an Emiritus Professor of Geography at the University of Vermont. This book on the Yellowstone Trail covers the road's history from 1900 to 1930. Read more about the book and the author by clicking the book.
Introducing the Yellowstone Trail by Alice and John Ridge. As the name implies,
this is an introduction to the Trail.
The last chapter is a brief driving guide,
but evidently the authors have a more detail driving guide in the works.
There's a lot on this book at
Amazon.
The Playground Trail by Lee and Jane Whitely. The Whitely's have put together an excellent book on the National Park to Park Highway, the "Master Scenic Highway of America." The book covers the road at the time of the 1920 grand opening tour. A.L. Westgard, the famous AAA auto route pathfinder scouted the road before the trip, and was one of the tour participants. A.G. Lucier, a Powell, Wyoming photographer took photos on the tour, and this book features them prominently. The large photos, maps, driving directions, and numerous quotes and clippings, make this a fascinating book for the road fan. Read more about the book and the author by clicking the book.
The Yellowstone Highway: Denver to the Park, Past and Present by Lee Whitely. Not to be confused with the Yellowstone Trail, the Yellowstone Highway carried early auto traffic from Denver to Yellowstone Park. Most of this road was later part of the National Park to Park Trail. This book gives details on the early road, and the opening of the Park to autos. Like Mr. Whitely's other book, this is full of photos and maps of the route. Click on the book for more description.
Book Sources