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Minnesota Official Highway Maps

Since the creation of the highway system in Minnesota, the Highway Department (and later MNDOT) have been required to print an official highway map "for free distribution". These maps (especially the early ones) are beautifully colored and detailed, with many also sporting pictures and other features to aid in their role of facilitating the tourist trade within the state. Naturally, the maps are also useful historic documents, chronicling the development of Minnesota's Trunk Highway System.

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The Map Drawer:

Most of the images and information below were taken from my personal collection. MNDOT recently scanned its earliest official maps for inclusion in the Minnesota Digital Library, allowing me to include images and information on maps not yet in the collection (indicated by a grey background).

I have decided to only include maps from 1923 on, as the map issued in 1923 was the first to allow for real navigation of the trunk highway system. The map issued in 1922 had been more of a diagram of the construction status of the highway system than a road map. The maps issued before 1922 did not show the trunk highway system at all. The 1919, 1920, and 1922 maps are all viewable at the Minnesota Digital Library.

Click on the maps below to "unfold" the map and take a look inside!

Skip ahead to a row: 1927 | 1931 | 1935 | 1939 | 1942 | 1949 | 1953 | 1957 | 1961 | 1965 | 1969 | 1973 | 1977-78 | 1985-86 | 1993-94 | 2001-02

Size and format:

The original maps from 1921 to 1933 had no cover, and folded to a rather large size (about 5.5 x 9.75 inches) The earliest maps had printing on only one side. Two-sided printing was added in 1932. The map format was changed in 1934. The maps now had covers and a smaller folding size (much more narrow), with the unfolded width decreased by an inch. This change in format coincided with the huge increase in size and renumbering of the trunk highway system in the wake of the 1933 highway bill.

The folded size was changed again in 1940 to be slightly wider (the unfolded size remaining unchanged again). This size format was the longest-lasting, and was used through 1966. In 1967, the maps were greatly reduced in size and printed on a much more robust stock. When folded, these new maps were much shorter length-wise, but a little wider. In 1985, the maps were again enlarged to a size in between the size of the original maps and the smaller maps of the 1967-1983 period. The 1985-86 map was unique, being printed on thicker paper, and having a very unusual folding pattern. The new larger size was finalized in 1987 to the format still used today. The modern maps are just as long unfolded as the original official maps, but are much more narrow, probably to make them less awkward to use in the car.

Size Formats:

1921-1933: unfolded: 38" x 33" (Size tended to vary slightly from year to year), folded: 5.5" x 9.75". No Cover
1934-1939: unfolded: 38" x 32"(?) folded: 4" x 9"
1940-1966: unfolded: 38" x 32", folded: 4" x 9.5"
1967-1983: unfolded: 30" x 26", folded: 4.25" x 7.5"
1985/86:     unfolded: 37" x 26", folded: 4" x 8.75"
1987-2005: unfolded: 38" x 26", folded: 4.25" x 8.75"

Frequency of Issue:

Originally, the official maps were released every year. An anomaly occurred in 1940 when three maps were issued. The original "early edition" had the same format and cover as the map issued in 1939. The map issued later in 1940 was the first issued to use the folded size that would be used through 1966, as well as a new cover. Apparently, the map was issued again later that year without the year printed on the cover (all of this information from roadmaps.org). The next anomaly occurred during World War II. A map was issued in 1942, but not in 1943, 44, or 45. The 1942 maps were restickered with the current year instead.

The department of highways may have attempted to switch to a two-year issue frequency in 1968 (the map is labeled 1968-1969). A nearly identical map was issued the next year with "1969 official map" printed on the cover. In 1977, the old Department of Highways was absorbed into the new "Minnesota Department of Transportation" (MNDOT), and the maps were switched over to a two-year issue frequency, which they remain to this day.

Map Updates

October 31, 2007:
Major update! The main map page has been updated, with covers from all official maps now included (thanks to the MInnesota Digital Library!). I have added map profiles for the following years:

• 1924
• 1925
• 1926
• 1928
• 1929
• 1931
• 1932

The following map profiles have also been updated:

• 1923
• 1927
• 1930
• 1933
• 1953

August 5, 2007:
The 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1952 map profiles have been updated to the new format, with new information and photos added as well.

July 20, 2007:
Slowly but surely, I'm updating all the map pages to the new format, with mouse-over map flipping action. Everything up to 1948 is now up and running.