1940 Official Road Map of Minnesota

Era 3: The "Black-and White" Department of Highways Maps, 1940-1950

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Stats:

  • Size: 38" x 32" unfolded, 4" x 9" folded.
  • Scale: 1 inch = 12 miles
  • Conditions as of: May 1, 1940
  • Commissioner of Highways: M.J. Hoffmann.

Comments:

  • The 1940 official map was the first to not be published by McGill Warner. The map's format and cartography were also totally updated. This map served as a prototype for the maps issued through 1950. However, the 1940 maps' color scheme and a few other features were unique. The new design was mostly finalized in 1941.
  • The back of the map featured a new "blue" tourism photo spread, which replaced the old "green" feature seen on the maps in the 1930's.
  • The 1940 map is the first to feature a message from the Governor of Minnesota. This feature would become a tradition on Minnesota highway maps until the 1960's.
  • The Twin Cities and Duluth insets were given a new cartography format.
  • Like the maps issued from 1934 to 1939, the 1940 map did not have a back cover.

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