Historic Thomas Brothers Maps (56k warning)

[Bigmikelakers]

Never Seen This Freeway Before (A1-A3)

[Interstate Trav]

AVOID QUOTING LARGE IMAGES THX

Thanks for uploading!!  Do you have Morongo Valley?  I live there, and it's funny how Old Woman Springs Road was a propsed Freeway at one time.  i wonder what for.  bypass of Los Angeles maybe.  Really cool pictures.  I have a couple of older Thomnas Guide's but none dating to the I-10 construction.  It's funny Yucca Valley Hasn't changed all that much.  

The other would be Barstow.  

[Bigmikelakers]

[Bigmikelakers]

Here you go:


















SimMoonXP: Can you post the 405 freeway under construction or proposed from 1962 in Torrance, Culver City, Hawthorne, Long Beach, and Irvine? And also the Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles from 1962? Thank you

[Interstate Trav]

Thank You for uploading.  It's so cool to see all these area's. 

[Quillz]

It seems that the CA-247 and US-395 freeways were freeway for the sake of being freeways. Neither of them are located in particularly densely settled areas and thus neither would really benefit much from a freeway. (Although nowadays, US-395 between Victorville and Ridgecrest has seen a population boom.) But CA-247 is located almost entirely in rural, thinly settled desert.

[Bigmikelakers]

Thanks for that! Look how blank Irvine looked in 1962! The stretch of the 405 from West LA to Long Beach was probably the first stretch to be opened and the last stretch probably was the Irvine segment.

[Bigmikelakers]

[Quillz]

Interesting to note that CA-107 was originally a spur route, as the original CA-7 was once where I-405 is now.

[Bickendan]

Could I get a scan/shot of the 1962 downtown Long Beach? I'd like to see how US 6 and 91 ended.

[DTComposer]

Interesting to note that CA-107 was originally a spur route, as the original CA-7 was once where I-405 is now.

Actually, CA-107 was originally part of CA-7, but was renumbered when CA-7 was assigned to the freeway alignment.

FWIW, I have:
Los Angeles: 1945
Los Angeles/Orange: 1959, 1976
Orange: 1974
Santa Clara: 1952
And then a bunch from the 1990s-2000s.

Here's a thought that I've been kicking around for a while: I want to set up a web site that would compare Thomas Guide pages through the years. I know how do to it technically and it seems that (if people wanted to participate) most of the years could be covered (certainly on at least a five-year basis) for many counties. If it only went up to when the page numbering changed (1990?) Would that be stretching the definition of fair use?

[Bigmikelakers]

Thats a good idea but, what I fear is the legality of doing such thing. We should just make this thread an official thomas guide thread or something like that.

[Interstate Trav]

Interesting to note that CA-107 was originally a spur route, as the original CA-7 was once where I-405 is now.

Actually, CA-107 was originally part of CA-7, but was renumbered when CA-7 was assigned to the freeway alignment.

FWIW, I have:
Los Angeles: 1945
Los Angeles/Orange: 1959, 1976
Orange: 1974
Santa Clara: 1952
And then a bunch from the 1990s-2000s.

Here's a thought that I've been kicking around for a while: I want to set up a web site that would compare Thomas Guide pages through the years. I know how do to it technically and it seems that (if people wanted to participate) most of the years could be covered (certainly on at least a five-year basis) for many counties. If it only went up to when the page numbering changed (1990?) Would that be stretching the definition of fair use?

Is that during the golden State Freeway Construction?  Do you have detalied pages of downtown Los Angeles and of the Newhall pass?  Also of the Santa Monica Freeway.

[DTComposer]

For SimMoonXP:

1952 Santa Clara County Key Map:



1959 Los Angeles County Table of Contents:



Interstate Trav: I'll scan some of those in the morning.

I also realized I have a Thomas Bros. fold-out map covering most of the Santa Clara Valley and southern Peninsula (in three separate maps: San Carlos to Sunnyvale, San Jose & Santa Clara, and Los Gatos/Campbell/Saratoga). No date on the map, but I peg it at around 1945 or so.

[Roadmapfan66]

Does anyone have any coverage of the Santa Clarita Valley before, during and after Interstate 5 was under construction.  Also take into consideration of State route 14 for this request too, as proposed, under construction, etc. 

--- SCP

[SimMoonXP]

Roadmapfan66: I will post the two freeway in those areas soon. Because of Photobucket server is little bit acting up right now. I have a question for you. It is possible for you can write a list for Thomas Bros mapbook in here?

General Thomas Bros/Guide Collection Question

What years do you have in county within Southern California?

For me are:
Kern County: 1980, 2003, 2009
San Bernardino County: 1984, 1996
Ventura County: 1994
Los Angeles County: 1962, 1978, 1995
Orange County: 1984, 1997, 1998
Riverside County: 1991, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2010
San Diego County: 1956, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Central Valley Cities: 1993
San Bernardino & Riverside Counties: 1969, 1971, 1977, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Santa Barbara & San Luis Obispo / Ventura Counties: 1992, 1996
Los Angeles & Orange Counties: 1956, 1958, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010
Orange & Los Angeles Counties: 1962, 1969
San Diego & Orange Counties: 2002

Northern California & California Road Atlas:
California Road Atlas: 1st (1982), 2nd, 4th, 8th, 10th, 11th-2, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 24th (2008)
Bay Area Metro: 1999, 2004, 2005
Solano County: 1995
Sacramento County: 1996, 2005, 2006
Alameda County: 1957, 1998
San Francisco County: 1997
Santa Clara County: 1997
Fresno County: 1978
Sacramento & Solano Counties: 2008
Golden Gate: 1967-69 (each counties are different year- strange), 1995, 1997
Alameda & Contra Costa Counties: 1970, 1989, 2008
Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties: 2008
Central San Joaquin Valley: 2005, 2007
East Bay: 1945 (1/2 size mapbook)
Kings & Tulare Counties: 2003
Napa & Sonoma Counties: 2005
San Joaquin County: 2003
San Francisco & Marin Counties: 2004

Pacific Northwest:
Pacific Northwest Road Atlas: 1999, 2002, 2006, 2010
Portland Metro: 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008
King & Pierce Counties: 1997
Boise & Snake River Valley: 2007, 2010

Arizona & Nevada:
Arizona Road Atlas: 2007
Phoenix Metro: 1978, 1998, 2004
Tucson: 2008
Las Vegas: Spring 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Reno/Tahoe: 2007

D.C. & Maryland & Virginia & W. Virginia:
Washington D.C. Metro: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2010
Baltimore Metro: 1999
Prince Williams County: 1998
Loudoun County: 1998, 2006
Baltimore City/County: 2002
Baltimore & Anne Arundel Counties: 2006
Frederick County: 1999
Western Maryland & Eastern Panhandle West Virginia: 1998

You are welcome to answer my question about your Thomas Bros map. Sorry for minor inconvience for delay for Photobucket server is little bit acting up right now, so pardon my dust.

I really like the image of 1952 Santa Clara County Key Map, which is looks greatest difference than mine 1969 Santa Clara County Key map! I bet the 1952 Edition could have very few freeways into it. But Santa Clara Valley Expressway seem relavent new in 1960s, also in 1950s expressway system at there were not there as just plain older smaller roads at any types at there.

The 2nd image is very word informative image for 1959 Los Angeles County Thomas Bros map. We are still wondering what is inside 1956 to 1967 San Bernardino and or Riverside Counties. Is there is way for us to find the old mapbook for those area. I am really wondering how it might looks like for old page and grid as before the SB/RIV county page and grid makeover could occurred somewhere in mid 1960s.

[Roadmapfan66]

Thank you for posting the Santa Clarita Valley.   I wonder if you have any scanned areas for San Luis Obispo and my home town of Morro Bay too.  It seems to me that the city of Visalia, CA had not many scans yet.  Central Valley city off course.   But Canyon Country was originally called Solemint, does the town of Solemint appear where Canyon Country is in any of your old Thomas Bros. Guides, before or after the year of 1962?

[Roadmapfan66]

Or even Bakersfield or Fresno as of yet, is there a limited time period for those two cities, including Visalia too?   Just wondering.   --- SCP

[Roadmapfan66]

I have the new versions of the colored The Thomas Guide, freeways are red just like ACSC maps, but I wonder how much did they publish San Luis Obispo County area, from the first year to the newest year?  How many editions existed, and the scans... I would like to know when Morro Bay had CA 1 as a freeway U.C.  1960, 1962 hmmmm?

[Interstate Trav]

The evolution of the Antelope Valley Freeway.  Thats too cool!!  They didn't make one for kern County did they?  To have the town of Mojave, always did wonder what an old Map of Mojave looks like.

You do have the East Los Angeles Interchange?  That would be cool to see the US 60/70/99 meeting with US 101.  Amazing if you think about that, with all the changes the same amount of route numbers still converge in Downtowm.  Not instead of US 60/70/99/101 its US 101/ I-5/I-10/CA 60.

[Interstate Trav]

Also I didn't know that Sierra Hwy got CA 14 as the Antelope Valley Freeway was being built. 

[Bigmikelakers]

Heres part of my 1957 San Diego fold out map

[Quillz]

Also I didn't know that Sierra Hwy got CA 14 as the Antelope Valley Freeway was being built. 

Yeah, it was originally US-6, then became CA-14 around 1964, I think. Seems the original Route 14 was further south.

[Quillz]

CA-26 was once in downtown LA?

[SimMoonXP]

Yes, look on 1962 page 44 far left side...as CA-26 highway sign.