The Legend - Road Map Collectors Association

The
Legend
Number 43
Summer 2009
CONTENTS
Map Bloopers
RMCA Officers and Directors
Editor’s Notes/President’s Views
Tim Nicholson
Where is Portland(2)?
Leonard Refineries Maps
Conoco’s “Mystery” Sunrise Cover
Map show registration form
Page 1
Page 2
Page 2
Page 3
Page 3
Page 4
Page 8
Insert
the symbol for the town is shown on the map, and it is listed
in the index.
Map Bloopers by Craig Solomonson (RMCA #2)
One aspect of collecting that I enjoy is looking for
variations. Variations occur for all sorts of reasons--new
governor, new roads added, cover photo changed, or
somebody just plain screwed up! It is this last group that can
be the most interesting. In the world of stamp and coin
collecting, an error that is discovered and then corrected can
result in a frenzy to obtain examples with those errors. I
have compiled a short list of some recent maps that do
contain what might be considered a "blooper." Here are a
few:
TYPE 1: UNINTENTIONAL (missing towns, roads, etc.)
1987-88 Nebraska: The town of Newman Grove was
omitted on this map. I read an article somewhere that said a
small number of maps were reprinted with the town added
and given to the residents of Newman Grove. If this is true
and you have a copy, you indeed have a real collector's
item! I have about 25 copies of this map and none have
Newman Grove on it.
Similarly, 1997 Michigan maps exist which do not show the
town of Iron River. This “blooper” is a bit more significant,
as Iron River is the largest town in Iron County.
Supposedly this was corrected in later editions. Of course,
not every town can be shown on a map with limited space,
so to qualify as a “blooper” it needs to be a fairly important
town like Iron River, or as in the case with Newman Grove,
Another case involves the 1986 South Dakota Official State
Highway Map. The town of Arlington was omitted on this
map. It was corrected and reprinted. As I studied the two
versions, I noticed that the cover titles are also different and
the location of "Brookings" was changed to accommodate
the correction. We have referred to these two maps on the
Official Maps Master List as SD 1986-A and SD 1986-B in
the past but now I wonder if the 1986-A might be a 1985
which has never been documented before. Any South
Dakota experts out there?
[Editor’s note:
Having worked in the cartographic
industry, I would say that many of these missing town
“bloopers” may result from computerized cartography.
Algorithms are developed to automatically place names,
eliminate supposedly insignificant features in congested
areas, etc. People expect the computers to be reliable, but
there is no substitute for a well-trained human eye!]
Continued on Page 6
Road Map Collectors Association
ROAD MAP COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION, INC.
EDITOR’S NOTES
DIRECTORS
I would like to thank Judy for her time served as RMCA
president.
Looking back through past newsletters, I
discovered that she has served in that role since the fall of
2005. Four years of service is all we can ask of any one
individual, so its time for the rest of us to start thinking
about serving the club. I also see that the last election for
the Board of Directors was held in the fall of 2007, for the
2008-09 term. That is soon to be expiring as well, which
means we will need to have another election before the end
of the year.
Ian Byrne, Stan DeOrsey, Alan Eastlund, Richard
Horwitz, Terry Palmer, Jon Roma, Walt Wimer
OFFICERS
President……………………………...… Judy Aulik
Vice President.……………………. Richard Horwitz
Secretary.…………………….……… Mark Greaves
Treasurer…………..…………………… Gary Spaid
Newsletter Editor.……………………..……. Mark Greaves
Webmaster.……………………………..……….. Jon Roma
Registered Agent…………………………..……. Jon Roma
Membership Coordinator.….…………….. Richard Horwitz
Publicity Coordinator...……….….…… Charles Neuschafer
Meeting Coordinator…………..…….……. Nikki Hemphill
TO JOIN RMCA send your name, address, phone, e-mail
address and a short description of your road map collecting
interest to: RMCA, PO Box 158, Channelview, TX 775300158.
Dues are $15, Canada $16, other countries $20. Dues may
also be paid via PayPal from the RMCA website at
www.roadmaps.org
E-mail Legend material to: mgreaves61@gmail.com
PRESIDENT’S VIEWS
As several of you are aware, I will be stepping down as
president after the Expo. When I accepted the position, I
was working fewer hours than I am now. To paraphrase the
radio host of “Whad’ya Know,” Michael Feldman, it’s time
to step down and let somebody else have a chance for a
change.
I intend to remain active in our club and our hobby as time
allows. Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive
through the years.
Judy Aulik, RMCA #273
2009 RMCA MAP EXPO
October 23-24 – Hammond, Indiana
See enclosed registration form in this issue!
As a reminder, the structure of the RMCA is such that the
Directors are elected by a vote of the membership, with a
total of seven Directors serving terms of two years. It is up
to the Directors to appoint the four officers of the club;
President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
This all sounds a bit foreboding, but in all practicality if you
are interested in being a Director, your chances of getting in
are very good! And the same can be said for any of the
officer positions, or other jobs such as Newsletter Editor,
Webmaster, etc. If anyone has an interest in any of these
positions, PLEASE let us know!
The RMCA has been around for almost 15 years, having
been founded by Dick Bloom in 1995. We have had 5
presidents in this time, including Dick for the first year;
Dave Schul from 1996 through 1998; then Richard Horwitz
from 1999 through the summer of 2005 (with a brief stint
from Matt Alberts in the winter of 2002-03); and finally our
current president, Judy Aulik starting in the Fall of 2005.
The service of the remaining officers include Richard
Horwitz as Vice President since fall 2007; Mark Greaves as
Secretary since 2001; and Gary Spaid as Treasurer since
2004. But much of the work for the club is accomplished
by the volunteer positions of Newsletter Editor, Webmaster,
Membership Coordinator and Meeting Coordinator.
Richard Horwitz and I have been in our positions of
Membership Coordinator and Newsletter Editor for a
relatively short time (2 years), but Jon Roma has been our
Webmaster since 2003 and Nikki Hemphill the Meeting
Coordinator since 2002 (officially, although I believe she
has been doing that job even farther back).
Is your name mentioned above? If not, then please seriously
consider volunteering to help the RMCA out by putting
your name up for vote as a Director, or volunteering for one
of the other positions available. Is anyone itching to be club
secretary? I would gladly relinquish that position (it is a
good way to get involved, with very little work required!). I
can’t speak for the others listed in the gray box at left, but
perhaps a few are ready for a change.
Mark Greaves, RMCA #39
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
Page 2
Road Map Collectors Association
Tim Nicholson, 1930 - 2009
It is with great sadness
that I have to report that
Tim Nicholson passed
away on June 18th
following a short illness.
Tim
was
a
great
enthusiast for all forms
of maps and old autos,
although lately his main
interests
lay
in
commercial road maps
from 1900-1950, rail and
cycling maps from the
latter half of the 19th
Century and Riley motor
cars. I knew that he was
unwell, but as always he was full of plans for the future his, by now annual, trips to the Michelin collectors meeting
in France and his plans to get across to the RMCA meet.
He was a real English gentleman, with great modesty. I
once mentioned the 1970s Land Rover expedition across the
Darien Gap to him, and he said "Oh, I was part of that, did
you know?" which I didn't, as if I had asked him about a trip
to the shops. Tim was a prolific author on matters related to
old autos - I even got one of his books in the early 1970s as
a school prize, long before I met him! I once threatened to
bring a load of books down for him to sign as the author,
but, with typical modesty, he asked me not to! I regret now
not having pushed him a little harder.
Tim's knowledge of UK
maps since about 1850
was unparalleled. After a
long period collecting and
writing about Ordnance
Survey maps - the one
inch to the mile series that
are collected quite widely
- he decided to sell his
entire collection and start
collecting something new.
This took him into
commercial maps, of
which oil company maps
were only the most visible part of his collection. But he
retained an interest in railway and cycling maps from the
1850s onwards.
Where is Portland(2)? by Ian Byrne (RMCA #245)
In Legend #33 (Summer 2006), I asked where Portland was,
as it could not be found on many English maps, despite
being widely known as an English town. I did say though,
that for Americans the answer should be easy – Portland is
in Oregon or Maine or…
By pure chance, I discovered that Portland, USA, can also
be a confusing location. I was dining with an eminent
Vietnamese professor of engineering, who had just made her
first ever trip to the US, to attend a conference in Portland.
Without prompting, she started telling me where Portland is,
suspecting that I might be geographically challenged by this
confusing city. "It's next to the Canadian border," she told
me, "and you can see across to Vancouver from the airport."
When I protested gently that this might be a different
Vancouver, she repeated that it was the one in Canada.
"What's more," she added, "we flew over Washington DC
on the journey there, and I was able look down and see the
lights of America’s capital." Now, I might fly over
Washington DC to get to Portland, Oregon, starting from
London, but flying across the Pacific, I suspect that it might
have been a different Washington that she was seeing the
lights of…
Before we get too amused by this story, how many US
engineering professors could tell me whether you can see
across the border into China from Mong Cai or Ca Mau, two
Vietnamese cities? (Check it out on an atlas if you need to.)
Perhaps a few might have been to Vietnam, under rather
different circumstances, but I bet most would have to resort
to looking at a map. What my Vietnamese professor friend
lacked was not a sense of geography (as she clearly knew
the link between Vancouver and the US border), but a good
old-fashioned road map!
Tim will be much missed; I have lost a very good friend.
Ian Byrne, RMCA #245
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
Editor’s Note: Two of Tim Nicholson’s contributions to The
Legend can be found in Issue #17 (May 2001) and Issue #35
(Summer 2007).
Page 3
Road Map Collectors Association
Leonard Refineries Maps
by Dave Rowlison (RMCA #557)
Leonard Refineries of Alma, MI was founded in 1936 with
the purchase of the newly completed Acme plant. Founder
J.W. Leonard, Jr. and his father J.W. Leonard, Sr. were both
in oil exploration. The Dubb’s thermal cracking unit was
added in 1937 to increase the octane of the gasoline
produced from Michigan crude. Straight run gasoline from
Michigan crude was only 40 to 50 octane while 75 to 80
octane was what the competition was selling. In 1938
Leonard began to market branded product. A brochure from
that era says they marketed in the lower peninsula of
Michigan and Northern Indiana with their fleet of modern
3000 gallons transport trucks. In 1939 Leonard acquired
McClanahan Refineries of St. Louis, MI. In 1955 Leonard
bought Roosevelt Refining of Mt. Pleasant, MI and MidWest Refineries of Alma. In 1959 Leonard agreed to the
terms of a buyout by Sohio. The deal was stopped by the
Federal Trade Commission because it would have put too
much market share into the hands of the majors. The
Aurora (Speedway 79) and Ohio Oil (Marathon) deal had
just been completed earlier in the year. Interesting that
Sohio and Ohio Oil were considered majors in 1959! In
1966 Total bought controlling interest in Leonard and after
1970 the stations were rebranded Total.
Leonard road maps can be divided into two basic categories;
Michigan maps, and all others. All non-Michigan maps are
Rand McNally 9” X 4” folded, as are the Michigan maps
from 1939 to 1956. The Michigan maps used various
generic Rand McNally cover designs from 1939 through
1955. In 1956, the Michigan map is still done by Rand
McNally, but for the first time has a custom designed cover
for Leonard. Michigan maps from 1957 have not been
observed, but 1958 maps, and all later Leonard Michigan
maps use the Official map from the State Highway
Department. Some of these (1958-64 and 1968) have
covers designed specifically for Leonard, but others (196567, 1969-70) use the same cover photograph as the Official
State Highway Map, with Leonard logo added. The 195862 Michigan maps are copyrighted by the Michigan State
Highway Dept. and lithographed by Rand McNally,
measuring 8” X 4” folded. As with the Official maps
through 1961, Leonard maps for these years do not have a
back cover design. But the 1962 Leonard map does have a
back cover advertising boat fuel & fuel oil. The 1963
Michigan map is copyrighted by the Michigan State
Highway Dept. and lithographed by Gugler Lithographic
Co. Milwaukee, WI.
Starting in 1964 all Leonard Michigan maps are copyrighted
by the Michigan State Highway Dept./State Highway
Commission and are lithographed by the Michigan
Lithographing Co., Grand Rapids, MI. As with the Official
state highway maps, the folded dimensions of these later
maps are reduced to 7 ½” X 3 ¾”. The 1964 has the same
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
cover as the 1963 except the colors are reversed on the title
at the top, and it is the smaller official folded size. The map
cover designed for Leonard in 1968 shows a motorist
getting the full service treatment.
The final map in 1970 has the Michigan official dual season
covers but when you open it up it has a nice size Leonard
ad. It headlines “Leonard Total Performance,” getting you
ready for the name change. But it also pictures a can of
Leonard Premium 500 Motor Oil with the caption “New
Total Premium 500 Motor Oil.” I wonder if that was an
OOPS!!
As for non-Michigan maps, none have been observed prior
to 1956. For 1956 though 1958, the covers have an outline
of just the lower peninsula of Michigan and there is a
cartoon map face on the right, but for 1959 through 1963 the
whole state is outlined on the cover and the map face is on
the left. Note that although the basic design is the same,
there is a slight variation between the covers in 1956 and
those for 1957-58, with these later maps having the
redesigned Leonard logo. The 1964 cover design is similar
to 1959-63, but somewhat simplified, with the map face
gone, a new Leonard logo, and Leonard's "The Gasoline
that's going places in Michigan" slogan removed – plus a
redesigned Leonard logo. Various photographic designs
complete the non-Michigan map covers through Leonard's
final year in 1970.
It is interesting to note that in 1964 the Leonard logo was
changed, but the Michigan map still has the old logo while
the non-Michigan maps have the new logo, most likely
because of the different printers. On the covers of many
Leonard maps can be found "Form numbers" which always
stayed the same for the state or region regardless of the
cover or year. Leonard put out maps of Michigan, Indiana,
Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Central & Western US, and
Eastern US.
I wonder why the 1949 through 1955 maps advertise D X
Motor Oil? It does tie in with their X-tane gasoline but D X
was a direct competitor during that time, marketing gasoline
and motor oil in Michigan. Leonard had their own line of
motor oil as well. Was it maybe another merger or buyout
deal that didn’t happen?
One final thought is that most of these maps didn’t come
from eBay but from flea markets, antique stores, and the
help of other map collectors. I remember Charlie Wells
calling me with info about a bulk plant find that showed up
at the Columbus Show. Also Walt Wimer sending me a
scan of a missing map at the time. Of course he had one.
Thanks guys!!
Are any other Leonard map covers out there?
contact Dave at Djrow@modempool.com
Please
Page 4
Road Map Collectors Association
Leonard Refineries Road Maps, 1939-70
Cover designs for Michigan maps (1956 cover, not pictured, is the same as shown below for 1956)
Cover designs for non-Michigan maps
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
Page 5
Road Map Collectors Association
Map Bloopers – from page 1
[Editor’s Note: Here is one of my favorite “missing feature”
maps. In 1952 the official Wisconsin Highway Map was
printed without the bridge over the Mississippi River
between La Crosse, Wisconsin and La Crescent, Minnesota.
Some of these maps were then stamped “NEW LA CROSSE
BRIDGE NOT SHOWN” with an arrow pointing to the
missing bridge on the map. Then the map was reprinted,
with the bridge in its proper place, thus resulting in three
versions of the 1952 Wisconsin official map. This was
certainly a serious omission, as there are no other bridges
across the Mississippi for many miles in either direction.
What’s even more intriguing about this error is the term
“New” regarding the La Crosse Bridge – looking back at
my Wisconsin maps, there is a bridge in the exact same
location as far back as 1919! What was so new about it?
1998 New Jersey: The first version of the 1998 New Jersey
map was missing Highway 94 between Monroe and the
New York state line. When discovered, it was corrected and
reprinted.
1998 NJ Official –Hwy. 94 missing (above); Hwy. 94 added (below)
Another “blooper” that results in three versions of a map to
collect involves the 1978 Virginia official. The front cover
features a photograph of Mabry Mill. This is identified on
the back cover with the caption “Mabry Mill, Blue Ridge
Parkway, Patrick County.” Only problem is, Mabry Mill is
actually in Floyd County! One corrected version of this
map has a thick black line through the incorrect
information, and another was reprinted with the correct
county name. Variations such as this keep road map
collecting interesting.]
TYPE 2: UNINTENTIONAL (reversed negatives)
I am sure many of these exist, but only in certain situations
does it become obvious. For example, a famous landmark or
when a vehicle is shown driving in what appears to be the
wrong lane.
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
Page 6
Road Map Collectors Association
1993-94 Minnesota: This map features a photo of Split
Rock Lighthouse along the north shore of Lake Superior.
One version of the map with the Best Western ad on the
back cover shows the cover reversed. It was corrected.
1997-98 Pennsylvania: The 1997-98 Pennsylvania map had
a message to motorists on the back. However, the first
version was drafted by a poor speller and never caught till
after the maps were printed. On the other hand, maybe the
workers really did want a "break" instead!
2001 South Dakota: The 2001 South Dakota map showed a
red car with two bicycles on top driving down the center of
the highway. This apparently did not meet with the approval
of some state officials and a glossy sticker showing Mount
Rushmore was placed over the original photo. That had to
be an expensive fix!
1990-91 North Dakota: This
cover features a motor home
driving on the wrong side of
the road.
TYPE 3: UNINTENTIONAL
(poor spelling or judgment)
1948
Mobilgas
National
Orange Show: The image
below shows the top of this
map of the fairgrounds in San
Bernardino, California on what
should
have
been
the
“Official” Guide.
TYPE 4: INTENTIONAL (these are the best!)
1978-79 Michigan: In 1978, Peter Fletcher, chairman of the
State Highway Commission and a University of Michigan
graduate, inserted the towns of "goblu" and "beatosu" near
the bottom edge of the map in Ohio. Someone with more
authority did not see the humor in this and the towns were
removed and the maps reprinted.
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
Page 7
Road Map Collectors Association
illustrate them. Any interest in this aspect of road map
collecting? Please forward any others that you might know
about to Craig at craig@solomonson.net, or your friendly
newsletter editor at mgreaves61@gmail.com.
Conoco’s “Mystery” Sunrise Cover
by Mark Greaves (RMCA #39)
1981 Michigan: Not to be outdone, an MDOT supervisor
inserted a water feature in the southeastern part of Baraga
County with the name "Sisu." This is the Finnish word for
guts or courage. Supposedly, about a half million maps were
printed before it was discovered and removed. I have not
seen a map with this on it yet, but have seen the map with it
removed.
When I first encountered the 1965 Conoco map of the
Eastern United States (shown at left above), the natural
assumption was that the cover photo showed a sunrise over
the Atlantic, probably off the coast of Maine somewhere
given the rocky coastline. However, a later addition to my
road map collection, a 1981 Conoco map of Mexico (above
at right) reveals the same exact photograph – so where is it?
The coast of Maine? The Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico?
Another blooper that I have seen involved some Skelly
maps from the early 1950s. I don't remember which states or
regions were involved, but the name of the state (or region)
on the cover was not correct. In order to correct it, a paper
label was pasted over the incorrect name. [Editor’s Note: I
have a 1959 Skelly map with “New Mexico” pasted over
“Arizona-New Mexico” on the cover.]
The answer was revealed by examining my official state
map collection, where I found the same image on the covers
of Oregon State Highway Commission maps from 1962
through 1965. Here the mystery is solved, with a caption
inside identifying the scene as “Coastal Sunset near
Bandon.”
I am sure many similar "bloopers" exist and it might be fun
to start compiling a list of them and gathering some scans to
The Legend Number 43 – Summer 2009
Page 8