Titled 1937 Road Map of Washington, this vivid state portrait comes from the H. M. Gousha Company, prepared exclusively in 1937 for the Standard Oil Company of Texas. Crafted for the golden age of the American road, it marries crisp cartography to the spirit of mobility, its colorful, double-page layout leading motorists from Puget Sound to the Palouse with confident clarity. The prominently placed RPM Motor Oil emblem links the sheet to the glamor of service stations, streamlined sedans, and weekend touring, when a map was both invitation and assurance. Across Washington, arterial highways, secondary roads, parks, airports, and places of interest are clearly distinguished, while drainage patterns and distance cues orient the traveler at a glance—an elegant fusion of brand, design, and practical guidance in the pre-war Northwest.

Design-wise, Gousha’s hand is unmistakable: highways unfurl in bold, color-coded bands; secondary routes taper with restrained linework; and an immaculate legend deciphers symbols for state parks, monuments, airports, and scenic turnouts. Hachures and spot heights lend tactile relief to the state’s backbone, translating the drama of the Cascades and Olympics into a readable surface. Key waterways—Puget Sound, the Columbia and Snake Rivers, Lake Washington, and myriad tributaries—are etched with equal care, revealing drainage and the logic of settlement. An exhaustive index of cities and towns, cross-referenced to grid and page, turns the map into a nimble planning instrument, while printed mileage markers and measured distances help choreograph itineraries. The result is a travel companion as authoritative as it is alluring, ideal for tracing both the quickest route and the most scenic detour.

Set against this design is a living network of movement in 1937. U.S. 99 stitches the coastal plain from the Canadian border through Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma toward the Columbia, while U.S. 10 pierces the Cascades via Snoqualmie Pass to tie Puget Sound with Spokane and the Northern Rockies. U.S. 101 encircles the Olympic Peninsula, skirting beaches and rainforest, and eastern spines such as U.S. 195 and U.S. 395 traverse wheat country and sagebrush basins. Mount Rainier National Park anchors the south Cascades; on the peninsula, vast protected forests foretell the coming national park. Hachured summits—Baker, Rainier, Adams, and St. Helens—rise above braided rivers, reservoirs, and glacial lakes, while state parks and roadside viewpoints punctuate an era newly attuned to outdoor leisure and the motorist’s appetite for scenic grandeur.

Urban nodes appear with crisp economy. Seattle spreads between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, gateway to maritime trade and the forested interior, its early commercial aviation centered at the municipal airfield on Boeing Field. Tacoma anchors the southern Sound; Everett and Bellevue frame Seattle’s north and east; Vancouver guards the Columbia crossing into Oregon; and Spokane, rail hub of the Inland Empire, commands the east. Major airports are clearly labeled, tracing the state’s young air corridors—among them Seattle’s municipal field, Spokane’s Felts Field, and Vancouver’s historic Pearson Field—mirroring the era’s faith in flight. Historical landmarks and recreational sites pepper the margins of settlement, directing travelers to beaches, hot springs, ranger stations, mountain lodges, and lookouts that shaped Washington’s interwar touring imagination.

Behind the elegance lies H. M. Gousha, the premier road-map house of the age, founded by Harry M. Gousha after his tenure at Rand McNally. Renowned for lucid symbology, vivid palettes, and a knack for wayfinding, the firm partnered with America’s great oil companies to place beautifully engineered cartography into motorists’ hands. This Washington sheet formed part of an eleven-map Standard Oil series spanning the American West, from Arizona to Washington, ensuring a traveler departing the desert states could navigate seamlessly to the evergreen coast. As a document, it freezes a pivotal moment: pre-war highways tightening their grip, new parks drawing urbanites to the mountains, and branded service culture—signaled by the RPM emblem—smoothing every mile. Utility and romance, perfectly balanced, make it

Cities and towns on this map

• Seattle
• Spokane
• Tacoma
• Vancouver
• Bellevue
• Everett

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Extensive network of roads and highways.
• National parks and state parks marked clearly.
• Major airports labeled, indicating air travel routes of the time.
• Key waterways and drainage patterns illustrated.
• Identified places of interest such as historical landmarks and recreational areas.
• Index for cities and towns for easier navigation.
• Legend providing information on symbols used throughout the map.

Historical and design context

• Created by H. M. Gousha Company in 1937, exclusively for the Standard Oil Company of Texas.
• Colorful, double-page layout emphasizing roads, highways, state parks, monuments, and airports.
• Designed to assist travelers with drainage, distances, and places of interest.
• Hachures and spot heights depict elevation.
• Striking blue cloth covers with gold lettering: “Standard Oil road maps. J.C. Moody.”
• Part of a series of 11 color maps covering regions from Arizona to Washington.
• Features the prominent RPM Motor Oil logo, reflecting 1930s travel and automotive culture.
• Serves as both a navigation tool and a historical record of Washington’s late-1930s transportation infrastructure.

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 20in (50cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.