1977 McGuinness Pictorial Map of Lake Tahoe

This is a 1977 Bob McGuinness pictorial map of Lake Tahoe and its vicinity.

A Hilarious Map

Comical vignettes abound, many of which focus on gambling. One such appears walks to Reno wearing only a barrel lamenting, 'Boy, my luck better change in Reno!'. Another, walking out of Reno wearing stereotypical Western clothing, holds open his empty pockets and proclaims, 'I just got held up by a slot machine in Reno!' Two more gambling references appear on the map. One is a Pit Boss dressed as a construction worker glaring down at all his workers stuck in the pit they just dug. The other, in the lower right, combines the compass with a roulette wheel. In another illustration, two fishermen in a small boat pass their afternoon on Lake Tahoe, but one of them has hooked the Creature from the Black Lagoon - presumably while it too was enjoying a vacation. The creature states to the visibly shocked angler, 'You're over your limit'. The legend, in the lower left, completes the comic aspects of this piece. Admittedly inaccurate, it states that the ski resorts are marked by ambulances, the campgrounds by discarded beer cans and lists the casinos as 'danger zones'.

Tourist Destination

Ski areas, golf courses, hotels, and casinos are illustrated throughout the region. Individual ski areas are identified with skiers highlighting many of the most well-known resorts. Carson City, Reno, and Virginia City (and its annual camel races) are illustrated and labeled as well.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by an artist known as Bob McGuinness and published by Hickory, Inc. in 1977. McGuinness is a Nevada artist who sometimes signs his work 'B. B. McGee'. This is the only known cataloged example.