1953 Bush Pictorial Map of the United States

Published in a post-World War II America, this c. 1953 M. E. Bush map of the United States promotes tourism around the country. Vignettes highlight national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite, as well as other natural wonders, such as the Badlands, Mackinac Island, and Niagara Falls. Man-made marvels, like Mount Rushmore and Hoover Dam, are also illustrated. Cities make an appearance as well, with the Golden Gate Bridge marking San Francisco, the Capital Building highlighting Washington, D.C., and New York City illustrated by its iconic skyline. The map also details now vanish destinations, like Ellinor Village, the largest family resort in Florida in the 1940s and 1950s. An inset map in the lower left corner details Greyhound's extensive nationwide bus network, allowing an individual with this map to begin planning a dream vacation.

The Rise of the Automobile and American Highways

This map is intimately connected with development of the automobile and the American highway system. The Federal Highway Act passed in 1944, calling for the construction of 40,000 miles of national roads. After he became president in 1953, Eisenhower was determined to build an even more expansive highway system, mimicking on a lager scale, the Reichsautobahnen he so admired in Germany during World War II. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 followed, leading to 41,000 miles of Interstate Highways. The co-dependent emergence of America as a car-nation and the highway system, ushered in a new era of American mobility - on that companies like Greyhound were eager to monetize.

Publication History

This map was drawn by M. E. Bush and published by Greyhound c. 1953.