Early San Diego County Automobile Travel Guide with Backcountry Maps
This rare early road guide for San Diego County reflects the growing importance of automobile travel in Southern California at a pivotal moment in the area's infrastructural development. Particularly notable are the detailed local maps showing inland or so-called backcountry communities such as Escondido, Fallbrook, San Marcos, Vista, Valley Center, La Mesa, Descanso, and the like. It is no coincidence that the B.F. Goodrich tire company contributed to this publication, as the greater San Diego County area developed along with the explosive growth and popularity of automobile travel.
The various area maps are accompanied by summaries of each community, including products, for example: "Pala (wooden or fire shovel). Store. Pala is the center of the U.S. Indian Reservation of that name and here is also located one of the old Spanish Missions... In and around Pala are extensive deposits of Tourmaline and Kunzite and other precious stones." And "Tia Juana (Aunt Jane) S.D. & A. Ry. Across the border line from Tia Juana is the Mexican Tijuana, a mecca for tourists. A racetrack and gambling casino are situated here."
Tips for drivers as well as notes on the importance of road improvement are interspersed between the various map and road guides. Here follows a few excerpts:
- Good Roads. No greater national necessity exists than the need of improved transportation facilities.... Road building as an economic factor in the life of the nation in the time of war, as well as peace, has become a vital necessity.
- Don't drive in ruts or car tracks.
- Be particularly careful of pedestrians. People often rush out from sidewalks, crossing street absentmindedly, regardless of passing cars... Sound horn loudly.
- Horses once frightened by autos are often nervous long after and shy on slightest provocation... In approaching a horse, if the person leading or driving the animal signals by a raised hand, stop immediately.
- As one of the foundation activities of the business life of the country road improvement should be vigorously pushed... Let road building and road maintenance go forward upon a larger scale than ever before...
Published by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, with information from road logs by the B.F. Goodrich National Touring Bureau. Cover art by Paul Valle.
San Diego County Development in the 1910s
By 1918, San Diego had experienced significant growth both in the city and the surrounding county, spurred by the success of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. This event showcased San Diego's potential and attracted new residents and businesses, leading to increased urban development. Concurrently, infrastructure projects, particularly roadbuilding, expanded into the county's backcountry communities, improving connectivity and fostering further development. These efforts contributed to the transformation of San Diego from a modest town into a burgeoning city, setting the stage for its future as a major metropolitan area.
Rarity
Rare in the market. Not in Adams, Books and Authors of San Diego. OCLC locates only a single example, that at UC San Diego.