A Detailed Early Text on California's Roads; Published as Part of the "Good Roads Movement." With Author's Inscription.
Fantastic text and atlas on the state of California's roads in 1920, providing a count-by-county breakdown of the roads in operation and under construction.
This book was published by Ben Blow, manager of the Good Road Bureau of the California State Automobile Association. The book covers the various governmental agencies that control roads in California, tree planting, camp sites, the use of convict labor, various controversies including the San Juan Mountain and Zaca Canyon, the Tejon-Castaic Ridge Route, and much more. In short, it covers everything that had anything to do with California roads at the start of the automobile age.
In addition to the lengthy text description, the map includes a number of great maps and plates. It includes an extensive selection of county maps on California counties and is one of the earlier books to take such a county-based atlas approach. In addition, there are numerous early photos from the period, showing scenes throughout the state, including the construction of the trestle bridge over Penasquitos Creek in Del Mar.
This book continues to be referenced in many local history pieces that make use of the unusually detailed nature of the book and its amazing snapshots of early southern California geography.
An article in the Colusa Herald from November 1919, states of the project that:
A 500-page Illustrated book, dealing with California’s highways and their construction is being compiled by Manager Ben Blow of the good roads bureau of the California State Automobile association. This book, which has the support of all of the boards of supervisors throughout the state, will be ready for distribution on December 1. It is the intention of Manager Blow to place the book in all public libraries and in the hands of all commercial, industrial and civic organizations.
Inscription to Frank Cressey and Provenance
The inscription in the book reads as follows:
Dear Frank.
You are one of the fellows who started me in this road game and "now look what you done."
Cordially
Ben Blow
San Francisco 1920
Mr. Frank A. Cressy, Jr.
Frank Cressey Jr. was a San Francisco lawyer and vice president of the Modesto Gas, Light, Coal & Coke Co, but more importantly, he was one of the executives of the Good Road Bureau, a position he held alongside Blow.
The book contains a later collector's stamp from Dr. Benjamin Gilbert, part of the Department of History at San Jose State College.