Calexico, California in 1930
Calexico, Imperial Co. Cal., a fire insurance atlas produced by the Sanborn Map Company in July 1920 and updated with pasted corrections through May 1930, provides an elaborate depiction of this Southern California border town's built environment. Interestingly, neighboring Mexicali is also shown on one of the map sheets, with a well-labeled street grid. Comprising 18 individual sheets, the present atlas provides detailed information about the construction materials and risk factors related to buildings in Calexico. The atlas's color-coding system distinguishes between different building materials: yellow for frame structures, red for brick, and so on. Such color coding simplifies the map's reading, offering at-a-glance insights into the distribution of materials and, by extension, the relative vulnerability of different sections of the town to fire. Several buildings are noted as being of adobe construction. Such maps were crucial for insurance companies in assessing fire risks in urban areas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 1920s, Calexico was a growing border town experiencing economic and demographic changes largely spurred by irrigation from the Colorado River in the Imperial Valley, which had only recently enabled a vast agricultural enterprise in the region. The development of Calexico's agricultural sector and the improvement of water management systems marked significant strides in the community's economic stability during this time. The extensive pasted updates on the present maps, installed by a Sanborn Map Co. "paster" who was charged with maintaining the atlas, attest to the extensive changes happening in Calexico in the 1920s. Founded in 1904 as a railroad town, Calexico was partly defined by cross-border trade with Mexico, growing alongside its Mexican counterpart, Mexicali. The decade saw the town continue to serve as a significant port of entry between the United States and Mexico, fostering a bi-national community influenced by both Mexican and American cultures. A building labeled "Mexican tenements" suggests segregate housing, as does another structure "Mexican Lodging" located directly next door to Hotel Los Angeles.
Fire insurance maps, like those comprising the present Calexico atlas produced by the Sanborn Map Company, are valuable historical resources for understanding urban development and planning in America. They meticulously detailed the construction materials, usage, and risk factors of individual structures, allowing insurance companies to better understand the challenges posed by populated urban centers. Calexico, situated on the U.S.-Mexico border, was not immune to these challenges and witnessed considerable growth during this period, making such maps a prime source for historians of the urban environment.
A selection of structures, including municipal buildings and businesses, noted in this atlas here follows:
- Imperial Ice & Development Co.
- Imperial Irrigation District Headquarters
- Calexico Cotton Co.
- Mexico Tenements
- Mexico Lodgings (next door to Hotel Los Angeles)
- U.S. Customs & Immigration Office
- Calexico Compress Company
- Baptist Church Rm. (African)
- Cantaloupe Packing Shed
- Imperial Ice & Development Co.
- Southwest Cotton Co.
- Overland Hotel
- Adobe buildings ("not used, damaged by earthquake")
- Hotel Burdick
- Calexico City Hall
- Adolph Kessling Abbatoir
- Majestie Theatre
- Mule Market & Corral
- Globe Cotton Mills
- Rockwood Ave. Public School
- Southern Pacific Depot
- U.S. Army Barracks
- Carnegie Public Library
- J. P. Manuel's Mill & Carp'r Shop
- Mt. Signal Produce Co. Vegetable & Produce Shipping
It is also worth noting the mention of specialized structures like stables made from concrete blocks, which speaks to the transitional period in transportation, where the automobile had not yet wholly replaced horse-drawn carriages. The inclusion of specific landmarks, such as the fire station, and the detailing of relative building heights further contribute to an overall understanding of Calexico's urban topography at the time.
Rarity
The Calexico Sanborns Atlas is superlatively rare. OCLC locates no examples of any edition, though California State Northridge lists 1910, 1916, and 1920 editions as part of their large Sanborns Atlas Collection. The Library of Congress has digitized an example that was updated to 1949, differing substantially from the version presented here. The present example, incorporating extensive pasted updates for May 1930, may be a unique exemplar.
The Sanborn Map Company, founded in the 1860s by Daniel Alfred Sanborn, is a renowned cartographic institution primarily recognized for its unparalleled fire insurance atlases. These atlases emerged as indispensable tools during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, portraying the evolution of urban America with unprecedented detail and precision. Charting both burgeoning metropolises and smaller municipalities, Sanborn's fire insurance maps provide a unique and illuminating perspective on the physical, economic, and social transformation of the nation during a period of intense urbanization and industrialization.
During the latter half of the 19th century, the United States witnessed an acceleration in urban growth. This shift from rural to urban living, bolstered by the advent of the Industrial Revolution, generated densely populated areas with a diverse array of architectural styles, materials, and infrastructure. In this context, the need for comprehensive maps that could illustrate the specifics of the built urban fabric became paramount, especially for insurance companies seeking to assess the risks associated with insuring individual properties. The Sanborn Map Company responded to this demand, creating elaborate maps that identified building materials, the purpose of structures, and even features like fire walls and sprinkler systems.
A standout feature of Sanborn's maps was their color-coding system, which allowed for a swift and clear differentiation between building materials—whether wood, brick, iron, or otherwise. This system, paired with the company's legends -- detailing everything from the width of streets to the locations of hydrants -- made these atlases an invaluable resource for insurance underwriters. By the turn of the 20th century, Sanborn maps covered thousands of cities and towns across the United States.
Beyond their utility to the insurance industry, the atlases produced by the Sanborn Map Company have, over time, become a treasured resource for historians, urban planners, preservationists, and environmental researchers. These maps have also been pivotal in brownfield research, shedding light on past industrial activities and potential contamination sites. They offer a window into the past, capturing the architectural, infrastructural, and environmental trends of various eras, and revealing the intricacies of a city's development. The very design of streets, the evolution of residential and commercial areas, and the rise and decline of certain industries can be traced through these maps.
Around 1960, Warren Buffett, then a burgeoning value investor, took a significant position in Sanborn Map Co., sinking 35% of his partnership's money into the company. Buffett was drawn to Sanborn's extensive map business, which he described as a virtual monopoly, as well as the company's valuable investment portfolio. While the cartographic aspect of Sanborn's business was diminishing in profitability due to technological advances introduced by competitors, Buffett recognized that the informational content of the maps had not been updated to electronic access, and was thus an undervalued asset for the company. His investment in Sanborn Map Co. is often presented as Case Study No. 1 in overviews of his value-oriented investment philosophy, which emphasized undervalued assets.
In sum, the Sanborn Map Company's fire insurance atlases are not merely maps; they are intricate tapestries of American urban history, detailing the nation's progression from the late 19th to the 20th century. Through their detailed renderings, these maps continue to serve as invaluable chronicles of the United States' urban transformation during a pivotal era.