Titled 1937 Road Map of Utah, this striking chart by the HM Gousha Company for the Standard Oil Company of Texas distills an age of confident American motoring into a vivid, double-page tableau. Roads and highways surge across the state in assertive red, their intervals annotated with distances that turn ambitious itineraries into practical plans. A meticulous legend explains a rich symbology—airports marked with crisp icons, state parks and national monuments rendered graphically, and relief conveyed through hachures and precise spot heights. The palette is lively yet disciplined, set within an ornate border that frames Utah’s intermountain drama with period elegance. At lower right, the RPM Motor Oil emblem reminds us that corporate patronage fueled both vehicles and wayfinding, guiding motorists toward dependable service as much as to scenic horizons.

HM Gousha’s reputation shines through every decision on the sheet. Founded by Harry Mathias Gousha, a visionary who helped define mid-century road cartography, the firm prioritized on-the-ground accuracy, elegant typography, and instantly readable conventions that became the motorist’s lingua franca. Sponsored distribution through Standard Oil service stations put these maps into the hands of millions, binding brand and journey with rare finesse. Here, the numbered U.S. routes of the period are clearly traced—US 89’s scenic north–south course, the Victory Highway legacy of US 40, transcontinental US 50, and the contemporaneously extended US 6—capturing a network in motion on the eve of wartime transformation. An index of cities and towns on the right margin and segment-by-segment mileages further refine route choices and travel time calculations.

Geography and design meet with persuasive clarity. Hachures and spot heights articulate the Wasatch Range’s abrupt rise above the valleys of Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Provo, while the Uinta Mountains arc eastward with alpine authority. The Great Salt Lake sprawls in cool tones, its marshes and islands set against the spare geometries of the desert. Drainage patterns string together the Bear, Sevier, Green, and Colorado Rivers, a blue anatomy of the state’s lifelines across the Colorado Plateau. National forests—Uinta, Wasatch-Cache, Manti, Fishlake, and Dixie—are handsomely shaded, guiding travelers through cool timbered corridors. Utah’s crown jewels of conservation—Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Cedar Breaks and Natural Bridges National Monuments, Arches National Monument, and the newly proclaimed Capitol Reef—are highlighted as destinations of wonder, while neat symbols flag municipal airports that stitched the state’s horizons by air.

Urban gravity and road logic are rendered with confident economy. Salt Lake City radiates as the hub, with spokes reaching Ogden to the north and Provo to the south along the Wasatch Front’s urban arc, while Logan anchors the verdant Cache Valley. Westward, routes thread toward Tooele and the Nevada line; southward, the corridor past Bountiful, Murray, Lehi, and on to Saint George ties the state to Arizona and the canyon country. US 91 charts the historic spine later mirrored by the Interstate, US 40 climbs toward the Uintas and Colorado, and US 50 cuts a resolute transect of the Basin and Range. To the traveler, the red arteries and crisp mileage callouts convert rugged terrain into achievable stages, linking town to town, forest to overlook, and park gate to park gate.

As a cultural artifact, the map captures a hinge moment in American mobility—pre-Interstate but post–auto trail, when New Deal roadworks and CCC-era park improvements made the West newly accessible. Standard Oil’s support is more than a logo; it embodies an ecosystem of service stations, travel advice, and road hospitality that defined the era’s long-distance drive. Gousha’s artistry—ornate border, vibrant palette, disciplined symbology—infuses utility with romance, inviting detours to scenic viewpoints as surely as it directs the quickest line across the desert. This is navigational intelligence rendered as graphic poetry: a document that guided real journeys in 1937 and, today, evokes the optimism, engineering ambition, and vast, beckoning spaces of Utah at the height of the golden age of the road.

Cities and towns on this map

• Salt Lake City
• Provo
• Ogden
• Saint George
• Logan
• Tooele
• Bountiful
• Murray
• Lehi

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Roads and highways marked in red
• State parks and monuments indicated graphically
• Airports identified with specific symbols
• Drainage patterns and notable geographic features
• An index to cities and towns on the right side
• The RPM Motor Oil logo prominently displayed
• Hachures for relief shown in mountainous regions
• City and town names labeled clearly
• Distances between locations indicated

Historical and design context

• Mapmaker/Publisher: HM Gousha Company, prepared for the Standard Oil Company of Texas.
• Year of Creation: 1937
• Design and Style: The map features vibrant colors and is presented in a double-page layout. It has a detailed legend and displays hachures and spot heights for relief representation.
• Features Illustrated: Roads, highways, trails, state parks, monuments, national forests, and airports, providing a detailed overview of Utah's infrastructure.
• Context of Mapmaker: The HM Gousha Company was known for producing high-quality road maps that were essential for travelers during the mid-20th century, often sponsored by companies like Standard Oil.
• Historical Significance: Reflects the state of road networks and transportation considerations in 1937 and highlights the significance of the Standard Oil Company in aiding navigation.
• Themes Shown: Infrastructure for travel, including notable places of interest, cities, and transportation routes.
• Regions Covered: The map primarily covers the state of Utah, with some references to neighboring states including Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada.
• Visual Observation: The map includes ornate borders and vibrant color schemes which were typical of cartographic design during this period, enhancing its visual appeal.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

Please note: the labels on this map are hard to read if you order a map that is 16in (40cm) or smaller. The map is still very attractive, but if you would like to read the map easily, please buy a larger size.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.