Promotional Cartographies: the Clason Map Company and the American West 1903-1931

“Promotional Cartographies: the Clason Map Company and the American West 1903-1931” 

Presented by: Bill Wyckoff 

June 1st, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. 

Denver Central Library, B2 Conference Center

George Clason built the largest commercial map company west of Chicago between 1903 and 1931. In his years as a Denver-based map publisher and booster of western economic development, Clason produced millions of road maps, state maps, city maps, promotional circulars and maps for mining companies, land companies, and state and local governments. Bill Wyckoff looks at the business relationships Clason forged with private companies and public institutions and how textual and visual material within Clason’s maps communicated enduring ideas about the West’s economic potential and regional character.