{"product_id":"old-auto-trails-map-of-kentucky-1920-louisville-lexington-covington-ohio-river-electric-lines","title":"Old Auto Trails Map of Kentucky, 1920: Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Ohio River, Electric lines","description":"\u003cp\u003eTitled “Kentucky,” this 1920 state map from the George F. Cram Company of Chicago captures a decisive moment when motor travel, electrification, and county governance converged to reshape the Bluegrass State. Using the Greenwich meridian for its longitudinal frame, it situates Kentucky within a global cartographic standard while remaining intensely local in detail. Hachures give texture to the Appalachian east and the gentler Bluegrass, casting light and shadow across ridges and river valleys. Administrative boundaries are crisply drawn, with each county annotated by its 1920 census population, transforming the sheet into a demographic ledger as much as a guide. Color is used with purpose: principal cities and the state capital stand out in green, highways blaze in red, and state roads course in blue—an elegant grammar for an era in motion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe map speaks the new language of the road. Early motorists would have read its color-coded auto trails at speed and at a glance: red for highways, blue for state roads, with paved and improved segments clearly distinguished and traffic signage noted for certainty where the countryside might otherwise confuse. These ribbons knit together Jefferson County’s Louisville, Fayette County’s Lexington, and the industrial arc of the Ohio River—Owensboro in Daviess County and Henderson at the western gateway—while threading south through Hardin County’s Elizabethtown and eastward through Madison County’s Richmond. Covington in Kenton County anchors the northern tier opposite Cincinnati, with Boone County’s Florence nearby, all part of a web that carried goods, ideas, and ambition across the Commonwealth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElectric lines, marked in red, trace the pulse of early twentieth-century modernity. In 1920 Kentucky, “electric lines” commonly denoted interurban trolley routes and power corridors, and their appearance here signals the state’s embrace of swift, frequent connections between city and countryside. Lines converging on Louisville and Lexington, and the dense lattice of Northern Kentucky around Covington, advertise commuter convenience and a budding metropolitan rhythm. Even where rural electrification lagged, these corridors foreshadowed transformation, tying courthouse towns to commercial hubs and smoothing the flow of mail, milk, and manpower. Overlaying the road network, the electric tracery reveals a layered mobility: steel rails, rubber tires, and copper wires orchestrated into a system that served both daily life and long-distance commerce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a political map, it excels at human geography. Counties are sharply delineated, each stamped with its 1920 census total, enabling instant comparisons between the populous urban centers and the agrarian uplands. Jefferson County dominates with Louisville’s industrial might; Fayette’s Lexington leads the Bluegrass; Kenton and Boone reflect the gravitational pull of Cincinnati via Covington and Florence. Along the Ohio, Daviess County’s Owensboro and Henderson County’s river city mirror the commercial vitality of barge landings and warehouses. Madison County’s Richmond and Hardin County’s Elizabethtown emerge as pivotal inland nodes, proof of roads making new markets. Principal cities and the capital, Frankfort, pop in green—an at-a-glance key to power, trade, and influence, and a census-age ledger of Kentucky on the cusp of the modern era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHachure shading enriches the story of where people and paths could go. The Appalachians and the Cumberland Plateau rise from the page, explaining the sinuous east–west bends of roads and the careful siting of towns along river bottoms and gaps. The Bluegrass Basin’s softer contours contrast with the rugged east, underscoring why Lexington became a crossroads of farms, horse country, and education, while corridors along the Ohio nurtured river towns like Owensboro and Henderson. The Kentucky and Green Rivers, with their tributaries, guide routes as surely as they fueled mills and ferries. In the aggregate, Cram’s design marries beauty with utility, turning relief, roads, and boundaries into a legible atlas of movement—a masterclass in how terrain, technology, and demography shaped Kentucky in 1920.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCities and towns on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJefferson County: Louisville\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFayette County: Lexington\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKenton County: Covington\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoone County: Florence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDaviess County: Owensboro\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadison County: Richmond\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHardin County: Elizabethtown\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHenderson County: Henderson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElectric lines marked in red.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdministrative boundaries of counties clearly delineated.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePopulation figures from the 1920 census given alongside counties.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eColor-coded auto trails for easy navigation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHighways depicted in red; state roads in blue.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePrincipal cities and state capitals highlighted in green.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndications of paved and improved roads.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTraffic signage present for navigational clarity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHachure shading indicating topography or relief features.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKentucky (1920), published by the George F. Cram Company, Chicago.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCounty\/state detailed political map format.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses the Greenwich prime meridian for longitudinal reference.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDocuments early 20th-century Kentucky’s development; serves as both navigation tool and historical record.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePart of a comprehensive series of U.S. state maps and auto trails.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the \u003ca href=\"\/es\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003ebest old maps\u003c\/a\u003e to see if something else catches your eye.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact me\u003c\/a\u003e to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":57855580012928,"sku":"UM00272537A","price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57855580045696,"sku":"UM00272538A","price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":57855580078464,"sku":"UM00272539A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":57855580111232,"sku":"UM00272540A","price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57855580144000,"sku":"UM00272541A","price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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