{"product_id":"old-street-map-of-san-jose-california-1951-bay-area-san-francisco-silicon-valley","title":"Old Street Map of San Jose, California, 1951: Bay Area, San Francisco, Silicon Valley","description":"\u003cp\u003eShell Street Map of San Jose and Vicinity captures the South Bay at a pivotal postwar moment, when motoring defined how people experienced the city. Issued in 1951 by Shell Oil Company—drawing on work originally prepared for the staff of the San Francisco Examiner—this city map balances clarity and color with a traveler’s toolbox of legend, indexed points of interest, traffic regulations, and mileage charts. A polyconic projection keeps streets true to line, while shaded relief gives the valley’s contours a tactile presence. As a city map it is especially notable for the precision with which it renders San Jose’s growing grid and its connective tissue to neighboring towns, inviting exploration from the core business district outward to orchards, canneries, and new residential tracts that were beginning to radiate across the valley.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDowntown San Jose emerges as a coherent, navigable stage set: Santa Clara Street and First Street organize the central grid, with South 1st Street and San Carlos Street fanning traffic toward shops, theaters, and civic buildings. The map orients drivers to the college quarter around San Jose State, the cathedral and civic auditorium, and the Southern Pacific depot just west of the core—critical waypoints in an era when rail and road overlapped. Crossings over the Guadalupe River are shown with turn-by-turn legibility, and nearby neighborhoods like Naglee Park and the historic Rose Garden district are readily approached from arterial spines. As a city plan, it excels in making quick, confident route choices feel effortless, the indexed listings guiding newcomers to the very doorstep of downtown landmarks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNature frames the city here with uncommon grace. The shaded relief models the amphitheater of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range, while rivers—Guadalupe pushing north, Coyote Creek bending through the east, and Los Gatos Creek threading in from the foothills—read as green-blue corridors that help drivers track their bearings. Parks stand out as destinations and navigational anchors: Alum Rock Park to the east promises canyon drives; the Municipal Rose Garden brightens the near-west side; tree-lined streets in Willow Glen and Naglee Park hint at the city’s garden identity. The projection keeps these natural and civic elements proportionate, so a motorist can judge distance at a glance and chart an afternoon that moves seamlessly from downtown errands to creekside shade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRadiating from the core, the road network knits San Jose to its “vicinity” with purpose. Coleman Avenue steers travelers to the Municipal Airport, while Oakland Road and Zanker Road lead toward the bayshore industries and the North Valley. Eastside arterials—Tully Road, Aborn Road, Evergreen Road, Quimby Road, Silver Creek Road—trace the orchard belt and foothill neighborhoods, their sequence clarified by the map’s mileage tables. San Carlos Street links west to highways for Los Gatos and the coast, and Santa Clara Street joins the old El Camino corridor to Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, where names like Murphy Avenue and Lick Mill Boulevard appear in orderly succession. Shell’s safety tips and traffic regulations, printed alongside, fold practical wisdom into the pleasure of the drive, turning wayfinding into an easy, elegant ritual.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShell’s mid-century cartographic program married brand bravura with serious geographic craft, and this edition is a quintessential example: vivid gold-and-red branding, yes, but also disciplined symbol sets, legible type, and a field-based sense of what motorists truly need. Prepared for newspapermen, refined for travelers, it speaks to a confident, mobile America—one poised between the Valley of Heart’s Delight and the dawning tech era. As a city map it is unusually rich: the points-of-interest index steers readers from mission squares to airfields, from downtown civic halls to celebrated attractions in Santa Clara Valley and the peninsula. Today it reads as both guide and time capsule, preserving a street-by-street portrait of San Jose as it organized itself around rivers, neighborhoods, and the open road.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStreets and roads on this map\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAborn Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlmaden Expressway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlossom Hill Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCapital Expressway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCherry Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eColeman Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCurtner Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEvergreen Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirst Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGreat Mall Parkway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLick Mill Boulevard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMurphy Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNarvaez Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth 13th Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOakland Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eQuimby Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSan Carlos Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSanta Clara Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSanta Teresa Boulevard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSilver Creek Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth 1st Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth 10th Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTully Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnion Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWinfield Boulevard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWren Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZanker Road\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotable Features \u0026amp; Landmarks\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLegend for navigation features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMileage and distance charts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoints of interest listed in an indexed format\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShell Oil Company branding evident throughout\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShaded relief for geographical features\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHighway safety tips and traffic regulations indicated\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical and design context\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eName: Shell Street Map of San Jose and Vicinity (1951)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublisher: Shell Oil Company; originally prepared for the staff of the San Francisco Examiner\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDistribution and branding: Given out at Shell gas stations; vibrant gold-and-red Shell logo and design\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRegions shown: San Jose and surrounding areas, including parts of California’s Bay Area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTopics and themes: Navigation and transportation (e.g., mileage charts, traffic regulations); regional landmarks and points of interest\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesign and style: Polyconic projection for clarity and usability; rich colors with shaded relief effects\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical significance: Reflects post-war America’s growing automobile culture and need for road maps; collectible example of mid-20th-century cartography and design practices\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 70in (180cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/fr\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlease 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.\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=\"\/fr\/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=\"\/fr\/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":57855578636672,"sku":"UM00272495A","price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57855578669440,"sku":"UM00272496A","price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":57855578702208,"sku":"UM00272497A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":57855578734976,"sku":"UM00272498A","price":39.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":57855578767744,"sku":"UM00272499A","price":105.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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