FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-172

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (September 12, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we celebrate a much-loved television character – the dog that stole America’s heart.        

TIMMY’S IN THE WELL

The beloved TV series, Lassie, is celebrating its 70th anniversary.  It premiered on September 12, 1954, and quickly became a staple of CBS’ Sunday primetime lineup.

The series ran for 19 seasons, making it the 8th longest running show in television history.  In all, there were 591 episodes.

Originally Lassie belonged to the Miller family and worked on their farm, but in season 4 Lassie was adopted by the Martin family, and the next 10 years saw the collie and young Timmy Martin have great adventures on their farm.  These are probably the shows most people remember since Timmy was constantly getting trapped somewhere and needing Lassie to get people to rescue him.  When the family moved away, Lassie went to work for the US Forest Service and her new home with Ranger Stuart before setting out on her own travels.

Six different dogs played Lassie over the years, one actually named Lassie Junior.  Since the series officially ended in 1973, Lassie continues to pop up on new adventures, sometimes in animation and sometimes in “person”.

The collie breed originates from Scotland and thus we share Teesdale’s map of Scotland from 1831.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.