FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-033
By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)
LOVELAND, OH (March 2, 2026) – This issue of Fun with Maps takes us on the road – See the USA by traveling on the highway.
Name the Highway
Benz and his contemporaries change travel. The introduction of internal combustion engines in the late 1890’s gave way to the need for those cars to travel a road on.
In the US, as elsewhere chaos followed on identifying roads.
On March 2, 1925 US highway numbers were introduced to help give some clarity.
They used a grid system, with the starting point in Maine and ending near San Diago, California. Odds run north to south and even from east to west.
When President Eisenhower introduced the freeway system, modeled after the German Autobahn, numbering reversed for the freeways.
This map from 1934 of the US shows the Greyhound bus company’s routes, mostly through the US highway system.
US Greyhound routes map – Circa 1934 (Credit Steve Kovacs)
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.
