Rand McNally began making Gulf road maps in 1922 and continued until 1926. In 1927 Gulf turned to H. M. Gousha for its maps. In the days before television and billboards, free road maps were a major means of advertising for the oil companies, and in the mid 1920's others joined Gulf in the free map game. The General Drafting Company and H. M. Gousha also joined Rand McNally in producing oil company road maps. More than one map for each year is shown on this page to further illustrate the beginnings of oil company road maps. Many additional Gulf maps not included here can be seen in the article The Early Gulf Road Maps of Pennsylvania .

	1920 GULF - AUTOMOBILE BLUE BOOK. This map says copyright 1916 by Automobile Blue Book, however the map is updated from the 1919 version, and this is believed to be the 1920 map.
	1921 GULF - AUTOMOBILE BLUE BOOK. This map says copyright 1916 by Automobile Blue Book, however this is believed to be the 1921 map. There are two versions of this map, this one and another with an "Every 1000 Miles..." oil change recommendation on the front cover.
	1922 GULF - RAND MCNALLY. This is the first Gulf map from Rand McNally. The map is titled 'BLAZED TRAILS IN PENNSYLVANIA', and the roads are identified with trail markings. Trail numbers up to 41 are listed on the back, though not all are in Pennsylvania or used on the map. The Map Image is similar to previous A.B.B. maps.
	1923.1 PENNZOIL - RAND MCNALLY. This paper cover, with both sides shown here, has a 1923 Rand McNally District No. 7 map pasted to the back and folded in. The map is printed on both sides and includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, northern Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and southern New York. As the cover shows, Pennzoil was originally headquartered in Oil City.
	1923.2 SEABOARD & INLAND OIL CORP. - RAND MCNALLY. This yellow paper cover has a Rand McNally 1923 District No. 7 map folded inside that is printed on both sides. There is no logo and this company was probably a wholesaler or distributor rather than a retailer.
	1924.1 TYDOL - RAND MCNALLY. This map is titled 'Tydol Trails Thru' Middle Atlantic' and shows Pennsylvania west to about Chambersburg. It includes New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. It is undated but contains a reference to 1924 road construction. Also, it uses only trail markings and so is dated 1924. Tydol was a trademark for the Tidewater Oil Co. which started life as the Tidewater Pipe-Line Company c1880. It built a pipeline from the northwest Pennsylvania oil fields to Williamsport where the oil was transferred by rail to a refinery at Chester, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware. At the turn of the century they were about the only competition to the Standard Oil Trust.
	1924.2 MOBILOIL - RAND MCNALLY. This attractive folder has a Rand McNally Auto Trails map of Pennsylvania on one side and New Jersey on the other. "Metro Stations Inc." was apparently the name Socony used for its gas retailing in the early years while Mobiloil was used for the motor oil.
	1924.3 KENDALL - BUFFALO WAX ENGRAVERS, INC. This map is titled 'General Map of Automobile Routes in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey', issued by Kendall Refining Co., published by Frank B. Hoole, Buffalo, N. Y. The gray paper cover is labeled 'KENCO TOURIST GUIDE'. This map is undated, though earlier than the dated 1925 map below. Routes are not named or numbered. On the inside cover is a list of about 100 different makes of autos and about 40 different makes of tractors, names like Hupmobile, Case, Stutz, etc.The guide lists a "M. 1923" car, so the map is dated 1924 here.
	1924.4 PURE - RAND MCNALLY. This cover was used for several years in the mid-20s. The deep blue was the Pure trademark color.
	1925.1 PURE - RAND MCNALLY. The Pure Oil Company had some of the nicer covers through the 30's. This map is subtitled (Philadelphia), which may indicate another map for this year was issued.
	1925.2 KENDALL - FRANK B. HOOLE, BUFFALO, NY. The map is titled "General Map of Automobile Routes in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey." Routes are not named or numbered. The cover is gray paper and on the inside is a list of about a hundred different makes of autos and tractors similar to that on the circa 1924 map above.
	1925.3 MOBILOIL - RAND MCNALLY. "Auto Trails of Pennsylvania 1925." A 7.5 x 4 inch paper cover with a 1925 Rand McNally auto trails map of Pennsylvania pasted inside. The cover has a Metro gas and Mobiloil logo.
	1926.1 ATLANTIC - GENERAL DRAFTING CO. After their 1916 map, Atlantic apparently issued no maps until about 1925. This map is undated but is believed to be the 1926 map. Road map cartography took a big step forward with General Drafting, see the Map Image .
	1926.2 KENDALL - RAND MCNALLY. This cover has an attached Rand McNally Junior Road Map with New York on one side and Pennsylvania on the other. The map shows both old state and modern US route numbers.
	1926.3 PURE OIL - RAND MCNALLY. The front cover is the same as the 1925 map but the back is different. The "Pittsburgh" marking indicates it has a Pittsburgh city map and there was also a "Philadelphia" version.
	1926.4 TYDOL - O. M. WELLS, compiled by O. M. Wells, copyrighted 1926 Conwell Graphic Companies. For some reason Tydol used this small map printer for the 1926 map. The map includes New Jersey and Delaware on the verso and uses old state route numbers. The printer's logo is shown in the middle of this north central Pennsylvania Map Image .
	1926.5 MOBILOIL - RAND MCNALLY. Although both states are named on the cover, this is mainly a large 34 x 28 inch Rand McNally "Auto Trails Map" of New York. On the verso is a smaller "junior" road map of Pennsylvania; and also some small maps of New York cities. It is possible separate road maps were issued for both Pennsylvania and New York in 1926.
	1927.1 GULF - H. M. GOUSHA, Titled 'Map No. 4 Automobile Roads in Pennsylvania', this map is coded 'A' which makes it the first Gousha road map of the state. Apparently Gousha underbid Rand McNally in 1927 in order to get their business going. Roads are marked with both 'old' state and modern US route numbers.The Gousha Map Image can be compared to the other designs. Both Gousha and Rand McNally used a coding system with the year code printed on the bottom margin of the map. This code allows dating of many road maps that are otherwise undated. These codes can be found at the Road Map Collectors Association website. Gulf used various versions of the 'car racing up a hill' motif on its covers up to 1930.
	1927.2 KENDALL - RAND MCNALLY. This map is undated, but uses both old state and modern US route numbers. Also, the graphics indicate a 1927 map. The Bradford refinery figured prominently on early Kendall maps. In 2007 it reached a 125th anniversary and is the oldest continuously operating refinery in the United States; now under different ownership, of course.
	1927.3 TYDOL - RAND MCNALLY. The map includes New Jersey and northern Maryland and Delaware with a map of the northeast on the verso. It is undated but has text with the 1927 date; also it uses both old state and modern US route numbers.
	1927.4 ATLANTIC - GENERAL DRAFTING CO. The map includes Delaware.
	1927.5 MOBILOIL – RAND MCNALLY. There is a 1927 Auto Trails map of New York on one side and smaller 'Junior' road maps of Pennsylvania and New England on the other. There is also a very small map of Delaware.
	1928.1 NATIONAL UNITED - H. M. GOUSHA, titled 'Auto Road Map Pennsylvania with Directory of National United Service Stations', copyright 1928 N.U.S. This map has code 'B', the second Gousha map of Pennsylvania, and is from the Indiana Tire & Battery Service, Indiana, Pa. N.U.S. was an association of independent dealers headquartered in Johnstown, who organized for advertising and bulk buying purposes. Through the wear and tear, the cover shows five forms of motorized transportation.
	1928.2 KENDALL - H. M. GOUSHA. The map is coded "B" for the second Gousha map. Half the map shows Pennsylvania and the other half shows New York. Here is the western Pennsylvania Map Image .
	1928.3 PURE OIL - RAND MCNALLY. This is a Pittsburgh version which indicates there was also a Philadelphia version.
	1928.4 TYDOL - RAND MCNALLY. This map is undated but appears to be the 1928 map by comparison with the 1927 and 1929 maps. The verso has a map of the northeast. This copy is rather dirty.
	1928.5 AMOCO - RAND MCNALLY. The Pennsylvania map covers only half of the sheet, the verso has a full sheet map of the northeast.
	1928.6 ATLANTIC - GENERAL DRAFTING CO. This map is undated but uses modern route numbers and, by comparison, is the 1928 map.
	1928.7 ESSO - GENERAL DRAFTING. As the title says, this map covers the middle Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Carolinas. A 1928 map from Esso specifically for Pennsylvania has not been seen, although one for New Jersey was seen.
	1928.8 MOBILOIL - RAND MCNALLY. Besides Pennsylvania, this map includes New York and New England. Socony apparently used the name Metro for its gas and Mobil for its oil.
	1929.1 ESSO - GENERAL DRAFTING CO. The map says Standard Oil of Pennsylvania, the Esso name appears on a sign and gas pump on the back cover . The Esso name appeared around 1928 and this may be the first appearance on a Pennsylvania map. Esso maps through 1942 are also labeled Standard Oil of Pennsylvania on the front cover. A 1929 map with this same cover was issued for the Middle Atlantic States.
	1929.2 KENDALL - H. M. GOUSHA. This map includes New York.
	1929.3 PURE OIL - RAND MCNALLY. This is a very attractive Art Deco type cover. Both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia maps are included, so only this one version was published.
	1929.4 TYDOL - RAND MCNALLY. This map also includes New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio as part of a relief map on the verso showing air routes. It is dated from the Rand McNally date code "K" and it also looks later than the 1928 map above.
	1929.5 AMOCO - RAND MCNALLY. These early Amoco maps had attractive and colorful covers.
	1929.6 ATLANTIC - RAND MCNALLY. The map includes New Jersey and Delaware.
	1929.7 TEXACO - RAND MCNALLY. This same cover was used on both the 1929 and 1930 maps.
	1929.8 REFINERS - RAND MCNALLY. This map includes only western Pennsylvania and is a regional map, which is the only type Refiners apparently issued. It is undated but has the Rand McNally "K" code for 1929. There is a map of the northeast on the verso. There is also an amusing lubrication chart on the inside , amusing because most of the cars and trucks listed are not made anymore.
	1929.9 FREEDOM - MOUNTCASTLE MAP CO. This map is undated but has modern route numbers and the 1930 map was by Rand McNally; so, this is believed to be the 1929 map. It contains two 12 x 19 inch maps of Pennsylvania and Ohio, plus a map of Pittsburgh and the northeast with the locations of Freedom stations. Here is the Map Image .
	1929.10 STERLING - CLASON. This 4.75 x 3 inch paper cover has a Clason map pasted inside with the title CLASON'S ROAD MAP OF PENNSYLVANIA. There are Clason maps like this ( Map Image ) advertising banks and insurance companies, etc.; but few that advertise oil companies. Sterling was later bought out by Quaker Oil.
	1929.11 SUNOCO - RAND MCNALLY. This map has a northeast map on the verso plus separate maps of Ohio and Michigan.