Had to pick between a 1790s fake California Island map and a 1920s land survey with a dragon drawn in the margin

I was at a estate sale in Portland last Saturday and found two maps that both had that weird vibe. One was a clear knock off of the California Island maps from the 1700s but printed way later, probably 1960s. The other was a 1923 survey of some Oregon logging claim where someone had sketched a dragon breathing fire over the river bend. I went with the dragon map because it was only $8 and the handwriting on the back said "beware the bend." Got it home and realized the dragon is actually covering up a erased subdivision plan that would've flooded a neighbor's land. Anyone else find maps that look like somebody was hiding something with doodles?

2 comments

2 Comments

evannelson25d ago

That dragon map sounds wild, I gotta say I'm kinda jealous. I found a 1950s county road map once at a thrift store in Eugene where someone had drawn little devils all along the plotted route of a new highway. It turned out the highway was never built because the guy who owned the land was a total recluse and they couldn't get him to sell. Idk if the devils were his way of marking "no trespassing" or just him venting, but it definitely felt like a secret message. Glad you grabbed the dragon one, that backstory is way too specific to be random.

kim.emma25d ago

Used to think people were just doodling for fun on old maps, but that dragon story totally shifted my perspective on it. Definitely seems like a lot of map doodles were intentional cover-ups now.