Maps as storytellers |
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(1) Saratoga Springs City Council & Skidmore students "look to the future" (1949). Courtesy, Bolster Collection, SSHM.
What are maps for?
The citizens of Saratoga Springs, N.Y, might think of making a map to influence policy (Figure 1) or consulting one to plan a trip (Figure 2) or to decorate or educate in homes, schools and libraries (Figure 3). But maps also reveal a lot about the communities that made them--their ideas and values, their way of seeing the world, their hopes and dreams. In other words, maps tell stories.
The citizens of Saratoga Springs, N.Y, might think of making a map to influence policy (Figure 1) or consulting one to plan a trip (Figure 2) or to decorate or educate in homes, schools and libraries (Figure 3). But maps also reveal a lot about the communities that made them--their ideas and values, their way of seeing the world, their hopes and dreams. In other words, maps tell stories.
(2) Dreaming of the open road. Courtesy, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Saratoga Room.
Accessible by Native American trails as early as the 17th century, Saratoga
Springs began to find its way onto many kinds of maps--official surveys,
city plans, tourist guides, and real estate brochures --From its settlement by Europeans in the late eighteenth century, after European settlement began a century later.
Small-scale and large scale, businesslike or humorous, black & white or color, these historical maps provide details or data about the city's past.
Maps takes us through Saratoga Springs' history from its origins as a crossroads between Canada, New York and New England and a draw for the healing power of its mineral waters to its present day interest as a lively spot for meetings, nightlife, and recreation.
Small-scale and large scale, businesslike or humorous, black & white or color, these historical maps provide details or data about the city's past.
Maps takes us through Saratoga Springs' history from its origins as a crossroads between Canada, New York and New England and a draw for the healing power of its mineral waters to its present day interest as a lively spot for meetings, nightlife, and recreation.
(3) The 1888 pictorial Burleigh map doesn't distract this library patron from his research. Courtesy, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Saratoga Room.
What stories?
Maps chart the tale of Saratoga Springs' establishment as a separate district within the town of Saratoga in 1819, its erection as an independent village in 1826 and receipt of a city charter from New York State in 1915.
But they also reveal what mattered to visitors and residents. Did they capture collaborations or disputes among residents and officials over everything from roads to taxes?
Read on to find Saratoga Springs history in maps told chronologically and thematically. A 14-map timeline tells the story of change over time with significant maps.
Then a pause in 1915, the year the city got its charter, orients you to the big picture and the city's inner andouter tax districts. Finally, maps of Saratoga Springs' urban development, civic life, transportation networks and appeal to visitors bring the "Queen of Spas and King of Resorts" to life. Together, these maps tell the story of the city's growth and development from the early years, through its heyday as a playground of the rich and (sometimes) famous in the nineteenth century, and its retrenchment and redevelopment in the twentieth century
Maps chart the tale of Saratoga Springs' establishment as a separate district within the town of Saratoga in 1819, its erection as an independent village in 1826 and receipt of a city charter from New York State in 1915.
But they also reveal what mattered to visitors and residents. Did they capture collaborations or disputes among residents and officials over everything from roads to taxes?
Read on to find Saratoga Springs history in maps told chronologically and thematically. A 14-map timeline tells the story of change over time with significant maps.
Then a pause in 1915, the year the city got its charter, orients you to the big picture and the city's inner andouter tax districts. Finally, maps of Saratoga Springs' urban development, civic life, transportation networks and appeal to visitors bring the "Queen of Spas and King of Resorts" to life. Together, these maps tell the story of the city's growth and development from the early years, through its heyday as a playground of the rich and (sometimes) famous in the nineteenth century, and its retrenchment and redevelopment in the twentieth century
