Map and Street Directory of Sioux City

Description

This promotional city map and street directory for Sioux City in Iowa was originally published to gain an accessible overview of the expanding city. The map was issued in 1935 by the Bekins Moving & Storage Company, which had both a department store and a large warehouse in town. These locations have been highlighted with thick black arrows and an enlarged bold font on the map itself, and the buildings are also shown as vignettes separating the map and the street directory below it. Including actual depictions of the buildings was part of a branding strategy, but it undoubtedly facilitated easy identification of the business for locals and visitors.

The map shows the city’s large street grid in considerable detail, as well as other associated urban features like parks, fairgrounds, and the new campus for Briar Cliff College. Below the map is a substantial street index that identifies important institutions in town and provides a comprehensive list of street names and their associated map coordinates.

Hand watercolor delineates the urban areas in orange, recreational areas in green, and the Missouri and Sioux Rivers in a bright blue. Sioux City is situated at the navigational head of the Missouri River.