Historic Map Collections

Special Collections and University Archives contains several significant map collections, notably the Antiquarian Map collection [xml-encoded guide] [html-encoded guide] and the Dr. Oscar I. Norwich Collection of the Maps of Africa and its Islands [xml-encoded guide ] [html-encoded guide].

The maps relating to Africa from the Antiquarian Maps Collection as well as the maps that were acquired as part of the Norwich Collection of Maps of Africa and Its Islands have all been digitized and can be viewed online through the Humanities Digital Information Services' Luna Insight service. To use this resource, you must first install the free browser software from the site.

The University Archives also contains several important collections of maps documenting the history of Stanford University, including the Stanford University Archives Map Collection (SUA Map) [xml-encoded guide] [html-encoded guide].

In addition to these larger map collections, there are also numerous collections in the Manuscripts Division which are particularly rich in cartographic resources, such as the Southern Pacific Railroad Records (M1010) [xml-encoded guide] [html-encoded guide] and the Southern Pacific Drawings and Maps (Mss Prints 0007) [xml-encoded guide] [html-encoded guide], both of which contain numerous maps of the lands owned and operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad and its subsidiaries throughout the Western United States and parts of Northern Mexico.