Map Collections

Over 5,000 historic maps are included in the OHS Research Divison's archives. Map collections include materials dating from the 1700s to the present, depicting a variety of locations. Much of the map collection highlights Indian & Oklahoma Territories, the state of Oklahoma, and surrounding areas.

The John William Kirschner Collection

This collection contains 1,021 fire insurance rating booklets covering 731 Oklahoma towns from 1896 to 1958. These materials were published by the Oklahoma Inspection Bureau for the purpose of setting fire insurance rates within the state.

The booklets include lot and block numbers, street numbers or corresponding map numbers, building owners and occupations, building height in stories, type of construction materials, insurance rating, and changes to the structure. Additional information includes town population, type of town fire protection, schools, churches, public buildings, and other information relating to fire rating. Also included are 14 booklets from 1900-1935 containing overviews of territorial/state fire protection in Oklahoma.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Created to indicate the fire risk associated with a specific structure, these color coded maps show the size of the building, as well as the building materials used. Sanborn maps focus on business, rather than residential structures. This collection includes over three thousand maps for over 400 Oklahoma communities in the 1920/1930s.

Clarkson Fire Insurance Maps

Similar to the Sanborn maps, these manuscript maps document various locations in the early 1900s.

1930s County Maps

Created in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration to determine land ownership by county, these maps are arranged by Township, Range and Section and include the name of the land owner.

Plat Maps

These maps are arranged by county and indicate township, section and range. The OHS collection includes plat maps for each of Oklahoma's 77 counties.

Road Maps

Many road maps are available for a numerous locations.

For more information about maps contact:
Connie Shoemaker
405.522.4025

Sample Maps

Click on the links below to view the entire map. (Maps will open in a new window.)

1927 Highway Map

1935 Highway Map

Hand-drawn Map of Sand Creek

American Indian Lands

Northwest Oklahoma/Indian Territory

Northwest Oklahoma

Early Indian Settlement in Oklahoma