David Rumsey Map Collection
- Gail
- Aug 8
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 13
Stanford University Library, Stanford, California
About the Collection:
In 2016, David Rumsey donated his extensive physical and digital collection of historic maps to Stanford University. Over 200,000 historical maps from the 16th to the 21st centuries are now housed in the David Rumsey Map Center, a space that integrates historical materials with modern digital technologies to aid in exploring them. Their goal is to allow everyone free access to the digitized maps. You can also purchase prints.
As the center continues to add to its holdings, it also works to develop ways to interact and learn from maps using technology. One of their tools is georeferencing, which digitally superimposes historic maps over a location’s modern map to reveal changes. You can also search for words and phrases printed on maps. I used this tool to create the graphic for Heartbeats of Colonia Diaz.
My Opinion:
Discovering the David Rumsey Map Collection was a great blessing. When I first started my research, I couldn’t find a map of northern Chihuahua that met my needs. Modern maps were no help. The names of many towns changed after the Mexican Revolution, and railroads aren’t as important as they once were. Maps in books often are not drawn to scale, or they lack important details. Through the generosity of David Rumsey and his collection, I now have access to several maps of Chihuahua published between 1886 and 1922.
