
Some background:
In 1993, the Latah County Historic Preservation Commission created a folding map that identified historic sites on one side and had short written descriptions on the backside. This folding map contained extensive details including ghost towns and ridge names.
Client:
- Latah County, Idaho
What the client needed:
The Latah Preservation Commission decided in 2017 to go ahead with the publication of an updated historic sites touring map and distribute the maps to the public.
My role:
This project had a number of issues confronting it. First, I had to get Latah County Geographical Information Systems to produce a map with the level of detail we sought on a large folding map, 24” by 36”. This was tricky and took some time to get the right mixture of features and level of details to match the hand-drawn 1993 map. The final map they produced was excellent.
Second, after the creation of a map that met the extensive requirements, we had to get the actual map production costs down within budget. We found a solution by reducing the number of ink colors for the map.

Use of a two colors on a map: magenta and black
Lastly, I had to use commission members’ narratives, the old map text, and my own content and combine them into short descriptions and one overall narrative.

Extract of short descriptions from the back of the map

Extract of from the long narrative from the back of the map
The formatting and folding of the map created a number of issues I had to resolve in order to create a functional folding map, 24” by 36”. Unlike a document or a book, a folding map has a completely different set of issues that must be addressed.
Client’s feedback:
It is a wonderful production. I am sure you had a massive amount to do with that as it shows your careful attention to detail."
Ed Garretson
Date completed: September 29, 2018
Map:
Official download on the Latah Preservation Commission tab under the “Historic Sites Touring map” see https://latahcountyid.gov/commissions/
Unofficial download here: