Sanborn Map Company

From 1867 to 1950, the Sanborn Map Publishing Company produced detailed urban-area maps for use by fire insurance companies, showing structures and their fire-safety features. In Santa Cruz County, the first Sanborn maps included Santa Cruz (1877) and Watsonville (1886); and later Capitola, Soquel, Ben Lomond, and Boulder Creek. Copies of most of the maps are available at SCPL. Some have been digitized by UCSC, and are available online with a UCSC ID. Some are also digitized and available online from the Library of Congress.