If you’re doing a little history digging, you might find the Sanborn Maps a great resource. The maps – known officially as the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – were designed to help insurance companies assess liability for buildings in towns and cities across America. Detail on the maps includes the type of material used in construction of a building (say, brick or masonry), as well as information about street and street numbers.
We have some of the physical maps in the Library, but they only cover changes made in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Our patrons can now find Twin Falls maps from 1907, 1909, 1911, and even 1922 through our new database. The map on this page shows the Library and its environs between 1939 and 1949.
Through our subscription, the database can only be accessed inside the Library (using our computers or our wifi). The next time you’re digging into family, house, or even local history, this database will be rather useful – and fun to look through.
The Reference Desk at TFPL 