Colorado highway map babes
You've heard some men claim that they read Playboy "just for the articles". Well, I want to go on record as saying that I look at official state highway maps "just for the maps". Honest! But as I was looking through my collection of historic maps from the Colorado Department of Transportation, I have to admit something else caught my eye. As you're probably aware, most state highway maps are more than just maps - they're also marketing tools, designed to attract travelers and their tourist dollars. They'll usually include photos of the state's most scenic attractions. Now, think about that for a moment... what will cause your eyes to linger longer: a pretty nature scene, or a pretty girl? The answer may be debatable, but in 1949 someone with CDoT apparently came up with the brilliant idea, "Why choose? How about a beautiful girl and a scenic backdrop?" Check out this photo:
Fred P. Clatsworthy, c. 1949
Goodness gracious me... wouldn't that have been considered pretty risque back in the '40s? (You can click on any of the photos on this page to view a larger version in a new tab.) And it goes beyond just the imagery. For one thing, the photographer chose Nymph Lake for his location... coincidence? Hmm, maybe. But most people aren't inclined to go swimming in a snow-melt lake situated at 9700 feet above sea-level... certainly not in a bikini. Yet the caption is worded "Inviting Nymph Lake". OK, so what exactly does Nymph Lake invite you to do? I just find it a bit overly-suggestive.
I wonder if this blatant eye-candy might've caused a little uproar. There are a couple reasons I suggest that. For one thing, the Clatsworthy photo that was used on the next issue of the map was much more conservative...
Clatsworthy, c. 1951
...although he may have used the same model. There was one other "girl photo" on that same map...
CDoT, c. 1951
...but that brings me to my second reason: there were no more girls at all on the maps for the next four years. If that was due to a controversy about the appropriateness of such subject matter, then it may have blown over by the time of the 1955 issue. At any rate, that was the year that the "posed girl photo" made a comeback. And it was a big comeback - this one was right on the front panel:
Charles E. Grover, c. 1955
Nice drugstore cowgirl outfit, isn't it? The following year's map included the first of a series of similar photos that printed in seven out of the next eight issues. All of these were taken by Stanley W. Zamonski, and it looks like he may have used the same model for each one:
Zamonski, c. 1956 
Zamonski, c. 1957
Zamonski, c. 1958 
Zamonski, c. 1959
Zamonski, c. 1960 
Zamonski, c. 1961
Zamonski, c. 1963
Notice that three out of those seven photos were featured on the front panel. In my opinion, they range from "borderline cheesy" to "extremely cheesy". But maybe tourists ate up that kind of thing back in the '50s and '60s. Regardless, I do wonder who that "Colorado Highway Map Babe" was... as I write this, I'm guessing she's probably around 80 years old now.