A cycling map of southern Vancouver Island first published in 1897 was unveiled in digitized form this week in an effort to inspire cyclists during Bike to Work Week.
"This was wonderful timing for us," said Susan Henderson of the University of Victoria, which recently bought the map from an antiquarian bookseller. "It really points out that 100 years ago, cycling was still taken quite seriously."
The map was likely used as a guidebook for tourists. In addition to bike trails stretching through Esquimalt, Highlands, Victoria, Oak Bay and Saanich, the map includes stops of note and makes specific mention of hills in the area.
A pocket road map of this vintage is a rarity, according to library staff, and has drawn impressive views since being posted online, according to Cheryl DeWolfe, an assistant in the digitization division of the university's McPherson Library.
"As maps go, it's a really different perspective. Anything of local interest gets people excited, but the cycling aspect gets people thinking."
To view the map online, visit:contentdm.library.uvic.ca:8000/u?/veh,1575.
