Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps get their name from surveyor Daniel Alfred (D.A.) Sanborn, who founded the Sanborn Map Company in 1867. After the Civil War, there was an increased demand for the fire insurance mapping because of huge population growths and urbanization resulting from factors such as railroad construction, the Second Industrial Revolution, the Homestead Act, and immigration to the U.S. The company’s system of standardized mapping quickly led Sanborn to becoming the largest map company in America. 

Sanborn maps primarily focused on business districts, although occasionally residential areas were mapped. Uniform and detailed information about each building was required for an accurate risk assessment. The maps detail the function of each building, its dimensions, and building composition. Sanborn maps also included business names, street names, railroads, property boundaries, and locations of fire hydrants. Because of the detail in the maps, they are an excellent resource for genealogists, historians, researchers, architects, historic preservationists, and demographers. Sanborn maps of St. Ignace dating from 1884 to 1907 are available on the Library of Congress website.