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1944 Map of JPL
HC 3-1294

On October 31, JPL celebrated its 76^th anniversary.  It began with a few individuals working on the Caltech campus and testing rocket motors in the Arroyo Seco.  By the time this 1944 map of “The Project” was created, JPL was supported by Army Air Corps contracts and the site included more than 50 offices, labs, and test facilities.

The JPL Archives has a collection of maps available online, including a 1940 sketch made by Frank Malina and maps once found in JPL hard copy telephone books.  If you would like to learn more about the early JPL site and buildings, search the JPL Archives online catalog for the word “facilities” and find reports from JPL to the Army and NASA that include photos and descriptions of each building.  (The maps and most online documents are JPL internal only.  Log in with your JPL user name and password.)

For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival and other sources: History Collection documents  3-1294 and 3-29; and the Archives map collection.]