Harry Mathias Gousha, a sales executive for Rand McNally, left that company in 1926 to start his own map company out of Chicago, quickly becoming Rand McNally's chief competitor by offering the Touraide: a spiral-bound book with road maps, points of interest, and accommodations that was custom assembled for individual buyers.

In 1947, the company moved its headquarters to 2001 The Alameda^[1] in San Jose, California. H.M. Gousha Map Company was acquired by the Times Mirror Company in 1961, and then Simon & Schuster in 1987. In Gousha's later years, the company operated out of Comfort TX. Analog maps (large plate, hand etched negatives) and digital maps were produced out of this office. Predominantly, road maps were being produced with a catalog containing the major cities throughout the US. Hundreds, if not thousands, of sources were studied to continually improve and update the cartographic library for veracity of information and viability of sales. Maps could be found in major bookstores, gas stations, and under other companies imprint. ^{[citation needed]} Finally, the company was purchased by Rand McNally in 1996; by then, Viacom had become the parent of Simon & Schuster. Its production facility in Texas was closed and virtually all workers laid off.^[2] The Gousha artwork became part of the Rand McNally archive, and much of the company's archives were turned over to the Newberry Library.^{[citation needed]}

• Collection of Gousha Maps – Chicago Newberry Library