1940s Maps of San Benito County, California

Explore 19 historic maps of San Benito County from the 1940s. These maps offer a rare glimpse into what life looked like during the 1940s — showing old roads, neighborhoods, homes, and landmarks that have changed or disappeared over time.

Whether you're researching your family's past, planning a metal detecting trip, or studying how San Benito County's landscape evolved across the 1940s, these high-resolution maps are a powerful tool for exploring the history of this region.

  • Focus on a specific era: All maps on this page are from the 1940s, giving you a focused view of this time period.
  • See what’s changed: Compare century-old streets, trails, and buildings to today's modern landscape using overlays and satellite layers.
  • Research with precision: Use these maps for genealogy, historical research, land use analysis, or educational projects.
  • View, download, or print: Maps are fully viewable online in high resolution, and can be downloaded or printed for your own records.

Start exploring San Benito County's history through authentic maps from the 1940s. This is your window into the past.


San Benito County, CA maps

(19)
  1. 1940 Map of San Juan Bautista
    1940 Map of San Juan Bautista
    1940 San Juan Bautista
    1940 Print · USGS
    Central California coastal and valley life at the start of the 1940s is captured here, where four counties meet. Genealogy researchers can trace family-named sites like Patrick Breen, old rural institutions like the St Francis Orphan Asylum, and the early Sargent Oil Fields.

  2. 1940 Map of Metz
    1940 Map of Metz
    1940 Metz
    1940 Print · USGS
    The Salinas River valley and the Gabilan Range come into sharp focus just before the war, showing the area's transition into a major agricultural corridor. Genealogists and historians can locate specific family landmarks like Schmidt Ranch, the Metz School, and early layouts of Greenfield.

  3. 1940 Map of Hollister
    1940 Map of Hollister
    1940 Hollister
    1940 Print · USGS
    San Benito County is shown just before the war as a landscape of productive ranches and emerging civic infrastructure. Genealogists and local historians can trace rural school districts like Anasymas School and the Southern Pacific rail line through Tres Pinos.
    2 unique versions available

  4. 1940 Map of Quien Sabe
    1940 Map of Quien Sabe
    1940 Quien Sabe
    1940 Print · USGS
    The San Benito and Merced county lines meet in this 1940 survey of the Diablo Range highlands and interior ranch lands. Researchers can trace the early property lines of the Real de las Aguilas, find the Stayton Mine, and locate the old Quien Sabe School.
    2 unique versions available

  5. 1940 Map of Soledad
    1940 Map of Soledad
    1940 Soledad
    1940 Print · USGS
    The Salinas Valley of the 1940s is shown here as a landscape of historic ranchos and rising agricultural industry. Genealogists and researchers can locate Mission Soledad (Ruins), the Camphora School, and family landmarks like the Olson Ranch.

  6. 1940 Map of San Benito
    1940 Map of San Benito
    1940 San Benito
    1940 Print · USGS
    The San Benito River valley in the early 1940s was a landscape of remote ranching and rural education. Genealogists can locate family-named outposts like Elkhorn Ranch and several country schools, including Cottonwood School and Emmett School.
    2 unique versions available

  7. 1940 Map of Gonzales, 1947 Print
    1940 Map of Gonzales, 1947 Print
    1940 Gonzales
    1947 Print · USGS
    Monterey and San Benito counties meet in the high Gabilan Range during the pre-war era of ranching and early highway travel. Genealogy researchers can find the Paicines Ranch, tracing old schoolhouses like Paicines School and the rails of the Southern Pacific.

  8. 1941 Map of Priest Valley
    1941 Map of Priest Valley
    1941 Priest Valley
    1941 Print · USGS
    The high ridges and deep canyons of Monterey County are captured here just before the mid-century, documenting remote ranching outposts and early industrial sites. Genealogists and historians can trace old landmarks like the Stone Canyon Mine, the Priest Valley Sch, and the settlement at San Lorenzo (Randall).

  9. 1941 Map of Gonzales
    1941 Map of Gonzales
    1941 Gonzales
    1941 Print · USGS
    The Salinas Valley meets the Gabilan Range in this early 1940s tactical survey of Monterey and San Benito Counties. Genealogists can locate rural landmarks like Paicines Ranch, Willow Grove School, and the Southern Pacific stop at Dean.

  10. 1941 Map of San Ardo
    1941 Map of San Ardo
    1941 San Ardo
    1941 Print · USGS
    The Salinas River valley in the early 1940s was a landscape defined by the Southern Pacific rail line and ranching outposts. Genealogists and local historians can trace the rural infrastructure of Monterey County through the San Ardo townsite, the Lewis Creek Sch, and family landmarks like Casey Gulch.
    2 unique versions available

  11. 1943 Map of New Idria
    1943 Map of New Idria
    1943 New Idria
    1943 Print · USGS
    San Benito and Fresno counties were centers of intensive mercury mining in the early 1940s. Genealogists and industrial historians can trace early claims like the Spanish Mine and Florence Mack Mine or locate the remote New Idria Idria PO.
    2 unique versions available

  12. 1943 Map of Ortigalita Peak
    1943 Map of Ortigalita Peak
    1943 Ortigalita Peak
    1943 Print · USGS
    The Merced and San Benito county line was a landscape of remote cattle ranches and early Central Valley irrigation works during the 1940s. Genealogists and local historians can trace family-named sites like Langan Ranch, Hamburg Ranch Sch, and the Oil Pumping Sta.
    2 unique versions available

  13. 1943 Map of San Ardo
    1943 Map of San Ardo
    1943 San Ardo
    1943 Print · USGS
    The Salinas River valley comes alive in this wartime survey, showing the vital rail and road links through Monterey County. Trace the early routes of San Ardo and Docas or locate family landmarks like the Lewis Creek Sch and Pancho Rico Creek.
    2 unique versions available

  14. 1943 Map of Hernandez Valley, 1948 Print
    1943 Map of Hernandez Valley, 1948 Print
    1943 Hernandez Valley
    1948 Print · USGS
    The coastal ranges of Central California appear here in the early 1940s, mapping a landscape of isolated cattle ranches and remote canyons. Researchers can trace family sites like Garcia Ranch, the Bitterwater Tully Sch, and the Fire Flex Mine.

  15. 1944 Map of Hernandez Valley
    1944 Map of Hernandez Valley
    1944 Hernandez Valley
    1944 Print · USGS
    The remote ranching country of San Benito and Monterey counties is captured here just before the mid-forties. Genealogists and historians can trace family locations like Low Smith Ranch, find rural schools such as Hernandez Sch, and locate the Fire Flex Mine.
    2 unique versions available

  16. 1944 Map of Panoche Valley
    1944 Map of Panoche Valley
    1944 Panoche Valley
    1944 Print · USGS
    Panoche Valley and the high ridges of the Diablo Range are captured here during the 1940s, showcasing the region's rural ranching and mining history. Genealogists and historians can locate old landmarks like Panoche Sch, Llanada, and the Le Grant Mine nestled among the hills.
    2 unique versions available

  17. 1944 Map of Priest Valley
    1944 Map of Priest Valley
    1944 Priest Valley
    1944 Print · USGS
    The central Coast Ranges come alive in the 1940s, showing the intersection of Monterey, San Benito, and Fresno counties. Genealogists and local historians can trace rural school locations like Priest Valley Sch and industry at the Stone Canyon Mine.
    2 unique versions available

  18. 1947 Map of Metz
    1947 Map of Metz
    1947 Metz
    1947 Print · USGS
    The Salinas Valley and the Gabilan Range come to life in this post-war survey of Monterey County. Genealogists and local historians can trace the early footprints of the Metz School and family operations like Coburn Ranch and Mathews Ranch.
    2 unique versions available

  19. 1948 Map of Santa Cruz
    1948 Map of Santa Cruz
    1948 Santa Cruz
    1948 Print · USGS
    The Central Coast and San Joaquin Valley meet in this mid-century look at the region's agricultural and military geography. Genealogists and historians can trace the paths of El Camino Real, locate family farms near Hollister, or study the footprint of the Fort Ord Military Reservation.
    2 unique versions available

End of results
Showing maps 1-19 of 19

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