Old Maps of Santa Clara County, California for Metal Detecting

Plan your next treasure hunt with 265 historic maps of Santa Clara County. Find old homesites, ghost towns, trails, and gathering spots that may be lost to time — perfect for identifying promising metal detecting locations.

  • Locate forgotten sites: Uncover places like long-lost settlements, abandoned rail lines, or gathering spots.
  • Plan better hunts: Use map overlays combined with LiDAR or satellite views to narrow in on historically rich areas.
  • Made for detectorists: Thousands of hobbyists use these maps to discover relics, coins, and hidden history.

Use these historic maps to boost your research and find new opportunities beneath the surface of Santa Clara County.


Santa Clara County, CA maps

(265)
  1. 1889 Map of San Jose, 1939 Print
    1889 Map of San Jose, 1939 Print
    1889 San Jose
    1939 Print · USGS
    Santa Clara County during the late nineteenth century was a mosaic of historic ranchos and developing rail lines. Genealogists can trace family footprints through early settlements like Milpitas, Berryessa, and the grounds of the Santa Clara Co. Alms House.
    2 unique versions available

  2. 1897 Map of San Jose
    1897 Map of San Jose
    1897 San Jose
    1897 Print · USGS
    The Santa Clara Valley at the close of the nineteenth century is captured here as a landscape of vast ranchos and emerging rail towns. Genealogists can trace family lands across the Enright Tract or locate ancestors at the County Infirmary, Agnew, and Willow Glen.

  3. 1897 Map of Mt. Hamilton
    1897 Map of Mt. Hamilton
    1897 Mt. Hamilton
    1897 Print · USGS
    The peaks and ridges of the Diablo Range are documented here in the mid-1890s, centered on the newly established Lick Observatory. Local historians can trace the early road up Mt Hamilton past the lone Hotel and remote outposts like Mowry Camp.
    6 unique versions available

  4. 1897 Map of Palo Alto
    1897 Map of Palo Alto
    1897 Palo Alto
    1897 Print · USGS
    The San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley emerge in the late nineteenth century as academic and rail hubs. Trace the early footprints of Stanford University, the primary line of the Southern Pacific RR, and the transition of old ranchos like La Purisima Concepcion.

  5. 1899 Map of San Jose
    1899 Map of San Jose
    1899 San Jose
    1899 Print · USGS
    The Santa Clara Valley at the end of the century reveals a landscape of ranchos and growing rail hubs. Genealogists can trace family names and institutions from San Jose to the Santa Clara Co. Alms House and Agnew asylum.
    6 unique versions available

  6. 1899 Map of Palo Alto
    1899 Map of Palo Alto
    1899 Palo Alto
    1899 Print · USGS
    The San Francisco Peninsula was entering a period of rapid development in the 1890s as railroad towns began to flourish around the new Stanford University campus. You can trace early property lines across Pastoria de las Borregas or locate nineteenth-century landings like Cooley Landing and Jagel Landing.
    11 unique versions available

  7. 1902 Map of Santa Cruz
    1902 Map of Santa Cruz
    1902 Santa Cruz
    1902 Print · USGS
    Coastal California at the end of the Victorian era reveals a landscape of redwood forests, early university towns, and remote Pacific outposts. Genealogists and historians can trace the early rail corridors through Boulder Creek and Felton or locate coastal landmarks like Pigeon Point and Halfmoon Bay.
    9 unique versions available

  8. 1915 Map of San Juan Bautista
    1915 Map of San Juan Bautista
    1915 San Juan Bautista
    1915 Print · USGS
    Central Coast agriculture and railroad expansion converge in this 1910s study of the Pajaro Valley. Local historians can trace the Southern Pacific line past Watsonville Junction to the Mission San Juan Bautista.

  9. 1916 Map of New Almaden
    1916 Map of New Almaden
    1916 New Almaden
    1916 Print · USGS
    The Santa Cruz Mountains and the Guadalupe River watershed are captured here during the mid-1910s. Researchers can trace the rail-to-mine connections of New Almaden or locate early schools like Vinehill School and the (Abandoned Town) near Almaden Canyon.

  10. 1917 Map of Morgan Hill
    1917 Map of Morgan Hill
    1917 Morgan Hill
    1917 Print · USGS
    Santa Clara County during the early twentieth century is captured here as a valley of orchards and growing rail towns. Genealogists can locate specific family sites like Bradleys Store or trace rural attendance at Machado School and Uvas School.
    5 unique versions available

  11. 1917 Map of San Juan Bautista
    1917 Map of San Juan Bautista
    1917 San Juan Bautista
    1917 Print · USGS
    The fertile valleys of the Central Coast meet at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains during this era of agricultural expansion. Genealogists can trace family names across huge land grants and locate historic sites like Mission San Juan Bautista and the St Francis Orphan Asylum.
    6 unique versions available

  12. 1919 Map of Hollister
    1919 Map of Hollister
    1919 Hollister
    1919 Print · USGS
    The Santa Clara and San Benito county line area in the late nineteen-teens shows a landscape of expansive ranches and rural school districts. Genealogists can trace early homesteads and family names at Pacheco Ranch, San Justo School, and Dunneville.

  13. 1919 Map of New Almaden, 1928 Print
    1919 Map of New Almaden, 1928 Print
    1919 New Almaden
    1928 Print · USGS
    The Santa Cruz Mountains and the mercury mining district at New Almaden are shown here as they appeared just after the first world war. Researchers can trace the Southern Pacific rail line and locate numerous rural schoolhouses like Summit School and Eureka School.
    4 unique versions available

  14. 1920 Map of Pacheco Pass
    1920 Map of Pacheco Pass
    1920 Pacheco Pass
    1920 Print · USGS
    The Pacheco Pass gateway and the eastern Diablo Range are captured here during the early twentieth century. Researchers can trace historic local life through sites like the Bald Eagle Mine, San Luis Ranch, and Cottonwood School.
    4 unique versions available

  15. 1921 Map of Gilroy Hot Springs
    1921 Map of Gilroy Hot Springs
    1921 Gilroy Hot Springs
    1921 Print · USGS
    The Diablo Range east of Gilroy reveals a landscape of massive land grants and remote ranching outposts in the early twentieth century. Genealogists and historians can trace family holdings like the Robeson Ranch or locate the historic Bells Station near Pacheco Pass.
    4 unique versions available

  16. 1921 Map of Hollister
    1921 Map of Hollister
    1921 Hollister
    1921 Print · USGS
    The San Benito and San Justo valleys come alive in this post-World War I era survey of the Hollister region. Researchers can trace family estates and early landmarks like the County Hospital, Barco Ranch, and the Southern Pacific rail line.
    4 unique versions available

  17. 1922 Map of Quien Sabe
    1922 Map of Quien Sabe
    1922 Quien Sabe
    1922 Print · USGS
    The Diablo Range transitions from rugged peaks to vast historic land grants in the early twentieth century. Researchers can trace remote ranching sites like Buena Vista Ranch, the high-altitude Stayton Mine, and the local Quien Sabe School.
    4 unique versions available

  18. 1923 Map of Hollister, 1955 Print
    1923 Map of Hollister, 1955 Print
    1923 Hollister
    1955 Print · USGS
    Hollister and the surrounding San Benito valley are captured here in the early 1920s as the rail and agricultural networks were fully established. Genealogists can locate family holdings like Indart Ranch and numerous rural landmarks such as Enterprise School and the COUNTY HOSPITAL.

  19. 1938 Map of Mt. Boardman, 1957 Print
    1938 Map of Mt. Boardman, 1957 Print
    1938 Mt. Boardman
    1957 Print · USGS
    The Diablo Range backcountry in the late 1930s is revealed here as a landscape of isolated ranching and mining. Researchers can locate family landmarks like Gerber Ranch or trace the early development of the Western Mine and Shanti Ashrama.
    3 unique versions available

  20. 1939 Map of Morgan Hill, 1957 Print
    1939 Map of Morgan Hill, 1957 Print
    1939 Morgan Hill
    1957 Print · USGS
    Santa Clara County at the end of the 1930s shows a valley of orchards and ranchlands along the Southern Pacific line. Researchers can trace early school districts at Burnett School and Llagas School, or find vanished community hubs like Bradley Store and the original Old Gilroy.
    2 unique versions available

  21. 1939 Map of Gilroy Hot Springs, 1958 Print
    1939 Map of Gilroy Hot Springs, 1958 Print
    1939 Gilroy Hot Springs
    1958 Print · USGS
    The Diablo Range in the late thirties was a rugged landscape of high peaks and isolated ranching outposts. Local historians can trace early thoroughfares like Pacheco Pass Road and find family-named landmarks including Robeson Ranch and Gilroy Hot Springs.

  22. 1939 Map of San Juan Bautista, 1958 Print
    1939 Map of San Juan Bautista, 1958 Print
    1939 San Juan Bautista
    1958 Print · USGS
    The Central Coast landscape at the dawn of World War II is documented here, showing the intersection of Spanish-era ranchos and the Southern Pacific rail line. Researchers can trace the grounds of Mission San Juan Bautista, identify the Sargent Oil Field, and locate numerous rural schoolhouses like Carlton School.

  23. 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.

  24. 1940 Map of Gilroy Hot Springs
    1940 Map of Gilroy Hot Springs
    1940 Gilroy Hot Springs
    1940 Print · USGS
    The Diablo Range rises above the Santa Clara Valley in the early 1940s, showing a landscape of remote cattle ranches and high peaks. Genealogists and hikers can trace historic properties like Robeson Ranch or navigate the routes through Pacheco Pass and Gilroy Hot Springs.

  25. 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

Showing maps 1-25 of 265

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Frequently asked questions

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