1932 Map of Antelope Plain

About this map

Antelope Plain occupies this 1932 topographic survey, which reveals a landscape in the midst of early 20th-century petroleum development. While much of the terrain is defined by the subtle, rhythmic contours of the valley floor, the mapping indicates active resource extraction through labels for Oil and several scattered Well sites. These markers underscore the area's transition from open range to an industrializing oil field in Kern County. The presence of these wells, surveyed shortly after the California oil boom, provides a precise record for researchers tracing the early infrastructure and lease patterns of the San Joaquin Valley’s western edge before modern consolidation and technology altered the surface character of the plain.