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1959 Map of Arcata South

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Arcata South
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Humboldt State University anchors the northern edge of this coastal landscape, situated where the redwood-covered slopes of Fickle Hill meet the developed town center of Arcata. The 1970s updates reveal the expansion of residential neighborhoods like Sunny Brae and the development of the Oxidation Pond along the marshy fringes of Arcata Bay. To the south, the Northwestern Pacific railroad corridor tracks the shoreline through industrial and transit points like Brainard and Bracut, connecting the northern settlements to the city boundary of Eureka.

Away from the bay, the map traces the deep drainages of Jacoby Creek and Freshwater Creek, where small rural communities like Bayside and Freshwater maintain a distinct identity. These inland valleys are marked by local landmarks such as the Garfield School and the Redwood Acres Fairground. The terrain transitions sharply from the low-lying Arcata Bottoms to the steep, creek-cut ridges of the Humboldt timberlands, where numerous quarries dot the hillsides above Washington Gulch and Mc Cready Gulch.