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1918 Map of Arena

Name: 1918 Topographic Map of Arena
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

Agricultural development and rural education define this early 20th-century landscape in Merced County. The settlement of Arena serves as a small hub along the Southern Pacific railroad line, which runs parallel to the State Highway in the northern portion of the quadrangle. The distribution of schools across the territory, including Arena School, Witmer School, Jordan School, and Robla School, indicates a structured pattern of rural family life and community organization prior to the consolidation of modern school districts.

Hydrological management is evident in the southern reaches, where the Stevinson Canal cuts across the terrain to redirect water for irrigation. The natural drainage of Bear Creek and South Bear Creek flows toward the southwest, joined by a significant Slough system. This 1918 survey, overseen by Chief Geographer R. B. Marshall, provides an exact record of property lines and water features before the intensification of California's Central Valley industrial farming.