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1960 Map of Arena

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Arena
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

Agricultural development and irrigation infrastructure define this Merced County landscape in the early 1960s, centered on the settlement of Arena and the growing town of Atwater. The northern half of the map is a complex grid of orchards and fields fed by an intricate network of water works, including the Arena Canal, Liberty Canal, and various man-made channels like the Mc Gilvray Lateral. Transport through the region is anchored by the Southern Pacific railroad, which runs parallel to the primary highway corridor.

In contrast to the highly managed northern sections, the southern portion of the sheet reveals the natural meandering courses of Bear Creek and the South Slough. Notable specialized infrastructure appears in the form of a Tin Flume and a remote Airstrip situated amidst the shifting contours of the lower terrain. This map documents a period when the Central Valley's hydrologic engineering was reaching its peak complexity, as shown by the Gaging Sta 108 monitoring the natural flow of the creek against the diverted canal system.