1954 Map of Avenal Gap

About this map

Antelope Plain and Kettleman Plain converge in this mid-century topographic survey of the California Central Valley, centered on the strategic pass of Avenal Gap. The landscape is a study in industrial and agricultural utility during the post-war era, showing the path of the massive California Aqueduct as it cuts through the arid valley floor. Evidence of the region’s economic drivers is scattered across the map, from the Cotton Gin and Farm Labor Camp near the Kings and Kern county line to the clusters of oil wells marking the Devils Den Hills.