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1906 Map of Bakersfield

Name: 1906 Topographic Map of Bakersfield
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

Bakersfield sits at the base of a complex landscape where the flat San Joaquin Valley meets a series of dramatic bluffs and canyons. Surveyed in the early 1900s, this area shows a dense concentration of early water and energy infrastructure. The Kern River is the central artery, diverted by an intricate network including the Beardsley Canal, Kern Island Canal, and Oil City Branch Canal. This irrigation system supported the valley's growth alongside early industrial sites like the Fullers Earth Mine.

Transportation corridors dominate the western plains, with the Southern Pacific and San Francisco and New Orleans railroads converging near Oil Junction. High ground is marked by distinctive features such as Mon Bluff, Ant Hill, and Knob Hill. Small named locations like Jewetta, Volcan, and Treadwell highlight the dispersed industrial and agricultural nodes of the period, while the Stage Station in Granite Canyon serves as a reminder of older travel routes through the hills.