1932 Map of Bena

About this map

The El Tejon landscape, surveyed in the late 1920s, reveals a rugged terrain defined by deep canyon corridors and transit arteries. This mapping effort by the U.S. Geological Survey under S.N.Stoner focuses on the narrow valley where the Southern Pacific railroad and the Tehachapi Southern Pacific Highway snake through the foothills. The settlement of Bena sits as a critical waypoint at the mouth of these canyons, positioned where the drainage of Walker Basin Creek and Caliente Creek meet the wider valley floor. The map’s structure, which includes large blank areas, emphasizes that the primary interest of this 1932 edition was the documentation of these specific transportation routes and the topography immediately bordering the creek beds. It provides a specialized look at the engineering required to navigate the transition between the San Joaquin Valley and the higher elevations to the east.