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1913 Map of Bishop

Name: 1913 Topographic Map of Bishop
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

The Owens River valley serves as the central artery for this high-altitude landscape, where the agricultural and transport hub of Bishop anchors the region just before the heavy water diversions of the early 20th century. Flanked by the Volcanic Tableland to the north and the towering peaks of the Inyo National Forest to the west, the map details a distributed network of early rural education, including the Riverside School, Sunland School, and Center School.

The industrial character of the valley is defined by the Southern Pacific Railroad (Keeler Branch), which connects settlements like Laws, Poleta, and Big Pine. High in the surrounding ranges, the reliance on mineral wealth is evident through operations such as the Poleta Mine, Montezuma Mine, and Black Canyon Mine. This survey captures the Owens Valley when it was still a series of interconnected ranching and mining communities before its landscape was fundamentally reshaped by the Los Angeles Aqueduct project.