1943 Map of Blackwell

About this map

Antelope Plain dominates the landscape of western Kern County, where the infrastructure of the mid-century petroleum industry meets the arid California interior. This 1943 survey, prepared by the War Department and the Corps of Engineers, details the emergence of industrial centers like North Belridge and the surrounding oil fields. Strategic landmarks such as the Lost Hills High Derrick and the Belridge Oil Field Stack indicate a terrain heavily modified for extraction. Settlement is concentrated at key junctions like Blackwell's Corner along U.S. Route 33, while individual holdings such as C Twisselmann represent the rural residential presence in the region. The map also documents the critical water and power infrastructure supporting these remote operations, including the Middlewater Pump Station and various USC&GS triangulation points that served as essential survey benchmarks during this period of intensive development.