1953 Map of Blackwells Corner

About this map

Blackwells Corner serves as the focal point for this 1953 survey of Kern County’s arid interior. The landscape is defined by the heavy footprint of the petroleum industry, dominated by the North Belridge Oil Field and the South Belridge Oil Field. A complex network of pipelines and facilities like the Middlewater Pumping Station and another unnamed Pumping Sta crisscross the terrain, reflecting the mid-century industrialization of the Antelope Plain. Topographic features such as the Antelope Hills and the McDonald Anti-Cline reveal the geological structures that necessitated this intensive drilling. Near the junction of State Routes 46 and 33, the area known as Six Points further illustrates the intersection of transit and resource extraction in this corner of the San Joaquin Valley.