1921 Map of Bonita Ranch

About this map

The Fresno River meanders across this Central Valley landscape, defining a network of watercourses and early ranching interests in Madera County. Surveyed by C.A. Stonesifer and Gerald Fitz Gerald in 1919, the map reveals a region transitioning into structured agriculture and livestock management. Named homesteads like the Bonita Ranch and Rattlesnake Ranch serve as primary anchors in an otherwise open terrain of creek beds and surveyed section lines. The presence of Firebaugh Road suggests the established overland routes connecting these ranching outposts to larger regional hubs. The hydrography, featuring Dry Creek in the north and Cottonwood Creek in the south, illustrates the seasonal water patterns that dictated settlement and land use before more intensive irrigation reshaped the Madera area.