1947 Map of Bonita Ranch

About this map

Agricultural development in the San Joaquin Valley is well-established by the late 1940s, as shown in this survey of Madera County. Large landholdings like Bonita Ranch and El Peco Ranch dominate the landscape, situated near the meandering course of the Fresno River. The infrastructure for water management is a central theme of this sheet, marked by the presence of numerous windmills across the plains and the trace of the Gravelly Ford Canal (Abandoned). The transition from early 20th-century irrigation attempts to more modern water control is evident here, with natural watercourses like Dry Creek and Cottonwood Creek cutting through a strictly gridded system of section lines and early thoroughfares such as Firebaugh Road. This record captures the region just before the post-war boom further intensified the Central Valley's industrial agriculture.