1963 Map of Bonita Ranch

About this map

The Fresno River and Cottonwood Creek define the agricultural landscape of this Madera County region in the early 1960s. This survey illustrates a precisely gridded network of rural roads, including Avenue 12 and Road 20, which supported the surrounding ranchlands. Central to the local community are the Howard Sch and the New Hope Cem, alongside the modest settlement of Bonita. The map details a sophisticated water management system necessary for Central Valley agriculture, featuring the Gravelly Ford Canal and the Airport Ditch. An unnamed Landing Strip and various storage facilities near Bonita Ranch reflect the industrial scale of farming operations during this era. Scattered wells across the quadrangle further emphasize the reliance on groundwater to maintain the intensive irrigation patterns established between the intermittent flows of Dry Creek and the primary river channels.