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1952 Map of Bouldin Island

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Bouldin Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

The Mokelumne River and the San Joaquin River converge in this intricate delta landscape, where massive reclaimed tracts like Bouldin Island and Staten Island are defined by an elaborate system of levees and sloughs. Surveyed in the early 1950s with later revisions, the map reveals a water-dependent economy where the Stockton Deep Water Channel cuts through the river's natural meanders to facilitate heavy maritime traffic.

Social and educational life in this amphibious environment is anchored by the Venice-Mandeville School and the Venice Ferry, the latter providing a vital link across Little Potato Slough. The transformation of the landscape is further evidenced by the Franks Tract (State Recreation Area), a former agricultural tract that, by this era, had become a significant body of open water. Numerous pump houses, tide gages, and beacons dot the waterways, marking the continuous effort to manage the delicate balance between the fertile lowlands and the tidal rivers.