1959 Map of Briones Valley

About this map

Orinda Village and Lafayette anchor the southern edge of this East Bay landscape, showing the suburban expansion into the hills of Contra Costa County during the late 1950s. The interior is dominated by the Briones Hills and the sprawling La Boca de la Cañada del Pinole, a pastoral region where Pinole Creek and Bear Creek carve deep valleys between high ridges. The map reveals a transition from the developing residential corridors in the south to the more rural north, where the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad skirts the top of the sheet through Christie and Glen Frazer. Critical infrastructure for the growing population is evident in the San Pablo Reservoir and the Mokelumne Aqueduct. Scattered rural institutions like the Briones Valley School and Sleepy Hollow School mark the community hubs of this era, while large protected spaces like Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park preserve the high ground of the Sobrante Ridge.