Loading map...

1912 Map of Buena Vista Lake

Name: 1912 Topographic Map of Buena Vista Lake
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

The Bakersfield vicinity at the southern edge of the San Joaquin Valley reveals a landscape shaped by massive water management projects and early oil exploration. Centered on the broad Buena Vista Lake and the dry Kern Lake Bed, the terrain is crisscrossed by an intricate network of irrigation works including the Calloway Canal, Pioneer Canal, and Stine Canal. These engineering feats reflect the transition of the arid basin into a productive agricultural region.

In the western and southern foothills, the map records the early industrial footprint of the petroleum industry with an Oil Pumping Station and rail spurs like the Mc Kittrick Branch and the Sunset RR. Small communities and school districts, such as Fruitvale School and Ordena School, are scattered along these routes. Settlements like Moron Taft PO, Maricopa, and Buttonwillow serve as hubs for the rail-and-river economy that defined Kern County during this era of rapid development.