1934 Map of Canoas Creek

About this map

Avenal sits at the base of the foothills in this 1930s survey, a time when the community was emerging as a vital node for the Central Valley's expanding infrastructure. The landscape is defined by the seasonal watercourses of Canoas Creek and Zapato Creek, which carve through the terrain as they flow toward the plains. Surveyed by M.J. Harden and J.L. Buckmaster, the map records the early grid development of the townsite and the prominent transportation lines connecting the oil fields and agricultural regions. The detailed topography reflects the transition from the steep, eroded slopes of the Kettleman Hills down to the flat expanse where development began to take root during the administration of Governor James Rolph, Jr.