1951 Map of Capell Valley

About this map

Capell Valley and the surrounding high ridges of the Vaca Mountains define this landscape during the mid-century transition of Napa County. The 1951 field survey, with purple revisions from 1968, records the significant expansion of the Lake Berryessa Recreation Area in the northern reaches, showing where water began to reshape the old canyons. The map is a vital resource for tracing the rural infrastructure of the era, from the Asbestos mine tucked into a canyon below Wragg Ridge to the network of local schools serving isolated valley communities, including Capell Sch and Wooden Valley School. South of the Moskowite Reservoir and its spillway, the terrain drops toward the Milliken Reservoir and the family holdings of the Munson Ranch. Small settlements like Atlas and family landmarks like Rahey Rock provide specific points of interest for genealogists investigating the early development of these remote Napa highlands.