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1956 Map of Carmel Valley

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Carmel Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1990
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1990

About this map

Carmel Valley and the surrounding ranchlands are captured during a mid-century period of established rural settlement along the river corridor. The community of Robles Del Rio and the nearby Holman Ranch serve as primary anchors in a landscape dominated by steep ridges and winding creeks. This survey highlights the critical water infrastructure of the era, including the San Clemente Dam and Los Padres Dam, which controlled the flow of the Carmel River as it moved through the canyon.

Further up the valley, the map details small residential pockets like Sleepy Hollow and seasonal sites such as Princes Camp and Camp Stephani. Educational and administrative outposts, including Tularcitos School and the Tularcitos Guard Sta, point to the localized nature of services before later expansion. The southern portion of the sheet transitions into the protected wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest, where labels for Hennicksons Ridge and Black Rock Ridge mark the transition from valley floor to the high country of the Ventana National Wilderness Area.