1920 Map of Carrisalito Spring

About this map

Panoche De San Juan Los Carrisalito defines the rugged, arid terrain of Merced County as it appeared following a 1919 survey by R.A. Kiger and Adolph Fankhauser. This advance sheet highlights a landscape of high ridges and deep drainages, where life and industry centered on sparse water sources and early fossil fuel infrastructure. Local education is represented by the isolated Ortigalita School, while the presence of an Oil Pump Sta north of Salt Creek indicates early petroleum development in the Central Valley foothills. The complex drainage network, featuring Los Banos Creek and Ortigalita Creek, illustrates the natural hydrology that shaped ranching and settlement patterns before modern irrigation transformed the region. The reliable water at Carrisalito Spring provides a crucial anchor for researchers tracing historical land use in this part of the California Coast Ranges.