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1959 Map of Chilao Flat

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Chilao Flat
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Mining and forestry operations define this mid-century view of the high country, where the Monte Cristo Mine and Falcon Mine sit amidst the steep drainage of the San Gabriel River. The landscape is a network of fire protection and recreation, evidenced by the Vetter Mountain Lookout and numerous facilities like the Chilao Station and Red Box Station. Large family-named holdings such as Loomis Ranch, which includes a private Cem, and Colby Ranch represent the historic settlement of these canyons before the expansion of the modern Angeles Crest Highway.

Transit through the area is marked by the Tunnel and high-elevation clearings like Barley Flats, which contains a Military Reservation. From the Mill on the western edge to the Charlton Flats Picnic Grounds, the map illustrates a transition from resource extraction to managed public use. Detailed features like the Sewage Disposal at Chilao Flat and the Heliport reflect the infrastructure required to maintain this high-altitude enclave in the late 1950s.