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1917 Map of Cholame

Name: 1917 Topographic Map of Cholame
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1929
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1929

About this map

The Cholame Range and the arid eastern stretches of San Luis Obispo County define this landscape as it was surveyed before 1917. The map captures a transition between the rugged heights of Reef Ridge and the broad, flat expanses of the Kettleman Plain and Antelope Valley. Quicksilver mining was a vital local industry during this era, evidenced by the Patriquin Quicksilver Mine and the Kings Quicksilver Mine near Table Mountain.

Settlement patterns follow the water and early transportation corridors, with towns like Parkfield, Cholame, and Shandon serving as hubs for surrounding ranchlands like Sacramento Ranch and Estrella Ranch. Educational infrastructure is well-documented through rural schoolhouses including Melville School, Eagle School, and Choice Valley School. The presence of the Shandon Pumping Sta and Antelope Pumping Sta highlights the early engineering efforts to manage water and resources across the divide of the Temblor Range.