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1961 Map of Cholame Valley

Name: 1961 Topographic Map of Cholame Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

Cholame Valley serves as a stark geological and agricultural corridor where the borders of Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Kings Counties converge. The landscape is defined by its wide, semi-arid basins like Turkey Flat and California Flats, which are bisected by the ephemeral drainage of Cholame Creek. The mapping reveals a sparse ranching economy centered around the Cholame Ranch, supported by a network of vital water sources including Willow Spring and Kerr Spring.

A notable Grant Boundary cuts through the western terrain, reflecting the lingering influence of Spanish land grants on California's modern property lines. Geodetic markers such as VABM Crowbar 1375 and VABM Melville 1810 emphasize the difficulty of surveying this canyon-ribbed territory, while the presence of Pipelines in the south and various Jeep Trails indicates the mid-century industrial and utility infrastructure threading through the remote canyons of White Canyon and McMillan Canyon.