1909 Map of Clay

About this map

The Southern Pacific railroad cuts a sharp diagonal across this Central Valley landscape, defining the development of small rail-side settlements like Clay and Cicero during the early twentieth century. This survey, conducted in cooperation with State Engineer Nathaniel Ellery, reveals a transition from the large Mexican land grant era, evidenced by the Sanjon de los Moquelumnes boundary, to a settled agricultural district organized by school districts.