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1930 Map of Compton

Name: 1930 Topographic Map of Compton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

Compton and Gardena anchor this landscape during a period of rapid industrial transition in Los Angeles County. The terrain is dominated by the Dominguez Hills, where a concentrated network of Oil Wells and massive infrastructure like the Shell Oil Dominguez Refinery and Sunset Pacific Oil Tank Farm reveal the region's mid-century petroleum boom. This industrial footprint is balanced by local institutional life, seen in the Gardena Japanese School and the Dominguez Memorial Seminary.

Transit corridors define the settlement patterns, with the Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific railroads cutting through town sites such as Davidson City, Keystone, and Strawberry Park. The map captures a specific moment where agricultural remnants meet heavy industry, with the Dominguez Channel and Los Angeles River bordering a grid of expanding residential streets and schools like the Lincoln School and Carson School.