1897 Map of Concord

About this map

Monte del Diablo and the expansive ranchos of the East Bay dominate this late nineteenth-century landscape, surveyed shortly after the arrival of the transcontinental rail connections. The map detail highlights a period of transition where large Mexican-era land grants like Acalanes and Laguna de los Palos Colorados are increasingly crisscrossed by the Southern Pacific R. R. and the California and Nevada R. R.. These rail lines fueled the early growth of inland agricultural centers such as Concord and Walnut Creek. To the west, the early development of the East Bay hills is visible through features like Laundry Farm and the emerging neighborhoods of Fruitvale and Melrose. This topographic record also preserves the placement of the Mount Diablo Base Line, the fundamental reference for land surveying throughout most of Northern California.