1947 Map of Coulterville

About this map

The gold mining heritage of the Mother Lode is etched into this 1940s landscape, centered on Coulterville at the junction of Blacks Creek and Maxwell Creek. The terrain is marked by remnants of hard-rock extraction, including the Mary Harrison Mine and the Virginia Mine (Aban'd), showing the area's transition from active industry to a more settled rural character. Along the southern reaches, the Merced River flows through deep canyons, passing the Split Rock Ferry (Aban'd) and multiple Gaging Stations, while the western edge is dominated by the rising waters of Lake McClure at Horseshoe Bend. To the northeast, the Stanislaus National Forest boundary borders higher elevations like Greeley Hill, where the Greeley Sch served local families. The network of gulches—such as Whites Gulch and Rancho del Oro Gulch—hints at the extensive placer and vein mining that once defined this portion of Mariposa County.