1943 Map of Cross Mountain

About this map

Kelso Valley and the surrounding high desert terrain in Kern County were deeply shaped by early 20th-century resource extraction and water engineering. This 1943 survey documents a landscape of transition, featuring Sageland, a settlement marked even then as abandoned, and the critical infrastructure of the Los Angeles Aqueduct cutting through the eastern corridor. The region was a hub for mining activity, evidenced by the San Antonio Mine, Lone Star Mine, and Amalia Mine. Scattered wells and springs like Butterbread Well and Alphie Spring suggest the importance of water management for cattle ranching at Dove Spring Ranch and for the remote Landers School. In the southeast, the Southern Pacific railroad line passes through Cinco, connecting this isolated mineral-rich territory to broader California markets.