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1948 Map of Dana Point

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Dana Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

San Juan Creek cuts through the coastal hills of southern Orange County, meeting the Pacific at the edge of Doheny Beach State Park. This mid-century landscape is defined by the burgeoning seaside communities of Dana Point and Capistrano Beach, where the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad tracks hug the shoreline below Boca de la Playa. The map captures a moment when transit infrastructure was rapidly evolving, featuring the 4 Lane Coast Highway and the Capistrano Airport with its associated Airway Beacon.

Further north, the residential clusters of South Laguna and Three Arch Bay sit perched above Mussel Cove, separated by canyons and ridges like Niguel. The interior remains largely open, with landmarks such as Folsom Ridge and Forster Lake providing context for the area's pre-suburban topography. This survey provides a clear view of the coastal corridor just before the massive post-war development boom fully reshaped the California coast.