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1955 Map of Davenport

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Davenport
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Davenport and the industrial coastline of Santa Cruz County dominate this mid-century survey, where the massive Cement Plant and the Southern Pacific railroad line sit at the heart of the local economy. The landscape rises sharply from the Pacific shore toward the elevations of Ben Lomond Mountain, moving from coastal terrace settlements like Davenport Landing into the wooded interior. This era shows the developed network of canyon roads, including Ice Cream Grade and Empire Grade, which connected isolated mountain communities and schools.

Legacy land divisions such as Agua Puerca Y Las Trancas appear alongside the early boundaries of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, documenting the overlap of Mexican-era land grants and modern conservation. In the hills, Bonnie Doon and Swanton serve as residential anchors, supported by local landmarks like the Bonnie Doon School and the Big Creek Fire Sta. Numerous watercourses, from Scott Creek to San Vicente Creek, define the drainage patterns that shaped the placement of early homesteads and mills throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains.