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1930 Map of Discovery Well

Name: 1930 Topographic Map of Discovery Well
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1930
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1930

About this map

Discovery Well sits at the heart of the Kettleman North Hills Dome, marking a pivotal moment in the development of the California oil industry. This 1930 survey, produced under the direction of Governor James Rolph, Jr., details a landscape rapidly transforming from open range into an industrial corridor. The map captures the infrastructure of the energy boom, from the Standard Oil Camp and the Pacific Gas and Electric Plant to the isolated settlement of Milham City.

Topographic details reveal the complex drainage of Tar Canyon and the winding course of Canoas Creek as they cut through the foothills. Along the Lemoore Road, the presence of the Sunset Sch suggests a growing community of oil field workers and their families. This sheet serves as a primary record of the North Dome's geography before decades of extraction altered the surface, preserving the location of early worker camps and the specific well sites that drove the regional economy.