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1902 Map of Downey

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Downey
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

Santa Gertrudis and Los Cerritos ranchos dominate the landscape of the southern Los Angeles basin at the turn of the century, long before the region’s suburban transformation. The survey reveals a coastal plain defined by a dense web of steam railroads, including several specialized branches like the Southern Pacific R. R. Whittier Branch and the San Pedro Branch. Agricultural and early industrial hubs such as Downey, Whittier, and Santa Fe Springs are clearly established near water sources like the Rio Honda and San Gabriel River.

Along the coast, San Pedro Bay and Terminal Island show a developing maritime character, while inland landmarks such as Signal Hill and Dominguez Hill rise above the flat basin. Of particular interest to local historians are smaller, often-overlooked locales like Poor Farm Sta., Spanishtown, and Vinvale, which provide a detailed record of late 19th-century settlement patterns before the 20th-century population boom.