1953 Map of Dunnigan

About this map

The Southern Pacific railroad corridor anchors the western edge of the Sacramento Valley in the early 1950s, connecting the small agricultural hubs of Dunnigan and Hershey. This landscape is defined by the transition from the undulating Dunnigan Hills into the engineered basin of the east. Local family and community history is preserved in the location of the Johns District School and the nearby Johns Cem, situated among orchards and grain fields. A complex network of water management features, including the Colusa Basin Drainage Canal and the Main Irrigation Canal, illustrates the scale of mid-century reclamation efforts. Natural waterways like Buckeye Creek and Dunnigan Creek flow toward the lower basin, where the Mt Diablo Meridian serves as a primary survey line through the intensive agricultural grid.