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1953 Map of El Monte

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of El Monte
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The San Gabriel Mission anchors this mid-century portrait of a rapidly expanding San Gabriel Valley. Established residential grids in Alhambra and San Marino contrast with the emerging suburban developments of South San Gabriel and Temple City. The landscape is a mix of civic institutions like the Los Angeles Orphanage and the Pasadena-Rosemead Airport, which served local aviation before the full onset of the freeway era. Significant industrial activity is concentrated in the south, where Oil Wells pepper the hills near Montebello and Pico.

The hydrography of the region is defined by the Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel River, which converge at the Whittier Narrows flood control dam. This area, containing the Potrero Grande and Potrero Chico grants, shows the transition from open agricultural and river lands to a more urbanized environment. Local history is further preserved through the labeling of many schools, such as Mark Keppel High Sch and Savannah Sch, alongside the massive Rose Hills Memorial Park at the southeastern boundary.