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1936 Map of El Rico Ranch

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of El Rico Ranch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

The expansive and dry Tulare Lake Bed dominates this landscape in the mid-1930s, revealing a terrain entirely transformed by water management and large-scale agricultural operations. The grid-like patterns of Pueblo Avenue, Redding Avenue, and 10th Avenue segment the former lake floor, serviced by a complex system of hydraulic infrastructure. Engineering projects like the Lovelace Levee, South Levee, and the Reclamation Ditch 16-18 demonstrate the intense effort required to reclaim this land for cultivation.

Prominent landholdings like the El Rico Ranch and Peterson Ranch anchor the rural landscape, while the operations of the Progressive Development Co signal the era's corporate agricultural shift. The course of the Tule River and Cross Creek are tightly channeled through the Tulare Lake Canal and various ditches, illustrating the transition from a natural wetland to a strictly controlled industrial farming basin. Numerous labeled wells scattered across the map highlight the critical reliance on groundwater to sustain these ranches in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley.