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1949 Map of El Toro

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of El Toro
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The El Toro Air Station Naval Reservation dominates the southwest landscape of this mid-century survey, its expansive runways and military structures situated between the Atchison Topeka and Sante Fe railroad and the foothills of the Santa Ana Mts. This map records a transitional moment in Orange County history before post-war suburbanization transformed the region, showing the small community of El Toro near its eponymous El Toro Cem and the Serrano Place settlement along Serrano Creek.

To the northeast, the terrain rises sharply into the Cleveland National Forest, where resource extraction and conservation meet. A Coal Mine (Inactive) and various pits dot the canyons, while the Silverado School and Silverado Guard Sta serve the remote mountain outposts. The hydrology of the area is defined by seasonal washes like Agua Chinon Wash and Borrego Canyon Wash, which drain the Lomas de Santiago toward the Pacific coastal plain.