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1950 Map of El Toro

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of El Toro
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

The El Toro Naval Air Station Reservation dominates the southwestern lowlands of this mid-century Orange County landscape, appearing here just years after its wartime expansion. This sprawling military facility is bisected by the Atchison Topeka and Sante Fe railroad and surrounded by citrus groves and agricultural tracts like Serrano Place. To the northeast, the terrain rises sharply into the Lomas de Santiago and the foothills of the Cleveland National Forest, where canyon life is centered around the settlements of Silverado and Modjeska.

Tracing the drainage of Aliso Creek and Borrego Canyon, the map reveals a transition from a burgeoning military-industrial hub to a rural mountain economy. Evidence of earlier industry is scattered through the heights, including an Inactive Coal Mine near the Silverado School and a Clay Pit further south. Local genealogists will find the El Toro Cem near the junction of Cherry Ave and Muirlands Blvd.