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1903 Map of Elcajon

Name: 1903 Topographic Map of Elcajon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1903
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1903

About this map

The San Diego Cuyamaca and Eastern Railroad terminates in this region at Foster, serving as a vital link for the scattered settlements of the late 19th-century San Diego interior. The landscape is defined by the engineering of the San Diego Flume, which winds across the hills above Elcajon Valley, utilizing significant infrastructure like the Lankershim Tunnel and Monte Tunnel to transport water through the arid terrain.

Settlement patterns follow the water and rail lines, with established communities at Lakeside, Santee, and Bostonia. To the east, the Capitan Grande Indian Reservation and Sequan Indian Reservation occupy the higher elevations, while the Sweetwater River and San Diego River drain the canyons. This survey, based on 1891 fieldwork, captures the area during its early agricultural development, highlighted by the eucalyptus groves at Eucalyptus Pass and small hillside villages like Alpine Heights.