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1954 Map of Folsom

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Folsom
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The State Prison at Represa dominates the eastern bank of the American River, situated just downstream from the massive Folsom Dam. This mid-century survey documents a landscape in total transition as the newly formed Folsom Reservoir begins to submerge the historic terrain. The map captures the final footprints of Gold Rush-era history, marking the locations of Mormon Island and Prairie City as sites rather than active towns.

Extensive fields of Dredge Tailings along the South Fork American River and Willow Creek testify to decades of industrial gold mining that reshaped the valley floor. To the west, the growing community of Orangevale and Phoenix Field signal the post-war suburban expansion of the Sacramento region, even as the Southern Pacific railroad continues to follow the winding river corridor toward the heart of Folsom.