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1959 Map of Guadalupe

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Guadalupe
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Santa Maria Valley serves as the agricultural and industrial heart of this coastal California region during the late 1950s. The town of Guadalupe is a central hub, where the Southern Pacific railroad meets the Cabrillo Highway. The landscape is a study in transition, from the shifting Sand Dunes near the coast to the organized industrial footprint of the Guadalupe Oil Field and the sugar beet processing infrastructure around Betteravia.

Resource extraction and large-scale ranching define the southern reaches, where Vandenberg Air Force Base occupies the rugged Casmalia Hills. Local life is anchored by institutions like the Joint Union School and the Cemetery near Barsug. The presence of specialized facilities like the Betteravia Stockyards and the Knox Mine illustrates the diverse economic base of Santa Barbara County before the intensive modern development of the Central Coast.