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1942 Map of Irwin

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Irwin
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

The confluence of the San Joaquin River and Merced River anchors this 1940s landscape, illustrating a complex web of early Central Valley irrigation and transport. To the north, Turlock serves as a major hub on the Southern Pacific line, while the surrounding plains are crisscrossed by a sophisticated grid of water management features including the Ceres Canal, Stevinson Ditch, and High Line Canal.

This era is defined by a dense network of local school districts, many named after early settlers or small community nodes like Mountain View Sch, Prairie Flower Sch, and Merquin Union Sch. Points of historical passage such as Hills Ferry and Fremont Ford mark significant river crossings that predated modern bridge infrastructure, while the planned layout of Delhi and Gustine shows the expansion of agricultural settlements during this transition into mid-century industrial farming.