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1949 Map of Jawbone Ridge

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Jawbone Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Stanislaus National Forest serves as the backdrop for this mid-century look at the high-elevation terrain between the Tuolumne River and the North Fork Merced River. The landscape is defined by the intersection of early mining efforts and burgeoning infrastructure, exemplified by the Gold Queen Mine (Abandoned) and the Argo Mine contrasted against the monumental engineering of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and Hetch Hetchy Road.

Settlement patterns in the late 1940s cluster around Big Oak Flat Road, where Smith Station and Buck Meadows provided essential stops for travelers. Local history and genealogy are anchored in family-named landmarks such as Wagner Valley, Burch Meadow, and Frank Harris Point. The map also captures the recreational footprint of the era, from the Oakland Recreation Camp to the Lost Claim Camp Ground, all positioned within a complex network of ridges like Jawbone Ridge and Pilot Ridge.