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1909 Map of Kaweah

Name: 1909 Topographic Map of Kaweah
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1926
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1926

About this map

Mineral King sits high in the Sierra Nevada, surrounded by the peaks of the Great Western Divide and the jagged Sawtooth Peak. This early twentieth-century survey captures a landscape at the intersection of industry and preservation, where the high country timber and mineral prospects of Atwells Mill and Dillon Mill meet the expanding boundaries of Sequoia National Park. To the west, the valleys are defined by an intricate network of irrigation, featuring the Whitney Ditch, Pioneer Ditch, and Plano DITCH which sustained settlements like Springville and Success.

Rivers dominate the topography, with the various forks of the Kaweah River and the Tule River carving steep canyons through the Sequoia National Forest. Notable early landmarks such as Clough Cave, Hammond, and the Tule River Indian Reservation are clearly marked, alongside the historic Hockett Trail. The map documents a period before modern reservoirs altered the riverbanks, showing the original footprints of communities like Yokohl and Milo in their ranching and forestry context.