1922 Map of Kentucky Well

About this map

The Fresno River and Berenda Slough define the northern hydrology of this 1919 survey, illustrating the landscape of Madera County as it appeared between the world wars. The region’s transition into an engineered agricultural hub is evident through the prominent courses of the Chowchilla Canal and the Aliso Canal, which cut linear paths across the natural drainage. This era of development relied heavily on groundwater and established transit routes, as seen in the cluster of remote water sources like Kentucky Well, Rattlesnake Well, and Colombia Well. These named wells, along with the Firebaugh and Madera Road, provide a detailed record of early twentieth-century infrastructure that supported cattle ranching and nascent farming in the San Joaquin Valley before later large-scale irrigation projects reshaped the area.