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1953 Map of La Costa Valley

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of La Costa Valley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

Valle de San Jose and the Sunol Valley anchor this mid-century look at Alameda County, where the landscape is defined by the sharp transition from ranching lands to technical infrastructure. The Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and various pipelines cut through the terrain, illustrating the critical role this area played in regional water management. In the north, the US Veterans Administration and the Arroyo Del Valle Sanatorium sit near the waters of Arroyo del Valle, marking the area's history of healthcare and institutional land use.

Industrial and transport corridors are well-defined by the Southern Pacific rail lines and Calaveras Road, providing a clear view of how transit hugged the base of high ridges like Apperson Ridge and Wauhab Ridge. From the small settlement of Scotts Corner to the high reaches of Maguire Peaks, the map documents a network of named creeks, including Alameda Creek and Vallecitos Creek, that carved the geography of this part of the East Bay prior to late 20th-century development.