1896 Map of Las Bolsas

About this map

The coastal marshes and early ranch land divisions of the California shoreline are captured here as they appeared in the mid-1890s. This survey focuses on the wetlands and lagoons at Anaheim Landing, where Anaheim Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. The landscape is dominated by the vast drainage networks of Bolsa Chica and Bolsas Creek, reflecting an era when this region was defined by massive land grants like La Bolsa Chica and Las Bolsas. The transition from natural estuary to managed landscape is already visible through the presence of an early ditch and drainage system cutting through the marshlands.