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1953 Map of Laton

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Laton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1988
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1988

About this map

The Kings River meanders across the border of Fresno and Kings counties, anchoring a fertile agricultural landscape defined by an intricate network of sloughs and ditches. At the heart of this valley floor, Laton serves as a central hub, its residential streets organized around the Laton High Sch and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad line. The map captures the specialized irrigation character of the region, where Murphy Slough and Cole Slough divert water to support local agriculture and industry, including a Winery located near Lucerne.

Local history is deeply embedded in the landscape through the Kingston Historical Marker and the Mussel Slough Tragedy Historical Marker, which commemorate the area's complex settlement and land-use conflicts. Small rural communities like Hardwick and Murphy are clearly defined, while facilities like Grant School and Kings River School speak to the distributed nature of the valley's mid-century population. The presence of the Kings River Cemetery provides a valuable point of reference for genealogists tracing families in the southern San Joaquin Valley.