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1955 Map of Laurel

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Laurel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

The San Andreas Rift Zone slices diagonally through the Santa Cruz Mountains on this mid-century survey, revealing a landscape defined by sharp ridges and deep gulches. Small, tucked-away communities like Laurel and Skyland appear along the steep terrain, connected by the Southern Pacific railroad line and the winding Old Glenwood Road. This era shows a transition in land use, where educational and religious sites such as Bethany Bible College and the St Clare Retreat sit alongside active extraction sites like the Olive Spring Quarry.

The map records several institutional landmarks that served these remote mountain pockets, including the Glenwood School and Highland School, both noted as abandoned by the 1950s. To the south, the terrain opens into the Soquel Augmentation and De Laveaga Park, while water features like Lake Elsman and Williams Reservoir highlight the region's role in water management for the surrounding Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.