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1939 Map of Little Tujunga

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Little Tujunga
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1939
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1939

About this map

The San Gabriel Mountains dominate this 1930s survey, showing a landscape defined by deep canyons and early twentieth-century mountain homesteading. Scattered throughout the rugged drainage of the Little Tujunga Road and Pacoima Canyon are several established family properties, including the De Mille Ranch, Watts Ranch, and Dillon Ranch. These sites, along with names like Dutch Louie Camp and Chaffin Ranch, reflect a period when the front range was a destination for ranching, retreat, and fire management.

Fire prevention infrastructure is heavily documented, with numerous firebreaks and trails protecting high points like Mendenhall Peak, which is crowned by a Lookout. In the southwestern corner, the presence of the Fairview Sanatorium and F O F Sanatorium highlights the era’s practice of utilizing the high, dry air of Los Angeles County for medical recovery. The Acme Mine in Sand Canyon further illustrates the varied industrial and residential uses of the canyons before later urban expansion.