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1948 Map of Lompoc Hills

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Lompoc Hills
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

The Johns Manville Plant stands as a focal point of industrial activity in the La Mission district, marking a period of significant mineral extraction in the hills south of the Santa Ynez River. Numerous Diatomaceous Earth Quarries are etched into the terrain of Vieja De La Purisima and Canada De Salsipuedes, revealing the scale of the diatomite mining operations that dominated the local economy in the late 1940s. These industrial sites are contrasted by the rural landscape to the south, where the Jalama School and Jalama Ranch serve the remote coastal canyons.

Transportation through these coastal ranges follows the winding paths of Salsipuedes Creek and Miguelito Creek, connecting the high ridges of Santa Ynez Mountain to the Pacific Ocean at Jalama. The map captures a transitional landscape where large-scale ranching and mining coexisted, with old land grants like San Julian still defining the boundaries of the California coast before modern development altered the rural character of the hills.