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1946 Map of Madera

Name: 1946 Topographic Map of Madera
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Madera serves as the central hub of this agricultural landscape during the mid-1940s, situated at the junction of the Southern Pacific and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR. The surrounding territory reveals a highly engineered water system essential for San Joaquin Valley farming, featuring the Madera Canal, Bullard Canal, and Enterprise Canal branching away from the San Joaquin River. Small rural schoolhouses like La Vina Sch, Alpha Sch, and Eastin Sch are scattered across the grid of section lines and orchards.

The map details ranching and aviation landmarks of the era, including the Gravelly Ford Ranch and the Madera Municipal Airport north of town. Along the river, the Bethany Cemetery and Vinland School mark the community of Biola near the Madera and Fresno county line. This survey captures a moment when traditional ranching like the Cottonwood Cow Camp coexisted with the expanding irrigation infrastructure of the Central Valley.