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1916 Map of Mare Island

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Mare Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1927
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1927

About this map

The Mare Island Navy Yard anchors this 1916 survey, sitting at the junction of the Napa River and the Carquinez Strait. During the mid-1910s, this region was a complex landscape of tidal marshes and emerging industry, where the Southern Pacific and Northwestern Pacific railroads threaded through the reclaimed lands and sloughs. The map documents early industrial sites such as Nitro, Hercules, and Oleum along the southern shore, while the northern reaches transitions into the agricultural Pueblo Lands of Sonoma.

Researchers will find a wealth of local landmarks, from the Shellyville Colony in the marshes to the Vallejo Hill Cem overlooking the city of Vallejo. The intricate network of waterways, including Rainbow Slough and Hudeman Slough, illustrates the natural state of the North Bay before significant 20th-century development, while upland features like the Rose School and various Quarries show the established rural life of the era.