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1916 Map of Mare Island

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Mare Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

The northern reaches of San Pablo Bay meet an intricate network of sloughs and tidal marshes where the Napa River and Sonoma Creek discharge into the estuary. This early twentieth-century survey captures the industrial and agricultural interface of the North Bay, anchored by the substantial urban footprint of Vallejo and the adjacent Mare Island Str. naval presence. The landscape is a puzzle of low-lying islands, including Island No 1, Island No 2, and Knight Island, separated by winding waterways like Dutchman Slough and China Slough.

Rail transport dominated the regional economy during this era, with the Southern Pacific lines and the Pacific Northwestern corridor connecting small farming hubs and shipping points such as Shellville, Wingo, and Napa Junction. Evidence of local infrastructure is found in the rural Fly School and Rose School, while maritime activity is noted at Cuttings Wharf and the Oil Tanks near Oleum. The map illustrates a complex coastal environment before modern reclamation and development altered these historic wetlands.