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1949 Map of Margarita Peak

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Margarita Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Camp Joseph H Pendleton Naval Reservation occupies the southern half of this landscape, reflecting a mid-century period of intense military training and land management in coastal San Diego County. The northern reaches transition into the Cleveland National Forest, where high points like Margarita Peak and the Margarita Lookout provide vantage points over the deep drainages of San Mateo Canyon and San Onofre Canyon.

The infrastructure of the era is marked by a network of firebreaks and rugged transport routes, including the Potrero Truck Trail and Basilone Road. Evidence of earlier land use survives in the names of the Santa Margarita y Las Flores grant and the Tenaja Ranch, while isolated water sources like White Oak Springs and Cold Spring suggest the difficulty of navigating this terrain before modern development. The map effectively documents the boundary where federal forest lands meet the expansive naval training grounds during the early Cold War years.