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1957 Map of Mariposa

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Mariposa
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The high crest of the Sierra Nevada dominates this mid-century landscape, illustrating the dramatic elevation shifts between the Central Valley foothills and the high desert of the Owens River valley. This era reveals a region defined by federal land management and resource extraction, with the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, Sierra National Forest, and Inyo National Forest shaping the development of the high country. In the west, the Chowchilla Mountains and Sierra Nevada foothills are dotted with small communities like Mormon Bar and Ahwahnee, while the industrial presence is felt at the Pine Creek Mine and Mount Morgan Mine near the eastern escarpment.

Water infrastructure is a primary feature of the terrain, with the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Millerton Lake serving as critical basins for the state's growing populations. The map records the reach of the Southern Pacific RR and the winding paths of State Hwy 140 and State Hwy 120, providing access to Yosemite Valley and Devils Postpile Nat Mon. From the expansive Volcanic Tableland to the peaks of the Ritter Range, the survey documents a wilderness increasingly integrated into the California economy through hydroelectric power and recreation.