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1983 Map of Merced

Name: 1983 Topographic Map of Merced
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

Castle Air Force Base stands as a prominent fixture of the San Joaquin Valley landscape in the early 1980s, situated between Atwater and Merced. This era of the Central Valley reveals a complex management of land and water, where the San Joaquin River and Merced River are flanked by an extensive network of conservation areas, including the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge. The irrigation infrastructure is highly developed, featuring the California Aqueduct, the Delta-Mendota Canal, and numerous sloughs that supported the agricultural expansion of the region.

In the eastern reaches, the terrain transitions into the foothills of the Guadalupe Mtns and the historic Las Mariposas district. This area is dotted with mining relics such as the Pocahontas Mine and Great Northern Mine, contrasting with the intensive agriculture and gas extraction seen in the Chowchilla Gas Field to the south. Small settlements like Ballico, Cressey, and El Nido define the rural character of the Sandy Mush Country before the further urbanization of the valley floor.