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1955 Map of Mindego Hill

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Mindego Hill
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Santa Cruz Mountains dominate this 1950s survey of the ridge country along the San Mateo Co and Santa Clara Co line. Winding roads such as Alpine Road and Skyline Boulevard provide access to a landscape defined by cattle ranches and dense creek drainages, including the Big Dipper Ranch and Pony Tracks Ranch. The map captures a moment when rural life was still evident through landmarks like the Purisima School and Alpine School, both noted as abandoned by the mid-century.

In the southern reaches, Portola State Park preserves the watershed around Peters Creek and Pescadero Creek. Technological infrastructure of the era is marked by a Radio Repeater Sta on the ridge and an Airway Beacon atop Black Mtn. From the established community of Portola Valley to the heights of Russian Ridge, the map documents the transition from working ranch land to a landscape of conservation and state-managed forests.