1961 Map of Mindego Hill

About this map

Portola Valley and Los Altos Hills anchor this 1961 survey, which captures the Santa Cruz Mountains as suburban expansion began to reach the ridges. The landscape is defined by the sharp divide of the San Mateo Co Santa Clara Co line, where the residential clusters of Los Trancos Woods give way to the wooded drainages of Corte Madera Creek and Stevens Creek. Historical land use is visible in the presence of the Coal Mine and a Quarry, while institutional landmarks like Foothill College and the San Francisco Log Cabin Boys School show the region's mid-century development. In the south, the terrain becomes increasingly complex around Portola State Park and Mindego Hill, where numerous small ranching operations like Horseshoe Ranch and Big Dipper Ranch were established among the canyons. The network of winding routes, including Skyline Blvd and Alpine Road, illustrates the transition from rural ranching to a scenic residential corridor.