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1915 Map of Mojave

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Mojave
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

The high desert and mountain passes of eastern Kern County are captured here during a period of industrial expansion, centered on the strategic junctions at Tehachapi and Mojave. The terrain is defined by the Piute Mountains and the arid expanse of the Mojave Desert, where early infrastructure like the Los Angeles Aqueduct and the Keeler Road (Owenyo Branch) begin to reshape the landscape.

Resource extraction drives much of the settlement pattern, with gold and silver operations like the Gwynne Mine, Minnehaha Mine, and Treasure Mine dotting the ridges. Evidence of more permanent community life appears in the Cameron Valley School and high-altitude outposts like Claraville and the Paris Loraine P.O.. The meeting of the Southern Pacific and A T and S F railroads at the base of the Tehachapi Pass illustrates the region's importance as a gateway between the Central Valley and the desert interior.