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1959 Map of Monticello Dam

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Monticello Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1967
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1967

About this map

Monticello Dam stands as the central engineering feat on this sheet, holding back the waters of Lake Berryessa at the meeting point of Napa, Yolo, and Solano counties. This 1959 survey captures the landscape shortly after the dam's completion, showing the reservoir's newly formed shoreline where Putah Creek once flowed unimpeded through the Vaca Mountains. The map illustrates the sharp contrast between the steep, ridge-dominated terrain of Enos Ridge and Rocky Ridge to the west, and the opening agricultural plains of the Sacramento Valley to the east.

Local ranching history is preserved through labels like Cowell Ranch, Scott Ranch, and Chapmans Upper Ranch. In the eastern lowlands, the Rio De Los Putos Grant boundary marks the transition toward the valley floor, where Chickahominy Slough and Dry Creek drain toward the interior. The presence of a Cemetery and School near the slough indicates the sparse but established rural infrastructure of the mid-century era.