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1939 Map of Morgan Hill

Name: 1939 Topographic Map of Morgan Hill
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

Southern Pacific tracks anchor the Santa Clara Valley in this pre-war survey, tracing a path through a series of agricultural outposts and growing towns. Along this transit corridor, the landscape is dotted with small-scale rural infrastructure, from the Barnett School and Machado School to the Gilroy Waterworks Dam. The map reveals the early footprint of Morgan Hill and Gilroy, where early 20th-century road networks like Watsonville Road and Llagas Avenue were already well established.

East of the valley floor, the terrain shifts abruptly into the high ridges of Los Huecos and the Blue Ridge. This area contains distinct local landmarks such as Madrone Soda Springs and Redwood Retreat, highlighting the region's early importance as a destination for mineral springs and mountain getaways. The map also preserves the names of early settlements like Pigeon Point and Old Gilroy, providing a vital link to the era of large land grants like San Francisco de las Llagas.