1955 Map of Morgan Hill

About this map

Morgan Hill and the surrounding Santa Clara Valley floor are defined by a rhythmic grid of agricultural avenues and the dominant transit corridor of the Southern Pacific railroad. During the mid-1950s, the landscape transitions from the dense orchards and town lots of the valley to the significant water management systems of Anderson Lake and Chesbro Reservoir. The presence of numerous local institutions, including Encinal School, Burnett Sch, and Walsh Sch, alongside smaller settlements like Madrone and Coyote, illustrates the established rural community structure of the era. To the west, the Pueblo Lands of San Jose boundary marks the transition into more varied terrain such as Metcalfe Canyon and San Bruno Canyon, where land use shifts toward mining and ranching as evidenced by a Gravel Pit and the Wm F James Boys Ranch.