1931 Map of Mouth of Cantua Creek

About this map

Cantua Creek meanders through this portion of Fresno County, defining the drainage patterns of an arid landscape organized by a strict grid of agricultural and transport corridors. The map reflects a period of systematic land division, where long, straight thoroughfares like Oil City Avenue and Tuolumne Avenue intersect at regular intervals across the terrain. These roads, including Laguna Avenue and Parkhurst Avenue, reveal the transition of this territory into a surveyed ranching and farming district, even as the natural watercourse of the creek provides the only organic break in the geometric layout. The survey work by J.L. Lewis and L.O. Newsome captures the area as it stood between the world wars, showing a landscape prepared for the development of the region's burgeoning petroleum and agricultural industries.