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1932 Map of Mouth of Kern

Name: 1932 Topographic Map of Mouth of Kern
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

Naval Petroleum Reserve No 1 and its southern counterpart, Naval Petroleum Reserve No 2, dominate the industrial landscape of Kern County in the late 1920s. This survey, conducted before the landscape was fully transformed by modern drainage, showcases the transition between natural hydrology and fossil fuel extraction. The massive expanse of the Buena Vista Lake Bed fills the central portion of the sheet, while the Inlet Canal and Outlet structures manage water flow adjacent to the Elk Hills.

Early energy infrastructure is highly visible, featuring the Honolulu Oil Co Water Pumping Sta, Midway Gas Co, and Standard Gas Co facilities. Local history and recreation are marked by the Old Gun Club on the lake's edge and the small settlement of Kyan in the southeast. This document records a pivotal era when California's petroleum reserves were of strategic national importance, set against the backdrop of the Buena Vista Hills and the winding Kern River.