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1898 Map of Mt. Diablo

Name: 1898 Topographic Map of Mt. Diablo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1901
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1901

About this map

Nortonville and Somersville stand as prominent mining centers during this late nineteenth-century survey, connected to the northern rail lines by the Empire R.R. and other coal-focused transport routes. The landscape is defined by the massive uplift of Mt. Diablo and North Peak, with numerous deep canyons such as Irish Canyon and Markley Canyon cutting through the terrain. To the west, Clayton serves as a transition point between the peaks and the surrounding valleys.

The southern portion of the map reveals the early development of the San Ramon (Norris), where settlements like Danville and San Ramon are established along the drainage of Alamo Creek. Historic land grants and territory markers, including Morgan Territory and Canada de los Vaqueros, indicate the transition from early Californian ranchos to industrial mining and agricultural townships. Remote industrial sites like the Star Mine near Stewartville underscore the era's reliance on the local mineral resources found within these hills.