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1943 Map of Mt. Hamilton

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Mt. Hamilton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Lick Observatory stands as the crowning landmark of this high-elevation landscape, situated atop Mt Hamilton and reached by the winding Lick Road. Surveyed just before the mid-century, the map reveals a rugged interior of the Diablo Range where large-scale ranching dominated the terrain. From the Evergreen Ranch in the west to the Fisher Homestead in the east, family holdings were scattered across a complex network of ridges like Valpe Ridge and Poverty Ridge.

Rural infrastructure is concentrated along the narrow valleys, evidenced by the Halls Valley Sch and the Smith Creek Ranger Sta. These outposts served a community of ranchers including the Ogden Ranch, Dorgan Ranch, and Coe Ranch, who navigated a landscape defined by deep drainages such as Arroyo Valle and San Antonio Creek. The map captures the area as a vital research and agricultural hub before the intensive suburban expansion of the nearby Santa Clara Valley.