Loading map...

1950 Map of Mt. Tamalpais

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Mt. Tamalpais
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Muir Woods National Monument and the heights of Mt Tamalpais State Park dominate this mid-century portrait of southern Marin County. The landscape is defined by the sharp transition from the coastal cliffs of the Gulf of the Farallones to the inland valleys where settlements like Mill Valley and Corte Madera were expanding. Significant coastal defenses are evident through large military reservations, including Fort Cronkhite Mil Res and Fort Barry Mil Res, guarding the northern approach to the Golden Gate.

Infrastructure of the era is captured in the early footprint of Highway 101 and localized details like the Mountain Theater and the San Francisco Bay Airfield. To the west, the quiet coastal enclaves of Bolinas and Stinson Beach remain isolated by the ridge, while the interior shows the developed reservoirs of Alpine Lake and Lake Lagunitas. This survey reflects a moment before the massive postwar suburbanization fully transformed the hillsides into the dense residential communities seen today.