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1953 Map of Mt. Wilson

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Mt. Wilson
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

The southern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains rise sharply above the expanding suburbs of the Los Angeles basin in this mid-century survey. Established residential grids in Altadena, Pasadena, and Arcadia are shown in high detail, featuring academic landmarks like the Calif Institute of Technology and Pasadena City College. To the east, the Santa Anita Park racetrack and the Santa Anita Golf Course anchor the community layout.

Transitioning into the Angeles National Forest, the map records the infrastructure of the peaks, including the Observatory and Television Transmitters atop Mt Wilson. Canyons such as Eaton Canyon and Santa Anita Canyon provide a glimpse into the watershed management of the era, marked by the Sierra Madre Dam and Santa Anita Dam. Traces of earlier mountain tourism remain at the Echo Mountain (Site) and Mt Lowe (Site), while the tracks of the Pacific Electric and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR illustrate the vital transportation corridors connecting these foothills to the wider region.