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1943 Map of Onyx

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Onyx
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The South Fork Kern River valley anchors this 1943 survey, revealing a landscape of high desert ranching and critical infrastructure on the edge of the Sequoia National Forest. The settlement of Onyx and nearby Onyx Ranch stand as focal points for local history, while the presence of the Indian Cem suggests deep indigenous roots in the area. This map documents a transitional geography where the river valley meets the Sierra Nevada foothills, marked by historic transit corridors like Walker Pass.

Tracing the southeast corner, the Los Angeles Aqueduct snakes through the desert, illustrating the mid-century engineering required to sustain urban growth far from this water source. The terrain is dotted with vital water points like Cholla Well and Melvers Spring, which supported livestock at the Bloomfield Ranch and Gleason Ranch. The topography rises sharply to Pinyon Peak and Skinner Peak, defining the high-relief boundaries of the Kern River watershed.