Loading map...

1956 Map of Ortigalita Peak

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Ortigalita Peak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Ortigalita Peak dominates the southern landscape of this 1956 survey, marking the transition from the rugged Panoche Hills to the industrial agricultural expanse of the San Joaquin Valley. The map documents a critical era of water engineering in Merced County, showing the Delta-Mendota Canal and Main Canal cutting through the valley floor. These irrigation projects supported large operations like Hamburg Farms and the Woo Ranch, as well as local infrastructure including a Cotton Gin and a nearby Landing Strip.

Family legacies are etched across the terrain through numerous named properties such as the Gaston Bide Ranch and Arburua Ranch. The presence of the Charleston School and the Santa Cruz Gun Club suggests a community organized around both labor and leisure during the mid-20th century. Traces of early industrial activity are visible through an Oil Pumping Station and several remote springs like Piedra Azul Spr and Carranza Spring.