1899 Map of Palo Alto

About this map

Stanford University and the nascent town of Palo Alto anchor this late 19th-century landscape of the San Francisco Peninsula. This survey documents a transitional era where massive Spanish land grants like Rincon de San Francisquito and Pastoria de las Borregas still define the geography, yet the Southern Pacific railroad is driving the growth of modern rail suburbs. Further south, the map reveals the split between Mountain View and Old Mountain View, a distinction marking the shift of commerce toward the railroad tracks.