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1896 Map of Pasadena

Name: 1896 Topographic Map of Pasadena
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1898
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1898

About this map

Pasadena serves as the central hub of this late 19th-century landscape, surrounded by an intricate web of early rail lines including the Los Angeles Terminal R. R. and the Southern Pacific R. R. The map documents a period when grand resort hotels such as the Mt. Lowe Hotel, Raymond Hotel, and Sierra Madre Hotel anchored the region's burgeoning identity. Beyond the city centers, the terrain transitions into the steep slopes of the San Gabriel Timber Land Reserve, where peaks like Mt. Lowe and Mt. Wilson overlook the developing valley.

Evidence of the region's Spanish colonial roots remains visible in the large ranchos and land grants like San Pasqual and Potrero Grande. Smaller settlements and vanished stops such as Lamanda Park, Gaston, and Three Mile House illustrate the rural density of Los Angeles County before modern suburbanization. From the Mission near San Gabriel to the industrial edges of the Los Angeles River, this survey provides a remarkable look at the infrastructure of a transformational era.