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1914 Map of Petaluma

Name: 1914 Topographic Map of Petaluma
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

Petaluma serves as a focal point in this 1914 survey, where the Northwestern Pacific railroad follows the winding course of Petaluma Creek. The map documents a landscape defined by expansive land grants, such as Roblar de la Miseria and Corte Madera de Novato, reflecting the region's ranching heritage before widespread suburbanization. A dense network of rural one-room schoolhouses, including Muir School, Union School, and Lakeville School, reveals the distribution of early 20th-century farming families across the valleys.

Industrial and transport nodes like Haystack Landing and Donahue emphasize the importance of water and rail connectivity. Further south, the map details the terrain around Novato Valley and the rugged ridges of Big Rock Ridge, while the Sonoma Valley Br branches off toward the east. This document captures the North Bay as a rural corridor of dairies and small settlements just as the modern road network began to take shape.