1954 Map of Petaluma

About this map

The Petaluma River serves as the central artery for this mid-century landscape, carving a path through extensive wetlands such as Tule Slough and Mud Hen Slough. The city of Petaluma sits at the northern terminus of this water route, while the Northwestern Pacific railroad parallels the valley floor, connecting agricultural hubs like Novato and Ignacio. The southern portion of the map transition into the forested terrain of the Samuel P Taylor State Park, where settlements like Lagunitas and Forest Knolls are tucked along Lagunitas Creek. Notable infrastructure of the era is evident at Hamilton Air Force Base near the shores of San Pablo Bay, and the presence of numerous rural schoolhouses, such as Marin School and Iowa School, indicates the enduring residential patterns of the Sonoma and Marin county borderlands before the heavy suburbanization of later decades.