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1942 Map of Point Sal

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Point Sal
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

The Santa Maria River forms a natural boundary between San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties as it flows toward the Pacific coast. This 1942 military survey by the Corps of Engineers illustrates a coastal landscape defined by the agricultural expansion of the Santa Maria Valley and the steep topography of the Casmalia Hills. Significant early twentieth-century infrastructure is visible, including the sugar beet refining hub at Betteravia and the coastal path of the Southern Pacific railroad, which services small settlements like Narlon and Schumann.

Small rural clusters such as Casmalia and Waldorf sit tucked against the hills, while the larger town of Guadalupe serves as the regional anchor near the marshy grounds of Guadalupe Lake. Further south, the map details the terrain leading toward Lions Head and the expansive Burton Mesa, revealing the complex network of early roads like San Antonio Road that connected isolated ranching interests like Marshall Ranch to the rail corridor.