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1948 Map of San Clemente

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of San Clemente
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

San Clemente sits at the western edge of this mid-century survey, its streets and San Clemente Pier fronting the Gulf of Santa Catalina. This era documents the coastal landscape before the massive suburban expansion of the later 20th century, showing the established town site and the adjacent San Clemente State Park. The shoreline is a critical corridor of transit, defined by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and the Coast Highway as they wind toward San Mateo Pt.

Inland, the terrain is dominated by the sprawling Camp Joseph H Pendleton Naval Reservation and the historical boundaries of the Mission Viejo and Las Flores land grants. Remote canyons such as Talega Canyon and Gabino Canyon cut through the hills, where small-scale industrial activity like a Clay Mine and Gravel Pit appear alongside the natural drainage of San Mateo Creek. Further south, the settlement of San Onofre marks a quiet stop along the rail and U S Highway 101 before the development of the nuclear generating station.