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1904 Map of San Diego

Name: 1904 Topographic Map of San Diego
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1932
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1932

About this map

San Diego's harbor and the southern coastal frontier are captured in this early 20th-century survey, prior to the massive 20th-century urban expansion. The map illustrates the strategic geography of the San Diego Bay, with North Island and the Coronado peninsula protecting the inner waters. Extensive land grants like the Pueblo Lands of San Diego and Ex Mission San Diego dictate the early property lines of the region.

A robust rail network, including the Southern California R. R. and the National City and Otay R. R., connects growing coastal communities like National City and Chula Vista to the agricultural interior of the Otay Valley. Further south, the map details the international boundary at the United States Mexico line, near the settlement of Tia Juana and the Tia Juana River. Small coastal villages like Roseville and La Playa sit near the U. S. Military Reservation at Point Loma, marking the early defensive footprint of the bay.