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1899 Map of San Jose

Name: 1899 Topographic Map of San Jose
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1905
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1905

About this map

The San Jose valley floor at the end of the nineteenth century appears as a highly organized landscape of tracts and ranchos. This survey, led by R.B. Marshall, captures the transition from vast Mexican-era land grants like Yerba Buena and Tularcitos into a dense grid of agricultural and suburban expansion. The city centers of San Jose and Santa Clara are firmly established, while outlying settlements like Willow Glen and College Park serve as distinct hubs along the Southern Pacific RR lines.

Institutional footprints are prominent across the Santa Clara Valley, including the Asylum at Agnew, the Santa Clara Co Alms House, and the County Infirmary. To the north, the transition to the San Francisco Bay is marked by the marshy complex of Alviso Slough and Mud Slough near the port of Alviso. The map details a complex irrigation and drainage network where the Coyote River and Guadalupe River meet the salt marshes.