1899 Map of San Jose

About this map

San Jose and Santa Clara anchor this late nineteenth-century survey of the Santa Clara Valley, showing a landscape defined by expansive land grants and a burgeoning rail network. Large historic tracts such as Potrero de Santa Clara, Ulistac, and Rincon de los Esteros dominate the valley floor, reflecting the area's Mexican land grant heritage. The Southern Pacific railroad and its various branches, including the New Almaden Branch and San Jose Branch, connect established agricultural hubs like Milpitas, Alviso, and Campbell. Notable institutional landmarks of the era are clearly marked, including the Asylum near Agnew, the Santa Clara Co Alms House, and the County Infirmary. To the east, the terrain rises sharply into the Los Buellis Hills and Canada de Pala, while the northern reaches show the complex tidal marshes of the Coyote River and Mud Slough near the bay.