1939 Map of San Juan Bautista

About this map

Mission San Juan Bautista serves as the focal point for this landscape where the Pajaro Valley meets the Gabilan Range. The map details a complex network of Mexican-era land grants, including Manuel Larios and Bols Nueva y Moro Cojo, overlaid with the growing infrastructure of the late 1930s. The Southern Pacific railroad creates a vital corridor through Pajaro Gap, connecting the agricultural hub of Watsonville with points east. Of particular interest to genealogists is the inclusion of family-named landmarks like Patrick Breen and local institutions such as the St Francis Orphan Asylum. The terrain transitions from the marshy Moro Cojo Slough near Castroville to the industrial activity at the Sargent Oil Field, illustrating a region defined by both its colonial pastoral roots and modern extraction and transit.