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1948 Map of San Juan Capistrano

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of San Juan Capistrano
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

San Juan Capistrano serves as the focal point of this late 1940s landscape, where the historic Mission stands near the confluence of Arroyo Trabuco and San Juan Creek. This era captures Orange County before the massive suburban expansions of the late 20th century, showing a region defined by large land grants like Mission Viejo and Trabuco. The transportation corridor is anchored by the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad and highway 101, which run parallel through the valley, connecting the small settlement of Galivan to the coast.

To the west, the Sheep Niguel Hills and Niguel Hill overlook a sparsely developed coastline near South Laguna. The map documents a predominantly agricultural and ranching period, evidenced by features like the Veeh Reservoir and the numerous named canyons and arroyos such as Tijeras Canyon and Aliso Creek. The drainage patterns of Oso Creek and Sulphur Creek illustrate the natural topography that would later be transformed by modern development.