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1949 Map of San Lucas

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of San Lucas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

King City and the neighboring settlement of San Lucas sit at the western edge of a complex network of canyons and ridges just after the Second World War. The Salinas River dominates the valley floor, flanked by the land grants of San Lorenzo, San Bernabe, and San Benito. This landscape is defined by the vital transit corridor of the Southern Pacific railroad, which parallels the river and connects the larger town to the stop at Welby.

Upland drainage systems like Wildhorse, Sweetwater, and Hamilton carve into the eastern hills, where Lon Oak Road serves as a primary artery for the ranching and agricultural interests of the late 1940s. The presence of numerous windmills and bench marks throughout the canyon mouths suggests a reliance on groundwater and careful surveying during this era of mid-century development in Monterey County.