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1947 Map of San Luis Obispo

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of San Luis Obispo
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

The Santa Lucia Range and the complex terrain of the Los Padres National Forest dominate this post-war landscape, where military installations and coastal settlements define the local geography. Significant land use is evident at the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation and Camp Roberts Military Reservation, reflecting the era's strategic importance for the Central Coast. Along the coast, small communities like Cambria, Cayucos, and Morro Bay sit between the Pacific and the mountains, while the Southern Pacific railroad provides a vital interior link through San Luis Obispo and up the Salinas River valley.

Industrial activity is noted at the Los Burros Mine and Polar Star Mine, highlighting a legacy of extraction in the hills. To the east, the vast Carrizo Plain and Cholame Valley show a starkly different, more open landscape compared to the coastal peaks. Local educational and water infrastructure, such as El Dorado School and the Salinas Reservoir, offer precise points of interest for those tracing community development before the major expansion of the mid-20th century.