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1901 Map of San Luis Rey

Name: 1901 Topographic Map of San Luis Rey
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1921
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1921

About this map

Santa Margarita Las Flores and the coastal terrain of Northern San Diego County are captured here during a pivotal era of early rail expansion. The landscape is defined by the drainage systems of the Santa Margarita River and San Luis Rey River, which carved the deep canyons and valleys that directed the path of human settlement. The arrival of the California Southern RR and the Surf Line transformed the region, linking coastal outposts like Oceanside and Carlsbad to the interior ranch lands and the burgeoning community of Escondido.

Away from the coast, the map documents the Pala Indian Res. and Pechanga Indian Res. alongside established ranching operations like the Home Ranch. The survey highlights the significant elevation changes from the Pacific Ocean to the heights of the Santa Rosa Mountains and Pala Mountain. For genealogists, the placement of early stops such as De Luz Sta. and Fallbrook Sta. provides essential context for the late 19th-century movement of families and commerce through this transition between the mountains and the sea.