1900 Map of San Luis

About this map

San Luis Obispo serves as the central hub of this Central Coast landscape, where the Santa Lucia Range meets the Pacific. The late 19th-century topography reveals a coastal economy defined by maritime transport and early rail development, with the Southern Pacific R.R. pushing through Cuesta and the P.C.R.R. connecting the inland valleys to the coast. Significant maritime infrastructure is visible at Port Harford and the Pt. San Luis L.H., while Mallagh Landing provides another point of contact for the seafaring trade. Inland, the map documents land use ranging from the Asphalt Mines near Maxwellton to the agricultural expanses of Santa Manuela. Distinctive volcanic peaks like Hollister Peak and Morro Rock anchor the coastal profile, marking a terrain that shifts from the dunes of Estero Bay to the high ridges of Lopez Mt..