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1919 Map of San Miguel

Name: 1919 Topographic Map of San Miguel
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

The Salinas River valley serves as the primary corridor for commerce and settlement in this 1917 survey of the borderlands between Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. Along the Southern Pacific railroad line, the town of San Miguel stands as a focal point, supported by nearby rural clusters like McKay and Hamilton. The landscape transitions sharply into the Indian Valley and the steep Chokamme Hills, where a remarkably dense network of rural schoolhouses—including Eagle School, Imusdale School, and Independence School—speaks to a distributed ranching community before the consolidation of the mid-twentieth century.

Water management and local geography are defined by numerous seasonal drainages such as Big Sandy Creek and Vineyard Canyon. Significant for genealogists, the map identifies the Imusdale Cemetery and small, scattered settlements like Valleton and Stranahan that centered around these canyons and the valley floor. The map’s topographic detail highlights the complexity of the terrain around Middle Mtn and Stockdale Mtn.