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1902 Map of Santa Monica

Name: 1902 Topographic Map of Santa Monica
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1913
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1913

About this map

The Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley define the geography of this early twentieth-century survey, illustrating Los Angeles before its mid-century urban expansion. Large tracts of land remain organized under old Spanish and Mexican land grants, such as Rodeo de Las Aguas, La Brea, and Ex Mission San Fernando. These historic boundaries persist even as new settlements like Hollywood and Burbank begin to take shape along the rail lines.

Transit is dominated by the Southern Pacific R. R. and the Pacific Electric Ry., which connect isolated agricultural communities. Named canyons such as Sepulveda and Benedict pierce the central range, while the Los Angeles River winds through the eastern lowlands past West Glendale. Landmark sites like the Soldiers Home and the University appear as established anchors in a landscape that still retains much of its nineteenth-century ranching character.