Loading map...

1916 Map of Santa Rita Bridge

Name: 1916 Topographic Map of Santa Rita Bridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1948
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1948

About this map

The San Joaquin River meanders through this portion of the San Joaquin Valley, defining a landscape dominated by a sophisticated network of early 20th-century irrigation and ranching. A dense system of waterways, including the Riverside Canal and San Juan Canal, illustrates the heavy engineering required to support agricultural expansion between Merced and Madera counties.

Large agrarian estates and ranching operations anchor the local economy, with named landmarks like Santa Rita Ranch, Lucerne Farm, and Wolfsen Mill providing clear points of reference for genealogists and local historians. The presence of the Red Top Ranch Airport and the strategic Santa Rita Bridge crossing highlights the area's mid-century transportation infrastructure, while numerous windmills scattered across the quadrangle mark the locations of essential groundwater wells in this arid river valley.