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1941 Map of Santa Susana

Name: 1941 Topographic Map of Santa Susana
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Santa Susana Mountains serve as a dramatic backdrop to a landscape balancing early petroleum extraction and cattle ranching in the early 1940s. Heavy industrial activity is evident through the presence of the Newhall-Potrero Oil Field, Pico Oil Field, and the Tapo Coquina Mine, marking the region's reliance on mineral and oil resources. Movement through the steep terrain is dictated by the Santa Susana Pass and the Southern Pacific railroad line, which connects the developing Simi Valley Community with Saugus and Newhall.

Family-named homesteads such as Hathaway Ranch and Iverson Ranch are scattered across the canyons, highlighting the area's agricultural roots before widespread suburbanization. Notable institutions like the Wayside Honor Farm and the Castaic Forest Patrol Sta reflect the organized management of the land. This survey, compiled from aerial photography by the Air Corps, documents the transition from a remote ranching frontier into a vital energy and transit corridor.