1927 Map of Semitropic

About this map

The alkaline basin of the southern San Joaquin Valley is defined by the ephemeral presence of Goose Lake, a significant drainage feature that shaped local ranching and land use in the late 1920s. The landscape is marked by several distinct Indian Burial Mounds, indicating a deep cultural history along the banks of the Goose Lake Canal and Eastside Canal. Large-scale ranching operations, including the Carmel Cattle Co Ranch and the Banducci Ranch, appear alongside early industrial footprints like the Universal Oil Co Pumping Sta and a cluster of Gas Wells. Private sporting clubs, such as the Doheny Gun Club, highlight the area's transition into a recreational landscape for waterfowl hunting. This 1927 survey by H.L. McDonald under the U.S. Geological Survey details the sophisticated network of irrigation and drainage essential for agriculture on Semitropic Ridge.