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1949 Map of South Gate

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of South Gate
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The industrial corridor of Southeast Los Angeles is captured here just after the war, showing the intensive grid of residential and commercial expansion between the Los Angeles River and the Rio Hondo. This post-war era shows a landscape defined by transit and industry, where the Pacific Electric and Southern Pacific rail lines intersect with major thoroughfares like Firestone Blvd and Imperial Highway. Aviation is central to the local geography, with Compton Airport, Vail Airport, and the Beacon Industrial Airport all active within this relatively small area.

Local history is preserved in the detailed marking of institutions such as Rancho Los Amigos (Hondo PO) and the Angeles Abbey Mausoleum. Significant cemeteries like the Russian Molokan Cem and Old Downey Cemetery provide valuable landmarks for genealogists. The map also traces the community infrastructure of the time, from the Compton JR Coll to numerous parochial schools like St Helen Sch and St Emydius Sch.