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1915 Map of Spenceville

Name: 1915 Topographic Map of Spenceville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1921
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1921

About this map

The Johnson Rancho land grant dominates the western landscape of this 1915 survey, reflecting the enduring legacy of California’s Mexican-era land divisions in Yuba County. Much of the eastern portion of the sheet is marked as a Preliminary Edition Unsurveyed Area, creating a stark visual contrast between the measured topography of the rancho and the then-uncharted territory to the east.

The Bear River serves as the primary geographical anchor, carving a deep path through the center of the map and defining the tri-county boundary where Yuba, Nevada, and Placer counties meet. Local transit of the era is captured at McCourtney Crossing, a vital river passage point. Significant watercourses like Dry Creek and Fenton Ravine drain the surrounding terrain, illustrating the natural drainage patterns that shaped early ranching and settlement in the Sierra Nevada foothills.