Loading map...

1943 Map of Stratford

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Stratford
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Kings River dominates this San Joaquin Valley landscape, its course managed by Empire Weir No 1 and Empire Weir No 2 as it flows toward the expansive Tulare Lake in the south. The 1943 survey captures an agricultural region defined by a rigid grid of avenues and massive water control projects, including the Empire Canal, Outside Waterway, and Blakeley Canal. These systems enabled the development of settlements like Stratford and the Rancheria Santa Rosa, which stand in contrast to the industrial infrastructure found to the southwest.

In the Kettleman Hills, the Kettleman Hills Compressor Station points to the area's energy production, while the Pacific Southern railroad line provides the essential connection for local transport. Educational life is visible through scattered rural schoolhouses such as Murray Sch, Empire Sch, and Jacobs Sch. The map also preserves the location of established ranching operations like Blakeley Ranch and Goodfellow Ranch, documenting the transition from natural lakebeds to a highly engineered landscape.