1954 Map of Stratford SE

About this map

Tulare Lake Bed defines the character of this mid-century landscape in Kings County, where the once-vast freshwater basin has been reclaimed for intensive agriculture. The map illustrates a highly engineered environment, dominated by a grid of levees and irrigation structures designed to manage water in this flat terrain. The Kings River flows south through the center of the sheet, constrained by the Central Avenue Levee, while the Tule River crosses the southern portion of the lake bed. This period of land management is evidenced by the numerous wells and the utility infrastructure of the Midlake Substation. The presence of named embankments such as the Lovelace Levee, Goldberg Levee, and Cohn Levee highlights the complex network of private and public efforts to control the hydrologic cycle for the benefit of the surrounding farmlands.