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1950 Map of Taft

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Taft
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The industrial development of the Kern County oil fields is clearly etched across this 1950s-era landscape, where the Naval Petroleum Reserve No 1 and No 2 converge. This survey captures a specific social and industrial hierarchy, marked by numerous company camps such as Standard Oil Camp 1-C and the Honolulu Oil Main Camp. The urban core of Taft is surrounded by satellite communities like Ford City, Taft Heights, and South Taft, reflecting the rapid mid-century expansion of the petroleum industry.

Evidence of the infrastructure required to support this production is visible in the dense network of pipe lines, the Standard Oil Tank Farm, and various oil sumps scattered through the Elk Hills. Beyond the heavy industry, the map records the essential civic foundations of the era, from Taft JC and HS and Lincoln School to the Petroleum Club, which served as a social hub for the local oil workers and their families.