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1942 Map of Terra Bella

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Terra Bella
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Agricultural development and early irrigation networks define the landscape of the San Joaquin Valley in this wartime survey. Large family operations and commercial holdings like Deer Creek Ranch and Hunsaker Ranch are scattered across the plains, while the rural education system is anchored by the Saucelito Sch and Thermal Sch. The regional economy is clearly oriented toward the rail lines, with the Southern Pacific and Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe providing the primary transportation corridors for produce moving from settlements like Terra Bella and Ducor.

The southern portion of the map is dominated by the grid of Delano, showcasing its growth near the Tulare Kern County Line Road. Water management is a central theme, evidenced by the Old Deer Creek Channel and several pumping stations required to sustain the citrus and field crops of the era. Smaller trackside stops such as Richgrove, Jovista, and Quality illustrate the density of local shipping points during the early 1940s.