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1907 Map of Tesla

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Tesla
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1941
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1941

About this map

Livermore Valley and the San Joaquin Valley converge at this point in the early twentieth century, connected by a network of early railroads and mountain passes. The landscape is defined by the steep rises of Crane Ridge and Cedar Mountain Ridge, where remote landmarks like Mendenhall Springs and Sweet Springs provided water in a dry, dissected upland. The presence of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific rail lines through Altamont and Midway highlights the importance of this corridor for regional transit and shipping.

Industrial activity centers around the coal and clay deposits of Corral Hollow, where the settlements of Tesla, Carnegie, and Pottery are clearly marked. These sites represent a specialized mineral economy that existed before later twentieth-century developments altered the character of the pass. Local history and genealogy interest is further supported by the identification of the Holloway House and various family-named gulches and canyons such as Williams Gulch and Callahan Gulch.