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1943 Map of Tesla

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

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Livermore Valley and the formidable ridges to the east define this landscape, where the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads converge at Altamont. This corridor represents a critical transit point through the Coast Ranges, marked by the steep ascent of Patterson Pass. While the valley floor is organized by a grid of roads like East Ave and Taylor Ave, the surrounding uplands remain sparsely settled, dominated by livestock operations and isolated outposts such as Mendenhall Ranch and Pointers Homestead.

Education and social hubs are anchored by the Green School and Townsend School, serving a rural population before the mid-century expansion. To the south, the terrain becomes increasingly complex along Crane Ridge and Cedar Mountain Ridge, where a network of steep gulches like Williams Gulch and Man Ridge Gulch drain toward the valley. The presence of unidentified Mines and the Buckeye Club suggest a mix of resource extraction and private land use in these higher elevations.