1961 Map of The Dark Hole

About this map

Black Mountain and Castle Mountain dominate this corner of the California Coast Ranges, where the boundaries of Fresno, Monterey, and Kings Counties converge. The landscape is defined by isolated outposts like the Riley Cabin and Taylor Ranch, connected by a network of trails and jeep tracks through The Dark Hole Canyon and across Turkey Flat. Evidence of early 20th-century resource extraction is visible in the presence of Kings Mine, White Mine, and several oil wells situated near Kreyenhagen Hills. The terrain is marked by numerous seasonal water sources such as Vaquero Spring and Sugar Tail Spring, which were vital for the scattered homesteads and livestock operations of the era. A remote Airstrip located near the Carollo Cabin suggests the increasing role of aviation in managing these high-elevation rangelands during the early 1960s.