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1940 Map of Trail Canyon

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Trail Canyon
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

San Gabriel Mountains topography defines this survey, highlighting a network of steep canyons and ridges within the Angeles National Forest during the late 1930s and 1940s. The landscape is marked by the split of the North Fork Pacoima Canyon and South Fork Pacoima Canyon, which converge near Pacoima in the northwest. Utility and safety infrastructure of the era is evident through the prominent Transmission Line cutting across the northern peaks and the elaborate system of fire management trails, including the Condor Peak Firebreak and numerous segments simply labeled Firebreak.

Water sources such as Yerba Buena Spring and the Big Cienega provide critical points of interest in this drainage basin. The lower elevations follow the course of Big Tujunga Creek and the accessible Canyon Road, while the high country is dominated by landmarks like Iron Mountain and Condor Peak. This map documents the area just as infrastructure for power and forest protection began to deeply mark the wilderness of Los Angeles County.