Loading map...

1917 Map of Turlock

Name: 1917 Topographic Map of Turlock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1917
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1917

About this map

The town of Turlock is depicted during a period of rapid agricultural development, dominated by the diagonal corridor of the Southern Pacific (San Francisco and New Orleans Line). The surrounding San Joaquin Valley landscape is defined by the early irrigation infrastructure that transformed this region, specifically the Turlock Canal and various lateral channels like Lateral No 5. Small rural settlements like Irwin and Delhi are established near the winding course of the Merced River, which forms the southern boundary of the survey area.

Local rural life is evidenced by a network of country schools, including Roselawn School, Johnson School, and Delhi School, serving the families who followed the expansion of the rail lines and irrigation systems. The presence of the Electric RR in the northwest corner of the map points to the modernization of transportation during the early twentieth century, while the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe RR (High Line) cuts across the northeast, illustrating the competitive nature of railroad expansion in the valley.