1954 Map of Wells Ranch

About this map

Carrizo Plain and the sharp rise of the Elkhorn Scarp dominate this mid-century look at the arid borderlands of San Luis Obispo and Kern counties. The landscape is defined by large-scale ranching operations and vital water sources in an otherwise dry environment, with the Kern County Land Co Ranch and Seaback Ranch situated at the foothills of the Caliente Range. The existence of The Old Adobe suggests earlier periods of habitation near the drainage of Abbott Canyon. Infrastructure is focused on survival and livestock, marked by numerous Grain Tanks and essential watering points like Semper Spr and Wells Spring. The detailed contouring reveals the geological intensity of the scarp and the deep incisions of Padrones Canyon as they descend toward the flats of Wells Ranch.