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1951 Map of Whittier

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Whittier
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

The Pio Pico Mansion State Historical Monument stands as a focal point of early California heritage near the banks of the San Gabriel River. During the early 1950s, this landscape underwent a rapid shift from agricultural rancho roots to suburban industrialization. The map reveals a dense network of institutional and educational landmarks, from Whittier College and the Nelles Sch for Boys to the expansive grounds of the Norwalk State Hospital.

Evidence of the region's petroleum economy is visible in the numerous oil refineries and sumps surrounding Santa Fe Springs, while the older agrarian character persists at the Mc Nally Ranch and along the slopes of the Puente Hills. Transportation corridors like the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad and Whittier Blvd (U.S. 101) anchor the settlements of Norwalk, Pico, and Rivera as they began to coalesce into a continuous urban corridor.