1932 Payne / Thomas Bros. Survey Map of San Bernardino County, California

A scarce, large-format 1932 James H. Payne map of San Bernardino County, California, published by Thomas Brothers. True to its title, it particularly highlights mines, water sources, and railroads.

A Closer Look

Coverage includes San Bernardino County, with portions of Inyo, Tulare, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial Counties (with a small sliver of Ventura County at left), as well as small portions of Nevada and Arizona. Much of the area is divided colloquially between the 'High Desert' (roughly the central portion of the map between Antelope Valley and Yucca Valley) and the 'Low Desert' (the bottom portion of the map, including the Coachella Valley to the Lower Colorado River Valley around Blythe). The upper-right portion of the map is the heart of the Mojave Desert, heading towards Death Valley and Las Vegas.

Survey lines crisscross the map, along with railroads, 'wagon roads,' irrigation works (including the L.A. Aqueduct) and other features. Springs, wells, mines, waterways, and other information relevant to settlers (especially farmers) and miners are noted throughout, often with colorful names like Last Chance (Springs), Horse Thief Springs, and Confidence Mine. Several placenames retain older renderings and spellings, such as 'Palm Spring' for Palm Springs and 'Appleton Valley' for Apple Valley.

Mines, Railroads, and Wagon Roads

References to borax, silver, gold, tin, and other mines abound, especially in the Mojave Desert. The many railroads cutting through the desert often had an economic function tied to the mines, with narrow-gauge branch lines connecting mines to the main line. Until mines and railroads penetrated the region in the late 19th century, the area was considered nearly uninhabitable, especially outside of valleys where seasonal rivers might run. In the following decades, the rights of way obtained by the railroads were often repurposed for building highways.

Publication History and Census

This map is copyrighted to James H. Payne and is dated 1932. It was published by Thomas Brothers. The map is rare, only being listed among the institutional holdings of the University of California Berkeley and the University of California Riverside. No known market history.