{"product_id":"old-map-of-pasadena-california-by-usgs-1928-san-marino-altadena-san-gabriel-mountains","title":"Old Map of Pasadena, California by USGS, 1928 – San Marino, Altadena \u0026 San Gabriel Mountains","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in 1928 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Altadena” presents a finely observed 1:24,000 topographical portrait of Pasadena, San Marino, Altadena, and the dramatic foothill country rising toward the San Gabriel Mountains. The map captures Southern California at a moment of accelerated transformation, when citrus groves, residential tracts, railway corridors, and mountain recreation routes still coexisted in close proximity. Its original title is pleasingly direct, naming the foothill community that anchors the northern portion of the sheet. Through contour lines, color-coded relief shading, roads, railways, waterways, and civic boundaries, the map offers far more than location: it records the texture of a landscape being reshaped by urban growth while still defined by canyon systems, ridgelines, and open slopes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey brought to this map the precision and authority for which its national mapping program became renowned. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS was tasked with surveying the physical structure of the United States, producing maps that were indispensable to engineers, planners, scientists, and travelers. In “Altadena,” that institutional discipline is evident in the careful rendering of elevations, drainage, settlement patterns, and transport routes. The use of contour lines gives the sheet a scientific clarity, while the shaded relief lends the San Gabriel foothills an immediate visual presence. It is a map made for practical understanding, yet it also possesses the quiet elegance of early twentieth-century federal cartography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePasadena appears as the central urban presence, its streets and corridors revealing the city’s established importance by the late 1920s. Colorado Boulevard, Fair Oaks Avenue, Lake Avenue, and other thoroughfares trace the anatomy of a growing civic and commercial center, while West Pasadena, East Pasadena, and the Pasadena city limits illustrate the spread and organization of development. Nearby San Marino is shown within the same network of roads and landscaped settlement, evoking a region increasingly associated with gracious residential districts, gardens, and cultural ambition. South Pasadena and North Figueroa Street connect the map southward and westward, showing how Pasadena belonged to a broader metropolitan fabric even before the freeway era transformed Southern California.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the north, Altadena and Loma Alta occupy the vital transition between city and mountain. Here the topography grows more emphatic, with contours tightening as the land climbs toward the San Gabriel Mountains and the famed Mount Lowe area. Arroyo Seco cuts a defining natural corridor through the landscape, its canyon and watershed shaping both recreation and settlement. The map also marks Baldwin Lake and other water features that punctuate the terrain, reminding the viewer that Southern California’s urban development has always depended upon close negotiation with water, slope, and seasonal change. The contrast between ordered streets below and rugged relief above gives the map much of its visual and historical power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inclusion of numerous roads and railways makes “Altadena” especially evocative of early twentieth-century mobility. The Pasadena Railway and associated routes speak to an era when streetcars and interurban lines linked neighborhoods, resorts, and downtown districts, supporting both daily life and leisure travel. Sierra Madre Villa and the approaches toward Mount Lowe suggest the mountain tourism culture that drew visitors into the foothills before automobiles fully dominated the landscape. Viewed today, the map is a compelling record of a region on the threshold of modern Los Angeles: recognizable in its boulevards and communities, yet still open enough to reveal orchards, hillsides, canyons, and the commanding geography beneath the city’s expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCities, towns and places on this map\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePasadena\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSan Marino\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAltadena\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArroyo Seco\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBaldwin Lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWest Pasadena\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSouth Pasadena\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSan Gabriel Mountains\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSanta Monica Mountains\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eColorado Boulevard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFair Oaks Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLake Avenue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSierra Madre Villa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNorth Figueroa Street\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEast Pasadena\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePasadena Railway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePasadena City Limits\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLoma Alta\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMount Lowe\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHistorical context \u0026amp; cartographic details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorical 1:24,000 topographical map dated 1928.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProduced by the U.S. Geological Survey, known for detailed geological, hydrological, and topographical mapping across the United States.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUses color-coded relief shading to emphasize elevation and terrain layout.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShows detailed topography, including hills, valleys, water bodies, and contour lines indicating elevation changes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReflects early 20th-century regional development, land use, infrastructure, and the growth of residential areas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures numerous roads and railways, highlighting early transport infrastructure in and around the area.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for a particular place?\u003c\/strong\u003e Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop to check before you order\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDetailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please \u003ca href=\"\/de\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eget in touch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee personalised map examples\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of \u003ca target=\"”_blank”\" href=\"\/de\/collections\/all-old-vintage-antique-maps\"\u003erare old and vintage maps\u003c\/a\u003e to discover another place, period or style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Map","offer_id":58802315919744,"sku":null,"price":362.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58802315952512,"sku":null,"price":975.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"12x16in (30x40cm) \/ Framed canvas map","offer_id":58802315985280,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Map","offer_id":58802316018048,"sku":null,"price":362.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed map","offer_id":58802316050816,"sku":null,"price":975.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 (297x420mm) \/ Framed canvas 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