Merced County Old Road Maps
Owning Institution: Merced County Historical Society and Courthouse Museum
About this Collection
Merced County was organized in 1855. Farming and ranching were the chief enterprises in the county in the second half of the 19th century. The roads were often developed to transport agricultural products and cattle to the nearest ferry or railroad station. To have a road built in their area, citizens of Merced County would file a petition. The early county roads were called public highways. They were often named either after a landowner of the area such as Healy Ranch Road (1874) or by the towns, ranches, railroads, or ferries where the road began and ended such as Dugan Ranch and Merced Road (1872).The history of a road tells a story of where people were coming from and going to and what they were bringing with them and taking back. It also tells where there is or was a community, why and how a community began and ended. Many county roads like railroads lost their importance when highways were constructed in the early 20th century. The communities along or near the county roads and railroads began to decline and ultimately disappeared. This collection of 26 historic hand-drawn maps shows a different time in Merced County, a time before highway traffic, air pollution, and urban sprawl. View collection guide.
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