Pipelines to Diversion Dams
Through the years, the engineers working with the company completed hundreds of projects that changed the face of Ventura County. There are over 3,000 project maps, drawings, and plans stored in flat file drawers and 158 boxes of project administrative files.
The files tell the story of the County’s residential and commercial expansion. From hillside neighborhood construction in the 1920s, now disallowed by zoning measures, to a broad range of infrastructure projects, the collection spans from East County to West County.
San Buenaventura Map with Proposed Freeway and Interchange
Some projects highlight power and water infrastructure in Ventura County, like the construction of reservoir sites for the City of Ventura’s Power Water Storage Reservoir.
There are multiple projects for the County Housing Authority, local hospitals, and utility companies, like Southern California Edison. Highway and road projects include the plan for Highway 33 from Ventura to Ojai and the construction and redevelopment of roads throughout the county. Larger projects, like the Beachfront Redevelopment Project in Ventura, show how the county’s growth affected communities and forced the relocation of residential areas.
These records sometimes serve as the only proof of how Ventura County developed over time. Many of the surveys and maps have been used to settle land disputes, serving as official records in evidence for court cases. Still others helped researchers to discover how and when communities connected to water services or how the 1940s grading of a hill affects present day runoff.
Note: The Research Library’s project to catalog items includes digitizing 1,000 pages of maps and administrative files. Not all Martin & Associates projects have been digitized at the time of this exhibit but can still be accessed by Research Library staff through appointments.
Topographic Map of Valley Vista Drive Extension, Reservoir Site No. 3, Rancho Las Posas Estates, 1951
Santa Paula Cemetery, Subdivision of Block N
Grading Plan Map for Gisler Commercial Development Site, Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy, 1966
Proposed Diversion Dam and Spreading Grounds of Part of Section 32, T5N R22W, Ojai, 1951
Map of Proposed Pipeline and of Easements through Section 7 T3W, R19W and Section 12 T3N, R20W for San Marino Oil Company. 1951 (MVC084-D18-2058-01)
Montalvo Heights Map for Site Grading and Tree Removal Plan, 1952 (MVC084-D19-2090-01)
Proposed Nordhoff Creek Road, Ojai, 1917 (MVC084-F2-303-03)
Survey of Part of U.S. Lighthouse Reservation
Identification Numbers
There are three distinct identification numbers on the maps and drawings. The engineers used these numbers to connect everything related to a project so it could be easily found. Each number had a prefix indicating what kind of item it was. The firm also kept a card file index, organized by project number and by the name of the client.
As Built Plan for Ferro Tract No. 2, Ventura. Example of Map with a D, F, and FB prefix located on the bottom right side of the document. (MVC084-D18-1997-01)
The prefixes mean:
D- Drawings. Maps, surveys, and drawings.
F- File folders. These files contain project materials like correspondence, legal documents, handwritten notes, and additional outsourced resources used in the project.
FB- Field book. Field books were created and used by the firm’s staff in the execution of their projects. The field books are not currently held by the Museum of Ventura County but were donated and are held by the Ventura County Surveyor.