Ink manuscript on semi-translucent paper, with printed outline map on the back printed in reverse, so it is visible with correct orientation faintly on the front to serve as a guide. On sheet 77x123 cm (30¼x48½").
Manuscript cadastral map delineating some 115 dairy farms in Cerritos, a suburb in south central Los Angeles County, formerly named Dairy Valley because of the preponderance of dairies in the area. The names of the dairies and their proprietors are given and their boundaries delineated, with some areas undeveloped. This is the earliest known map of the area.
The city of Dairy Valley was incorporated on April 24, 1956, as a reaction to nearby Artesia's rapid urbanization. The city's name symbolized the more than 400 dairies, 100,000 cows and 106,300 chickens found within its limits. Two years later, Dairy Valley voted to become a chartered California city. As land values and property taxes in California rose in the early 1960s, agriculture became increasingly unprofitable, and development pressures increased. In a special election held on July 16, 1963, residents voted to permit large-scale residential development. As a reflection of its newly planned suburban orientation, the city's name was formally changed to Cerritos on January 10, 1967, after the nearby Spanish land grant Rancho Los Cerritos, which figured prominently in the region, and after Cerritos College in neighboring Norwalk.