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1955 Map of Baird

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Baird
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Industrial phosphate mining defines the landscape near the Brewster settlement during the mid-1950s. Large-scale excavations and earthmoving are evident through numerous Mine Dump and Strip Mine features, particularly in the northern reaches near Hookers Prairie. The region's economy is further illustrated by the transportation network, including the Seaboard Air Line and the Aac Co Rr, which served the phosphate pits.

Away from the industrial activity, the southern portion of the map transitions into the rural borderlands of the Polk Co Hardee Co line. Here, local life centers around Payne Creek Ch and the winding course of Payne Creek. Subtle markers of the era include the Pierce Lookout Tower and several Windmill locations, alongside the traces of an Old Railroad Grade that speaks to earlier transit routes through the wet Florida prairies and creek bottoms like Little Payne Creek.