1958 Map of Belle Meade

About this map

Henderson Creek meanders through a labyrinth of mangrove-dominated wetlands and tidal marshes before reaching Rookery Bay and Johnson Bay. This coastal landscape in Collier County represents the environment just before the onset of large-scale residential development in the region. The settlement of Belle Meade and the rail-oriented Old Marco Junction suggest a transition between coastal transit and inland agriculture. Fringing the coast, features like Shell Island and various Daybeacons highlight the navigational importance of these waters, while Rattlesnake Hammock provides a rare point of named higher ground within the expansive swampy terrain. Small details such as a lonely Cem indicate early local history often obscured by later coastal urbanization.