1958 Map of Belle Meade SE

About this map

Collier Seminole State Park anchors the southern portion of this landscape, where the southern Florida cypress swamps and tidal marshes dominate the terrain. The 1958 survey, updated with 1973 revisions, reveals an environment defined by its hydrology and the remains of early industrial access. The most prominent human-made feature is the Old Railroad Grade, which cuts across the marshy interior, signifying a period when timber or other resources were extracted from this wet wilderness. The map's grid-like sections and numerous depressions highlight the challenging nature of the swampy ground as it transitions toward the coast. This record of the mid-20th-century landscape provides a look at the region before modern development patterns fully took hold, preserving the location of tracks and trails used by early explorers and laborers.