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1969 Map of Big Gum Swamp

Name: 1969 Topographic Map of Big Gum Swamp
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Big Gum Swamp dominates this landscape on the border of Baker and Columbia Counties, forming a dense hydrologic network within the Osceola National Forest. The 1969 survey captures a period of forest management and early interstate-era development, showing the transition from the wild wetlands of Impassable Bay and Williams Bay to the commercial thoroughfares at the southern edge. The presence of Seventeenmile Camp and the established route of Seventeenmile Road indicate the historic importance of logging and access through these reaches.

Water defines the geography, with the headwaters of the St Marys River and its Middle Prong emerging from the north. These drainage patterns, including Maple Head Creek and Little Gum Swamp, illustrate the complex ecosystem that characterizes the Florida-Georgia border region before major modern drainage alterations. To the south, early interstate infrastructure appears alongside local routes like Pony Dobson Road, marking the edge of this protected wilderness.