1969 Map of Big Gum Swamp

About this map

The Osceola National Forest dominates this North Florida landscape, defining a region characterized by extensive wetlands and isolated higher ground. In the late 1960s, this area on the border of Columbia and Baker Counties remained largely undeveloped, with human activity concentrated at Seventeenmile Camp and along the Camp Seventeenmile Road. The intricate hydrology of the region is evident in the transition from the large expanse of Big Gum Swamp to the headwaters of the St Marys River and its Middle Prong. Named landmarks like Impassable Bay, Buckhead Swamp, and Big Island suggest a terrain that dictated both movement and settlement patterns. To the south, the presence of Rest Areas near the modern highway corridor contrasts with the primitive tracks like Pony Dobson Road that penetrate the forest interior.