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1943 Map of Bloodsworth Island

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Bloodsworth Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

Bloodsworth Island dominates this 1943 War Department survey, appearing as a complex network of marshes and tidal guts at the junction of Tangier Sound and the Chesapeake Bay. The land-water interface is remarkably intricate, defined by features like Okahanikan Cove, Pone Cove, and Northeast Cove. To the north, the small fishing communities of Crocheron and Bishops Head represent the primary human settlements, connected by a lone road through the Bishops Head Marsh.

Navigational aids such as the Hooper Strait Lighthouse and Honga River Light underscore the maritime importance of Hooper Strait. The southern portion of the map reveals the shifting geography of the archipelago, including Holland Island, Spring Island, and the northern edge of South Marsh Island. This survey captures the landscape just as the Dorchester and Somerset county line crosses the open water of the Smith Island Straits, documenting a remote island ecology shaped by the tides.