1972 Map of Burns Lake

About this map

Windmill Prairie and the dense cypress strands of southern Collier County dominate this orthophotomap, which utilizes aerial imagery from 1971 to document the landscape's hydrological and vegetative patterns. The southern edge of the quadrangle is defined by the historic Tamiami Trail, a critical infrastructure link that enabled the development of the Everglades region. North of this corridor, the land remains largely untamed, characterized by the light-toned expanse of the prairie and the eponymous Burns Lake. Traces of human presence are sparse, visible only in the survey-straight corridor of Burns Road and the established marker at BM 7. The map preserves the visual state of this wetland environment just as regional conservation efforts were beginning to reshape the management of the Big Cypress area, capturing the delicate transition between the open Concho region and the surrounding swamp.