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1958 Map of Catherine Island

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Catherine Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Pennington Post Camp stands as one of the few named outposts in this vast wetland landscape, reflecting a time when this part of Collier County was largely inaccessible except by specialized watercraft or via specialized camps. The terrain is dominated by complex systems of strands and hammocks, including the Stumpy Strand and the extensive Fakahatchee Strand. These watery corridors are punctuated by slightly elevated "islands" such as Catherine Island and Rock Spring Island.

The presence of an Indian Mound and several Indian Mounds near Witson Lake suggests a long history of human navigation through these glades. While mostly devoid of modern infrastructure, the map reveals a network of natural water bodies like Curry Lake, Flinthead Lake, and Clearwater Pond that dictated movement through the cypress swamps and sawgrass before later drainage and development altered the hydrology of the region.