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1895 Map of Citra

Name: 1895 Topographic Map of Citra
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

Phosphate mining and citrus cultivation define this late-19th-century landscape at the junction of Marion and Alachua counties. The southern reaches of the sheet reveal an burgeoning industrial corridor near Anthony, home to the French Phosphate Mines, Baker Mine, and Excelsior Mine. This resource extraction is supported by the intersecting lines of the Florida Central And Peninsular R. R. and the Florida Southern R. R., which connect the interior settlements of Citra and Reddick to the wider region.

The northern terrain is dominated by the extensive waters of Orange Lake and Lochloosa Lake, linked by the winding Cross Creek. These water bodies are surrounded by vast, low-lying wetlands such as Black Sink Prairie and Hawthorn Prairie, contrasting with the higher ground occupied by established rail stops like McIntosh and Island Grove. The map captures a moment when the regional economy was diversifying beyond agriculture into heavy mineral production.