1921 Map of Fort De Soto

About this map

Fort De Soto and the surrounding islands of the lower Gulf Coast are captured here just after the First World War, when much of the region remained dominated by coastal wetlands and scattered agricultural settlements. The strategic importance of the mouth of Tampa Bay is evident through maritime navigation markers like the Beacon and Indian Hill Beacon, as well as the U.S. Quarantine Station on Mullet Key. On the mainland, the Seaboard Air Line railroad ties together riverfront communities like Palmetto, Ellenton, and Bradentown, which grew around the fertile lands of the Manatee River. A notable geographic detail is the network of ephemeral inland water bodies, described as numerous lakes which become dry during the dry season, illustrating the seasonal hydrology that dictated land use before modern drainage and development altered the Manatee and Hillsboro county lines.