1952 Map of Fort Kissimmee NW

About this map

Avon Park Bombing Range occupies a massive portion of this interior Florida landscape, its western boundary cutting a straight diagonal across a mosaic of wetlands and hammocks. The Kissimmee River meanders heavily along the eastern edge of the map, showing the complex oxbows and marshy margins that existed before later channelization efforts. Isolated clusters of higher ground, or hammocks, are scattered throughout the marshy terrain, often bearing evocative names like Hard Luck Hammock, Orange Hammock, and Rattlesnake Hammock. Water movement across this low-lying region is defined by slow-moving features such as Ice Cream Slough and Tick Island Slough. This survey captures the area at a mid-century crossroads, where military land use met a traditional landscape of cypress strands and wet prairies at the junction of Polk, Osceola, and Highlands counties.