1958 Map of La Belle NW

About this map

Rainey Slough and the winding course of Fisheating Creek dominate this 1958 topographic survey of the Florida interior. The landscape is a complex network of seasonal waterways and wetlands, where the vast marshes of Chaparral Slough meet the defined channel of Bee Branch. Unlike more developed coastal regions, this area remains a landscape defined by natural drainage patterns and the subtle topography of the Glades. A few unimproved dirt tracks and section lines provide the only human imprint on a terrain that relies on the natural flow of these water bodies. Researchers and naturalists can trace the undisturbed 1950s hydrology of this region before modern water management significantly altered the flow of the inland Florida peninsula.