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1970 Map of Lake Harbor

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Lake Harbor
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1988
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1988

About this map

The agricultural landscape of the Everglades rim is captured here through an orthophotomap, where the geometric precision of sugar cane fields and drainage canals meets the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee. The settlement of Lake Harbor serves as a central hub where the Seaboard Coast Line and Florida East Coast railroads intersect. This rail infrastructure was critical for moving local produce from areas like Bean City and Little Bare Beach to northern markets.

Water management dominates the terrain, defined by the Herbert Hoover Dyke and the Rim Canal protecting the mucklands from the lake. Offshore, Ritta Island sits prominently in the lake waters, marked with several Pump stations that highlight the ongoing efforts to control the water table for the surrounding industrial farms. The transition from the natural expanse of South Bay to the highly engineered landscape south of the dike illustrates the massive mid-century transformation of the Florida interior.