1959 Map of Lake Louisa

About this map

Lake Louisa and the surrounding central Florida wetlands define this landscape during a period of transition in the late 1950s. The map illustrates a complex network of freshwater bodies, from the prominent Hickorynut Lake and Lake Ingram to the sprawling Sawgrass Bays and Hancock Bays within the southern Green Swamp. Human presence is marked by rural infrastructure such as the Avalon Lookout Tower and industrial sites like the Avalon Claypit in the northeast. Small-scale development appears in the form of a Campground and the Ymca facility, while the numerous named lakes like Lake Star, Lake Sentinel, and Lake Mac suggest an area valued for both its resources and recreation. The varied terrain includes elevations like Tiger Island rising from the Boggy Marsh, providing a detailed look at the drainage patterns and land use before later twentieth-century development transformed the Lake and Orange County border.