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1973 Map of Marco Island

Name: 1973 Topographic Map of Marco Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

Marco and Goodland anchor this orthophotomap, which documents the rapid transformation of the Collier County coast in the early 1970s. The landscape is defined by the emergence of master-planned canal communities and the dredging of Smokehouse Bay and Collier Bay, contrasting with the wilder expanses of Horrs Island and Kice Island to the south. Local landmarks like St Marks Ch and Barfield Sch sit amidst a growing infrastructure that includes the Marco Island Airport and a Toll Bridge connecting the island to the mainland near Bear Pt.

Evidence of earlier transit survives in the Old Railroad Grade cutting through the mangroves toward Goodland. The complex aquatic network of Caxambas Bay and Blue Hill Bay is meticulously detailed, showing numerous keys such as Alpha Key, Beta Key, and Fred Key before later development or environmental shifts. This survey captures a pivotal moment when modern resort geography began to overlay the traditional fishing and maritime patterns of the Ten Thousand Islands.