1973 Map of Marco Island

About this map

Marco and the surrounding Ten Thousand Islands are captured during a period of significant coastal transformation in this 1973 orthophotomap. The map documents the rapid development of finger canals and residential dredging at Isles of Capri and north of Barfield Sch, contrasting sharply with the undeveloped mangrove labyrinths of Horrs Island and Kice Island. A distinctive terrestrial marker of the past, the Old Railroad Grade, cuts through the northern marshlands toward McIlvane Bay, recalling earlier industrial eras. In the village of Goodland, the map shows a concentrated cluster of structures near the Big Marco River. Landmarks like St Marks Ch and the Tall Bridge provide essential points of reference for local historians studying the mid-century infrastructure of this subtropical archipelago before further modern expansion altered the original shoreline of Marco Beach.