1971 Map of Marquesas Keys West

About this map

Key West National Wildlife Refuge encompasses the westernmost stretches of the Florida Keys in this 1971 orthophotomap. The composition is defined by the shallow, intricate marine environment between the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida, where submerged banks and turquoise channels shift around the Marquesas Keys. Unlike traditional topographic maps, this edition uses aerial imagery to show the precise vegetation patterns of the mangrove islands and the sediment flow within Mooney Harbor. Landmarks are sparse in this protected wilderness, though localized features such as the Tower on the northern crescent and the small Gull Keys to the southeast provide fixed points for navigation. This survey documents the archipelago’s delicate geography before significant modern environmental changes, capturing the isolated character of Mooney Harbor Key and its surrounding tidal flats.