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1953 Map of Monomoy Point

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Monomoy Point
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge dominates this coastal survey, preserving a narrow, shifting peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sound. The map illustrates the dynamic nature of the Cape Cod shoreline in the early 1950s, detailing a landscape defined by tidal flats, Rodgers Shoal, and Handkerchief Shoal. Small pockets of human presence are noted at the Bristol Club and the Monomoy Hotel, situated near sheltered waters like Salt Pond and Hammonds Bend.

At the southern tip of the peninsula, Monomoy Point serves as a critical maritime landmark, flanked by the deep waters of Butler Hole. The inclusion of the Stone Horse Light Ship offshore highlights the navigational hazards of the era's shifting sands and shoals, such as Shovelful Shoal. Interior features like Powder Hole and Hospital Pond offer a look at the varied coastal ecology before further natural erosion and breaches altered the peninsula's configuration.