1950 Map of New Inlet

About this map

St George Island stretches across the northern portion of this coastal survey, serving as a narrow barrier between the expansive Gulf of Mexico and the calmer waters of Apalachicola Bay. Compiled from 1942 aerial photography and 1949 field work, the map captures the island in a primitive state, defined primarily by shifting sand and prominent dunes rather than human development. The western edge of the sheet is defined by New Inlet, a critical hydrological breach where the bay meets the open sea. This documentation provides a clear view of the barrier island's morphology mid-century, reflecting a time when the Gulf coast landscape was shaped almost entirely by maritime weather patterns and tidal currents rather than infrastructure.