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1944 Map of Oriole Beach

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Oriole Beach
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Santa Rosa Island stretches across the center of this coastal survey, dividing the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico from the sheltered reaches of Santa Rosa Sound. Much of the barrier island is designated as the Santa Rosa National Monument, a protected landscape before the mid-century surge in coastal development. Along the northern shoreline, the settlement of Oriole Beach is nestled near the intersection of the county boundary between Santa Rosa and Escambia counties.

Industrial and military footprints are visible through the U S Naval Res and several survey markers like East Dock 1934 and Range 3 1934, which document the maritime engineering of the War Department. Navigationally significant landmarks such as Range Point, Sharp Point, and Fishing Bend define the shifting sands of the coast during the 1940s, providing a precise look at the shoreline before modern erosion and infrastructure changes.