1956 Map of Punta Gorda SE

About this map

The coastal wetlands and developing subdivisions of southern Charlotte County are documented here as they appeared in the mid-1950s and early 1970s. The shoreline of Charlotte Harbor is a complex network of mangrove islands and tidal inlets, including Silcox Key, Blacks Island, and Terrapin Key. Evidence of ancient habitation is marked at Cockroach Mound and Big Mound Creek, standing in contrast to the emerging residential grids of South Punta Gorda Heights and Tropical Gulf Acres. Inland, the landscape is defined by drainage patterns like Alligator Creek and Yucca Pen Creek, with numerous flowing wells indicating the hydrology of the era. The transition from coastal wilderness to early retirement-era development is visible at Pirate Harbor, where canal-front dredging begins to reshape the waterfront near John Quiet Lakes.