1956 Map of Royal Palm Ranger Station

About this map

Everglades National Park meets the agricultural frontier in this mid-century survey of South Florida. The western half of the map is dominated by the wild hydrology of Taylor Slough, where elevated hammocks like Parachute Key and Pine Island emerge from the grassy wetlands. This area serves as a transition from the protected wilderness at the Royal Palm Ranger Station to the structured grid of the eastern section. Here, the landscape changes abruptly to human settlement and cultivation, marked by a dense network of roads such as Biscayne Drive and Kings Highway. The presence of a Landing Field and a Pumping Station near the edge of the park boundary highlights the mid-century infrastructure required to manage water and transportation in this unique environment at the edge of the Everglades.