1944 Map of Rye

About this map

Rye and Manhattan are central points in this landscape of the mid-1940s, situated within a complex network of waterways in northern Manatee County. The terrain is defined by the winding course of Gamble Creek and the S Fk Little Manatee R in the north, while Goddard Branch and Rye Creek converge near the settlement of Rye. To the east, Oak Knoll sits near the headwaters of Gilley Creek. A notable vestige of earlier industrial activity is the Old Railroad Grade that cuts across the northern half of the quadrangle, reflecting a time when rail transport was critical to the local economy. The area is dotted with numerous small water bodies, including the Gilly Lakes, interspersed among pockets of vegetation and cleared land, illustrating the transition between the region’s natural drainage and early twentieth-century rural development.