1943 Map of Saddlebunch Keys

About this map

Saddlebunch Keys and Sugarloaf Key form a low-lying archipelago in this mid-century survey of Precinct 8 in Monroe County. The map captures a landscape defined by saltwater transitions, where Lower Sugarloaf Sound and Sugarloaf Cr divide the limestone and mangrove terrain. Maritime safety is paramount, evidenced by several offshore navigational markers including the American Shoal Lighthouse and Rebecca Shoal Lighthouse positioned along the Hawk Channel and the Straits of Florida. Transportation across the islands was in a state of transition during the war years, with the primary thoroughfare through the keys noted as under construction. Small coastal settlements like Sugaloa Beach and isolated landmarks such as Wells Key and Pirates Cove Bn 7 provide specific points of interest for researchers of Florida's coastal history before the postwar development boom.