1977 Map of Wellfleet

About this map

The narrow, curving reach of the Outer Cape is captured in this 1977 orthophotograph, providing a high-contrast look at the interaction between sand, marsh, and sea. Centered on Wellfleet, the imagery reveals the complex tidal inlets and marshlands that define the inner coastline along Cape Cod Bay. Moving east toward the Atlantic Ocean, the landscape transitions into the high coastal dunes and kettle ponds characteristic of this terminal moraine environment. Smaller settlements like South Truro, Truro, and South Wellfleet are visible as clusters of development along the road networks that parallel the shore. The photograph, produced by the Geological Survey and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Works, offers an unfiltered view of the coastal geography before decades of subsequent erosion and residential growth altered these fragile shorelines.