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1954 Map of West Gilgo Beach

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of West Gilgo Beach
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1965
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1965

About this map

The Long Island barrier beach system is captured here in mid-century detail, centered on the isolated coastal community of West Gilgo Beach. The landscape is dominated by the strategic infrastructure of the State Parkway and Ocean Parkway, which trace the thin ribbon of sand between the Atlantic Ocean and the intricate marshlands of South Oyster Bay. This era of development highlights a careful balance between recreational expansion at Jones Beach State Park and conservation efforts within the Tobay Beach Bird and Game Sanctuary.

Nautical and natural history are prominent along the inner channels, where features like Middle Line Island, Black Banks Island, and Sanford Island break the waters of the bay. The map provides precise bathymetric data and shoreline contours for Zacks Bay and the Sloop Channel, reflecting the maritime character of the Nassau Co and Suffolk Co boundary before late-twentieth-century coastal changes.