Loading map...

1957 Map of West Palm Beach

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of West Palm Beach
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp dominate this mid-century landscape, illustrating the massive scale of 20th-century water management in Southern Florida. A complex network of canals, including the Miami Canal, North New River Canal, and West Palm Beach Canal, radiate from Lake Okeechobee, cutting through the wetlands to support agricultural industry. The presence of the Sugar plant near Clewiston and the Pahokee State Prison Farm highlight the economic and social infrastructure built into the reclaimed land.

On the Atlantic coast, the linear development of the Gold Coast is clearly visible, from West Palm Beach down to Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. Inland, the map documents the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation and the Seminole Ind Res near the coast. Transportation infrastructure of the era is anchored by the Florida East Coast and Seaboard Air Line railroads, while the Tamiami Trail provides the primary passage across the southern wilderness toward Naples and Fort Myers.