Florida in 1881 - Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Cedar Key

Charles S. Sargent compiled this map of the distribution of Florida's pine forests in 1881 for the Tenth Census's Report on the Forests of North America, printed in color lithography by Julius Bien & Co. as one of sixteen thematic forest maps produced for the federal report, made with special reference to the state's growing lumber industry. Rather than tracking roads or towns, the map's legend distinguishes longleaf pine from pitch pine and marks the regions where merchantable timber had already been cut, a level of resource-specific detail unmatched by any conventional state atlas of the period. Florida's vast pine forests were, alongside citrus and cattle, becoming one of the state's most valuable economic resources by the early 1880s.

Jacksonville, Florida's principal port and rail center, appears as a reference point along the northeast coast near some of the state's earliest logged timberland. Tallahassee anchors the map's panhandle, close to dense stands of longleaf pine that fed a growing network of sawmills. Pensacola, with its deep natural harbor, had become a major point for shipping lumber out to national and international markets, while Cedar Key, on the Gulf coast, served as another key timber and fishing port. Counties, lakes, and rivers are shown throughout, giving context to where the state's forest resources were concentrated. The map's careful distinction between longleaf and pitch pine gave lumbermen a genuinely practical tool for planning where to expand their operations.

This scientific 1881 forestry sheet offers a striking contrast to the settlement-focused Florida maps that dominate the rest of this collection, documenting the state's natural resources at a moment when lumber was quietly becoming as important to Florida's economy as its citrus groves. It is a distinctive choice for a forester, a Florida history enthusiast, or a collector of unusual nineteenth-century government maps. This print ships unframed and is available in multiple sizes.