Today we continue our journey of the Loxahatchee Slough, once part of southwest headwaters of today’s “Wild and Scenic,” but also water-anemic, You will see that the Loxahatchee River is located in both Martin and Palm Beach counties.  My brother, Todd Thurlow’s “Time Capsule Flight” guide-posts are below to give reference during your awesome flight of this area.

Again, as in some of Todd’s other videos, you will see that humankind has developed lands “right in the middle of a river.” Certainly we would have done things differently today!

For instance, the red line in the video and photo above shows the “Southern Path From the Everglades to the Loxahatchee Slough” using 1949-1950 USGS Topo maps. Today, this once “water wonderland” is completely developed, and channelized, shutting off the once intermittent, bi-directional flow, depending on rain levels and locations… to the Loxahatchee River.

It is kind of sad that most of us are completely unaware that this giant slough was once a flourishing “fork” of the Loxahatchee River. It took me awhile to figure it out. They should teach this stuff in school. Please watch Todd’s video below. You will be in awe!

In this video you will see:

0:00 1958 USGS 1:250K Topo Quad of Palm Beach and neighboring counties

0:05 I added the red line to the map showing the path of low lands between Loxahatchee Slough and the Everglades

0:08 Eight 1949 and 1950 1:24K USGS Topo maps

0:25 Fade away to a current aerial showing the red line and flying…

— north, from  the intersection of State Road 7 (US441) and Old Hammock Way (just north of The Mall at Wellington Green)

— 0:30 across the West Palm Beach Canal

— 0:33 to the south end of Loxahatchee Slough (Behind Renaissance Charter School / Okeechobee Rd & Benoist Farms Rd)

0:46 Fly up the C-18 Canal, which now splits and drains to Loxahatchee Slough (C-18/Corbett Basin)

0:59 Turnpike and I-95 interchanges at Indiantown Rd. (SR706)

1:08 Southwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River

(https://youtu.be/xMThRgDhpbk)

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Links:

If one looks up the Loxahatchee River today there is hardly a mention of  the once great southwest arm of the river, it is just a long skinny canal, ~the photo not even showing the large partially remaining Loxahatchee Slough now amputated from the river by development. https://loxahatcheeriver.org/river/about-river/

Learn more about Todd Thurlow and see his many other Time Capsule Flights here: https://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/todd-thurlows-time-capsule-flights/