1852 US Coastal Survey
The oldest detailed and accurate map that I could locate for Christmas Bay dates from 1852. Christmas Bay, then known as 'Oyster Bay,' had a direct connection with the Gulf via Cold Pass, which separated San Luis Island from Velasco Peninsula (present-day Follets Island). Big Slough emptied freshwater into Christmas Bay. The canals cut through Arcadia and Christmas Point Reefs can still be seen on modern aerial photography.
Map source: https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov
The oldest detailed and accurate map that I could locate for Christmas Bay dates from 1852. Christmas Bay, then known as 'Oyster Bay,' had a direct connection with the Gulf via Cold Pass, which separated San Luis Island from Velasco Peninsula (present-day Follets Island). Big Slough emptied freshwater into Christmas Bay. The canals cut through Arcadia and Christmas Point Reefs can still be seen on modern aerial photography.
Map source: https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov