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1955 Map of Batchelor

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Batchelor
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The Penitentiary Farm at Angola dominates the northern bend of the Mississippi River in this mid-century survey, surrounded by a complex system of camps and landings like Angola Ldg. The landscape is defined by the river's historical shifts, most notably at the Raccourci Cutoff (1848) and Shreves Cutoff (1831), which left behind large oxbows like Raccourci Lake. These engineering changes fundamentally altered the local geography, creating isolated pockets of land between Pointe Coupee and West Feliciana Parish.

South of the cutoffs, a network of river-focused settlements including Batchelor, Lacour, and Innis are connected by the Texas and Pacific Railway. The area's social fabric is visible through numerous rural institutions such as Little Zion Sch Ch & Cem and Lacour Plantation. The southern portion of the map is largely occupied by the Morganza Floodway, a massive spillway project reflecting the era's intensive flood control efforts.