1939 Map of Baton Rouge

About this map

Baton Rouge serves as the focal point of this pre-war survey, documenting the city's transition from a river-oriented trade hub to an expanding regional center. The map captures the dense network of plantations that once lined the Mississippi River, including Poplar Grove Plantation, St Louis Plantation, and Granada Plantation, many of which were still distinct entities before late-century industrial development. Beyond the city grid, the landscape is defined by the winding paths of Bayou Manchac and Bayou Duplantier, and the complex rail infrastructure of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad and Louisiana and Arkansas Railway.