Loading map...

1963 Map of Baton Rouge West

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Baton Rouge West
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Mississippi River dominates this mid-century landscape, acting as the divide between the urban expansion of Baton Rouge and the industrial and agricultural developments of West Baton Rouge Parish. On the eastern bank, the sprawling campus of Louisiana State University and A & M College and the towering State Capitol define the skyline. The map records a city in transition, with purple-shaded areas showing the post-1963 urban spread into neighborhoods like Delmont Place and North Highlands.

Across the river, the economic engine of the Intracoastal Waterway (Port Allen Canal) and the Port Allen Lock facilitates heavy maritime commerce at the Greater Baton Rouge Port. Traditional agricultural roots remain visible at the Poplar Grove Plantation and Cinclare, where the Texas and Pacific and Missouri Pacific railroads service the local sugar and freight industries. Dozens of neighborhood schools and cemeteries, such as Magnolia Cem and Roselawn Cemetery, provide granular detail for local history research.