Loading map...

1949 Map of Bay Tambour

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Bay Tambour
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1949
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1949

About this map

Coastal marshlands and intricate waterways define this deltaic landscape along the border of Jefferson and Lafourche parishes during the late 1940s. The region is a complex web of interconnected water bodies, including the expansive Bay Tambour and the sheltered Hatchet Lake. Human engineering is visible through the straight cut of the Southwestern Louisiana Canal near Bayou Garcia, which provided critical navigation through the tidal wetlands. Small islands and points like Andre Island and Martigan Pt serve as stable markers in a territory dominated by fluid boundaries.

The mapping reveals a transition between larger open waters such as Caminada Bay and narrow tidal passages like Fricot Bayou and Daniels Cut. These features illustrate the natural and artificial hydrology of the Louisiana coast before modern coastal erosion significantly altered these shorelines. For researchers, the map provides a precise look at named inlets like Bay de L'est and Bay Lours, which were central to the local maritime and trapping economy of the era.