1966 Map of Belle Chasse

About this map

Mississippi River bends sharply through the heart of the Plaquemines Parish wetlands, separating established riverfront settlements from the expansive marshlands to the east. Along the western bank, the U S Naval Air Station at Belle Chasse anchors a landscape defined by intensive engineering, including the Sea Train Terminal and the Belle Chasse Ferry crossing. A network of man-made waterways, such as the Forty Arpent Canal and Delacroix Canal, drains the low-lying interior, which is dominated by the vast open water of Big Mar. The map captures a transition in land use, where higher ground like Tigers Ridge supports local roads and small communities like Dalcour and Stella, while the eastern reaches remain largely untamed swamp. These ridges represent the last vestiges of natural levee systems that once protected early settlements and plantations before the modern levee and canal systems reorganized the delta's hydrology.