1953 Map of Belle Pass

About this map

Bayou Lafourche meets the Gulf of Mexico at this critical coastal junction in Lafourche Parish, where the mid-century industrial footprint begins to extend into the wetlands and open water. The map records a landscape in transition, documenting the infrastructure of the burgeoning offshore energy sector with numerous Platform locations, Oil Wells, and Oil Tanks clustered near Bayou Fourchon. The shoreline is defined by shallow coastal waters like Bay Marchand and Bay Champagne, while the interior marsh is navigated via the Evans Canal and the primary outlet of Belle Pass. A Gaging Station and a Light at the mouth of the pass indicate the navigational importance of this corridor for the local maritime and petroleum economy during the early 1950s.