1892 Map of Bonnet Carre

About this map

St. John Baptist Parish is defined by its precarious and vital relationship with the water in the late nineteenth century. The western shore of Lake Pontchartrain dominates the landscape, where the Chicago St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad tracks hug the shoreline through the marshy lowlands near Frenier. This survey illustrates the riverfront settlements of Lucy and Freetown along the Mississippi River, contrasting the stable river landings with the dynamic environment of the Bonnet Carre Crevasse. The rail network, including the Louisville New Orleans and Texas Railroad, follows the natural levees, while the interior is a maze of waterways like Bayou Trepagnier and Bayou Traverse. These features reveal an era of intense engineering efforts to manage the river's floods and connect the New Orleans hinterland to national markets.