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1892 Map of Bonnet Carre

Name: 1892 Topographic Map of Bonnet Carre
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1928
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1928

About this map

The low-lying wetlands of southern Louisiana dominate this late-nineteenth-century survey, defined by the sweeping curve of Lake Pontchartrain and its connection to Lake Maurepas. The landscape is a complex network of bayous, including Bayou La Branche and Bayou Trepagnier, illustrating the delicate hydrological balance of the Mississippi River delta. The Bonnet Carre Crevasse serves as a stark reminder of the river's power, marking a significant break in the levee system that historically altered the local terrain.

Industrial development follows the high ground along the Mississippi River and the lake shore, where the Chicago St Louis and New Orleans Railroad and Louisville New Orleans and Texas Railroad facilitated regional trade. Small riverside and lakeside settlements such as Frenier, Bonnet Carre, and Lucy represent the era's established communities. This map provides a clear record of the area's rail-and-water economy before twentieth-century levee and drainage projects further transformed the St. John the Baptist Parish landscape.