1934 Map of Browns Lake

About this map

Black Lake and the marshlands of northern Cameron Parish define this coastal landscape, surveyed in 1934 before the extensive industrial transformations of the later twentieth century. The map highlights the intricate relationship between land and water in the Chenier Plain, where Back Ridge rises as a distinct topographical feature above the surrounding wetlands. This era shows the early infrastructure of the region, including the Starks Canal and the primary State road leading toward the Gulf. The small settlement around Hackberry Sch serves as a focal point for the local community, while larger bodies of water like Browns Lake and the northern edge of Calcasieu Lake dominate the geography. Aerial photographs taken by the Army Air Corps provided the basis for mapping these shifting shorelines and island formations like Vincent Island, capturing a moment when the natural drainage patterns remained largely intact.