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1972 Map of Buckeye NE

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Buckeye NE
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1993
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1993

About this map

Hydrological engineering and energy extraction dominate this Louisiana landscape at the junction of LaSalle, Catahoula, and Rapides Parishes. The Catahoula Lake Diversion Canal, flanked by an extensive levee system and a Spillway, cuts a straight path across the wetlands to manage the waters of Catahoula Lake. This massive infrastructure project bisects the Saline State Wildlife Management Area, a region defined by its dense network of waterways including Muddy Bayou, French Fork, and Long Slough.

The presence of numerous petroleum operations, such as the North Big Island Oil Field and the East Muddy Bayou Oil Field, illustrates the intensive industrial use of these alluvial bottomlands during the early 1970s. For researchers of Louisiana's natural history, the map provides a clear record of the interface between protected conservation lands like the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge and the commercial footprint of the oil and gas industry.