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1962 Map of Convent

Name: 1962 Topographic Map of Convent
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

The Mississippi River creates a sweeping double bend in this survey of the St. James Parish landscape, anchoring a series of long, narrow riverfront tracts characteristic of French-inspired land division. Prominent estates like Uncle Sam Plantation and Oak Alley Plantation line the waterway, protected by a continuous Levee system. The map documents numerous smaller settlements and landings including Romeville, Convent, and Chatman Town, connected by the Illinois Central and Texas and Pacific railroads that parallel the riverbanks.

Evidence of historical river breaches is seen at Nita Crevasse and Belmont Crevasse, marking locations where the river once broke its banks. Inland, the terrain transitions into the swampy bottomlands around Blind River and Bayou Acadiens. Cultural markers of the community are well-documented, from the St Michael Cem and St Joseph Plantation to the Hestor Oil and Gas Field, showing the evolving industrial and agricultural life of the parish.