1953 Map of Cow Bayou

About this map

The Atchafalaya Floodway dominates this mid-century landscape on the border of St. Martin and Iberville Parishes. This is a region defined by complex hydrology and hydraulic engineering, where the Whisky Bay Pilot Channel and the East Protection Levee work to manage the vast deltaic drainage of the Atchafalaya River. The natural meandering of the Grand River and Upper Grand River contrasts with the straight lines of the levee systems, illustrating the 1950s-era efforts to control seasonal flooding. Interspersed among the dense network of water bodies like Billy Little Lake and Jim Lake are signs of industrial extraction, with several Oil Wells and Gas Wells appearing in the northern reaches. The terrain is a maze of bayous, including Bristow Bayou and Maringouin Bayou, which speak to the historic waterborne navigation and settlement patterns of the Louisiana basin.