1939 Map of Cut-Off

About this map

Bayou des Allemands and the sweeping shoreline of Lake Salvador dominate this 1930s coastal landscape, where the transition from marshland to agricultural settlement is clearly defined. Along the natural levees of Bayou Lafourche, a dense string of communities including Larose, Valentine, and Ludevine follow the narrow strip of habitable ground. The map reveals the early engineering of the Intracoastal Waterway through the Harvey Canal No 2, as well as the reclaimed agricultural land of Delta Farms and Clovelly Farms, protected by complex canal systems like the Scully Canal. Rural life is centered around local institutions such as Sacred Heart Ch, Bourgeois Sch, and the Cut-Off Sch. Further into the marshes, family-named waterways like Bayou Matherne and Bayou Manuel illustrate the deep connection between the local population and the labyrinthine swamp environment.