1953 Map of Dog Lake

About this map

Four Isle Bay Oil and Gas Field dominates the upper reaches of this coastal landscape, reflecting the mid-century industrial expansion into the Terrebonne Parish wetlands. The environment is a complex network of brackish waterways and marsh, defined by significant water bodies such as Hackberry Lake and the wide expanse of Dog Lake to the south. Navigation through this labyrinth relies on a dense system of passes and bayous, including Grand Caillou Bayou and Big Colyell Bayou. Grounded features like China Island and a lone Radio Tower provide rare fixed points in a territory where the line between land and water is constantly shifting. The map captures a moment before significant coastal erosion and subsidence altered the geometry of these marshes, documenting the exact reach of named inlets like Moncleuse Bay and Bay Charlie as they appeared in the early 1950s.