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1954 Map of Dowden Creek

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Dowden Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Fort Polk Military Reservation dominates the center of this mid-century landscape, where federal land-use patterns began to reshape the rural character of Louisiana's Sabine and Vernon Parishes. Deep within the Artillery Range and across Peason Ridge, the terrain is marked by an extensive network of Dismantled railroads, tracing a former industrial footprint that once supported the region's timber economy. In the southwest corner, the settlement of Anacoco remains a focal point of civilian activity, situated along the Kansas City Southern railway line.

Rural life is evidenced by a cluster of country churches that served the surrounding communities, including Pratts Chapel, Union Grove Church, and Bonnie Chapel. The natural drainage of the area is defined by Dowden Creek and the winding course of West Anacoco Creek, with numerous smaller branches like Potty Branch and Ade Branch carving through the ridge. This survey documents the intersection of military expansion and traditional southern parish life before the era of modern landscape changes.