1960 Map of Empire

About this map

Mississippi River transport and a burgeoning petroleum industry define this 1960 coastal survey of Plaquemines Parish. The landscape is a complex network of bays and passes, where settlements like Empire, Port Sulphur, and Buras cling to the narrow natural levees between the river and the surrounding marsh. The map captures the infrastructure of the era's energy economy, detailing the Potash Oil Field, Cox Bay Oil Field, and the Bastian Bay Oil and Gas Field. Communities along the river are marked by local landmarks such as St Patrick Ch, Nairn PO, and the Rosa Lane Cem. This document preserves the fragile geography of the delta before significant coastal erosion changed many of these landforms, showing the relation of schools like Sunrise Sch and churches like Pilgrim Rest Ch to the winding river road.