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1947 Map of Evangeline

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Evangeline
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1947
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1947

About this map

Evangeline and the surrounding prairie of Acadia Parish center this 1940s landscape, where a sophisticated water management system supported the region's agricultural transition. The map reveals an extensive network of artificial waterways, including the Irrigation Canal No 370 and Riverside Irrigation Canal No 371, which cut across the natural meanders of Bayou des Cannes and Bayou Nezpique. These canals illustrate the massive engineering effort required to reclaim the land for rice cultivation or other large-scale farming during the mid-twentieth century.

Local landmarks such as St Josephs Ch and Miller Ch provide clear anchor points for genealogists researching parish life, while the Southern Pacific railroad line near Kilclarke highlights the industrial transport backbone of the era. This sheet captures a critical moment when the rural landscape was being physically reshaped by both the expansion of public infrastructure like the Mamou State Highway and the private development of local irrigation systems.