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2015 Map of Extension

Name: 2015 Topographic Map of Extension
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2015
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2015

About this map

The Ouachita River snakes along the boundary between Franklin Parish and Catahoula Parish, defining a landscape dominated by the complex hydrology of the Louisiana delta. This territory is marked by the winding courses of the Boeuf River, Shop Bayou, and Grayson Bayou, which feed into numerous backwater bodies like Turkey Creek Lake and Hicktom Lake. Small settlements such as Extension and Jones Landing serve as the primary human hubs in an area where the land is largely shaped by floodplains and alluvial prairies.

Evidence of local history is preserved in small family and community plots including Shady Grove Cem, Carraway Cem, and King Cem. The map reveals the intricate network of land divisions and rural routes like Fox Johnston Rd and Alex Washington Rd that navigate around Boeuf Prairie and the many islands formed by shifting river channels, such as Rabbit Island and Cocklebur Island. These features illustrate the traditional river-and-prairie economy of the region before modern drainage and development altered the natural flow of the basins.