1953 Map of French Settlement

About this map

The Amite River defines the landscape of this riverine stretch of the Louisiana interior, winding its way through the borderlands of Livingston and Ascension Parishes. In the early 1950s, the primary settlements of Port Vincent and French Settlement were established at critical bends in the river, connected by a network of roads that follow the high ground and levee systems. This era of the landscape is marked by its numerous rural congregations and burial grounds, including the Lady of the Lake Ch, Our Lady Chapel, and the Watson Cem near the river’s edge. The geography is dominated by a complex system of waterways such as Colyell Creek and Cocodrie Bayou, which feed into larger bodies like Flat Lake and Littles Lake. This survey illustrates the intricate balance between human habitation and the swampy lowlands of the river basin, where landings like Tates Landing once served as vital points of access to the water.