1947 Map of Garden Island Pass

About this map

Garden Island Pass serves as a primary artery through this coastal reach of Plaquemines Parish, where the Mississippi River delta fragment meets the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Surveyed in the mid-1930s and published shortly after the war, the map documents a fluid landscape of marsh and distributary channels. The presence of Old Balize Bayou suggests a historical connection to the earlier Balize settlement, reflecting the shifting nature of the river's mouth. Navigational passes such as Southeast Pass, Northeast Pass, and Cognevich Pass define the fragmented landmass, while interior waters like Redfish Bay and Garden Island Bay highlight the tidal environment. This 1947 advance sheet, compiled from aerial photography by the Air Corps and U. S. Army, provides a precise record of the shoreline and marsh boundaries before decades of coastal erosion further altered this bird's-foot delta geography.