1971 Map of Gardner

About this map

Hot Wells and the surrounding piney woods of the Kisatchie National Forest define this central Louisiana landscape during the early 1970s. The map illustrates a region transitioning between the managed timberlands of the national forest and the fertile bottomlands of the Red River valley to the northeast. Settlement patterns are concentrated along the winding course of Bayou Rapides and Bayou Jean de Jean, where small communities like McNutt and Wilda are situated. Large water bodies, including Cotile Lake and the Kincaid Reservoir, reflect mid-century infrastructure developments for recreation and water management. Local heritage is deeply rooted here, evidenced by numerous rural houses of worship such as Red Store Ch and Second Evening Star Ch, alongside family burial grounds like the Dark Neal Cem and James Cem. An Old Railroad Grade cutting through the forest provides a tangible link to the era of intensive southern yellow pine logging.