1963 Map of Grand Gulf

About this map

Grand Gulf Military Monument overlooks the dramatic bend of the Mississippi River, marking a site of significant Civil War importance where the bluffs met the water. In the early 1960s, the landscape around the settlement of Grand Gulf is defined by a complex network of oxbow lakes and shifting island masses, including Middle Ground Island and Togo Island, which highlight the river's historical volatility and the resulting indeterminate state boundaries. The eastern uplands are home to local congregations at Jerusalem Ch and Spring Hill Ch, connected by an old Railroad Grade that speaks to former transit corridors in Claiborne County. On the Louisiana side, the extensive curvature of Yucatan Lake and Dishroon Lake illustrates the legacy of river meanders, while the confluence of the Big Black River provides a distinct geographic anchor at the edge of the Mississippi Delta.