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1956 Map of Grand Island Pass

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Grand Island Pass
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1991
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1991

About this map

The Louisville and Nashville railroad cuts a straight path through the low-lying coastal marshes of Hancock County, serving the small communities of Ansley and Lakeshore. This coastal landscape is defined by an intricate network of waterways like Bayou Caddy and Point Clear Bayou, where land use is rooted in historical land grants such as the George Mares Claim and the Ebenezer Reese Claim. These early property divisions stand in contrast to the shifting, tide-washed environments of Heron Bay and the isolated Grand Island.

Evidence of established community life appears at the St Anns Ch and the nearby Bayou Caddy Cem, providing critical landmarks for genealogists. The map details a transition from the structured upland claims to the wilder reaches of Mississippi Sound and Lake Borgne, connected by the vital maritime passage of Grand Island Pass. From Lighthouse Point to the remote Pokey Dutch on the island, the sheet records a delicate balance between human settlement and the encroaching Gulf waters.