1892 Map of Houma

About this map

The settlement of Houma serves as a focal point at the junction of Bayou Black and Bayou Terrebonne, illustrating the deep-seated reliance on natural waterways for commerce and travel in late 19th-century southern Louisiana. The landscape is defined by an intricate network of wetlands and bayous, including Bayou de Large and Petit Caillou, which radiate toward the gulf. This 1890 survey documents a period when the Southern Pacific Railroad was beginning to augment the established boat traffic along the Bayou Lafourche corridor. Near Lockport, the Company Canal links the interior bayous to open waters like Field Lake and Lake Long, revealing a highly engineered hydraulic environment. The transition from agricultural strips along the natural levees to the vast marshlands of Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes is clearly delineated by the presence of numerous small settlements and unnamed homesteads lining the water's edge.