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1955 Map of Jennings

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Jennings
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

The Mermentau River snakes through the center of this mid-century survey, defining the boundaries of Acadia, Jefferson Davis, and Vermilion Parishes. In Jennings, the local landscape is shaped by the energy industry and transportation, featuring the Jennings Airport, a Drive-in Theater, and the Southern Pacific railroad corridor. Further south, the town of Lake Arthur sits at the edge of its namesake Lake Arthur, where the wetlands transition into the coastal prairie.

Evidence of the region's petroleum economy is widespread, with the Egan Oil and Gas Field and West Mermentau Oil and Gas Field prominently marked. Scattered rural life is anchored by landmarks like St Gertrude Ch, St Theresa Ch, and the Klondike Sch. The map reveals a complex water system of bayous and canals, including Bayou Chene and Bayou Queue de Tortue, which supported the local agricultural and drainage needs of the time.