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1954 Map of Kisatchie

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Kisatchie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1958
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1958

About this map

Kisatchie National Forest dominates this mid-1950s landscape, where the dense timberlands are carved by deep bayous and military activity. To the west, the Fort Polk Military Reservation and Peason Ridge Artillery Range occupy significant acreage, bordering settlements like Kurthwood and Mink. The map documents a period when the timber industry's older infrastructure was fading, evidenced by a dismantled railroad snaking through the hills near Hutton and Simpson.

Genealogists will find a wealth of burial sites, including the Old Kisatchie Cem, New Kisatchie Cem, and the family-named Billy Dowden Cem. The presence of several fire watch structures, such as the Kisatchie Lookout Tower and Red Dirt Lookout Tower, reflects the era's intensive forest management. Small rural centers are marked by landmarks like the Kisatchie Guard Station and Sunny Hill Church, anchoring the community geography amidst the complex drainage systems of Kisatchie Bayou and the Calcasieu River.