Loading map...

1954 Map of Kisatchie

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Kisatchie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Kisatchie National Forest dominates this mid-century survey, revealing a landscape defined by both conservation and military readiness. In the southern portion of the sheet, the Fort Polk Military Reservation encompasses an Artillary Range and the topographic prominence of Peason Ridge. This intersection of land uses suggests the transition of the Louisiana piney woods from timber production to federal management and defense training during the Cold War era.

Genealogists will find a wealth of local landmarks, particularly the numerous family and community burial grounds such as Old Bellwood Cemetery, Booty Cemetery, and Folly Cemetery. The small settlement of Kisatchie sits near the winding course of Kisatchie Bayou, while the presence of a dismantled railroad snaking through the hills north of Peason Ridge points to the area's earlier logging history. Cultural and administrative features like the Kisatchie Guard Station and the Kisatchie Lookout Tower anchor the forest service's presence in this rural Natchitoches Parish territory.