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1968 Map of Krotz Springs

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Krotz Springs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

The town of Krotz Springs sits at a critical junction of water and rail transport in the late 1960s, positioned where the Missouri Pacific railroad crosses the Atchafalaya River. The landscape is dominated by complex water management systems designed to control the flow through the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway and the West Atchafalaya Floodway. Engineered features like the Des Glaises Diversion Channel and the Courtableau Outlet Channel illustrate the intensive mid-century efforts to redirect the natural hydrology of the basin.

Energy extraction is a significant presence in the area, specifically within the Krotz Springs Oil and Gas Field located south of the main settlement. Further from the developed corridors, the map reveals a dense network of swampy terrain and bayous, including Cowan Bay, Two O'clock Bayou, and Half Moon Bayou. The boundary between St. Landry Parish and Pointe Coupee Parish follows the meandering course of the Atchafalaya, documenting the political geography at a time when industrial and flood control infrastructure was reshaping the river's character.