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1952 Map of La Branche

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of La Branche
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

Lake Pontchartrain dominates the northern horizon of this coastal landscape, where the marshlands of St. Charles and Jefferson Parishes meet the water. The settlement at La Branche sits at the edge of the Bonnet Carre Floodway, a critical infrastructure piece for managing the Mississippi's flow. This 1952 revision shows the industrial and transit corridors cutting through the wetlands, most notably the Illinois Central railroad and a significant Oil Field to the southwest.

The topography is defined by a complex network of natural waterways and man-made drainage, including Bayou Trepagnier and Bayou Piquant. The eastern portion of the map is marked by the West Boundary of Kenner and the Upper Protection Levee, shielding the developing areas from the surrounding bayous. Numerous numbered canals, such as Canal No 7 through Canal No 14, illustrate the systematic effort to manage this low-lying environment during the mid-20th century.