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1955 Map of Lafayette

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Lafayette
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

The Vermilion River and a network of intricate coulees like Anselm Coulee and Darby Coulee define the drainage of this south Louisiana landscape during the mid-1950s. The expanding urban footprint of Lafayette is visible in the northeast, showing early suburban developments and institutions such as Myrtle Place Sch and Central Sch. Further west, the Southern Pacific railroad corridor anchors the settlements of Duson, Sadou, and Scott.

Oil and gas exploration is a dominant industrial presence, marked by numerous oil wells and the Duson Gas Field. For genealogists, the map is a primary resource for locating family burial grounds, including the Kimble Cem Chapel, Whittington Cem, and Petry Cem. The transition from rural agriculture to industrialization is evident in the presence of scattered rural schools like Southside Sch and private infrastructure such as the Gladney Landing Strip.