1955 Map of Lake Athanasio

About this map

Lake Athanasio dominates this mid-century survey of the Mississippi River Delta's outer marshes, where the land fragmenting into the Gulf of Mexico creates a complex network of bays and islands. The boundary between St Bernard Parish and Plaquemines Parish cuts through the lower reaches of the map, just north of where Bayou Terre aux Boeufs enters Black Bay. This is a landscape shaped by shifting tides and sediment, evidenced by the intricate maze of wetlands surrounding Seven Dollar Bay and St Helena Bay. Navigational markers like Lake Eloi Light 1 and Mozambique Point Light serve as vital landmarks for mariners threading through Pass Fernandez or crossing into the open waters of Breton Sound. The presence of small landforms such as Coon Nest Island and Deadman Island provides a glimpse into the coastal geography before decades of accelerated subsidence and erosion.