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1942 Map of Lake Cataouatche East

Name: 1942 Topographic Map of Lake Cataouatche East
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Lake Cataouatche and the northern reaches of Lake Salvador dominate this coastal landscape, illustrating the intricate hydrology of the Jefferson and St. Charles Parish line in the early 1940s. The map captures a transition period where natural bayous like Bayou Segnette and Bayou Couba exist alongside an emerging network of man-made channels, including the Waggaman Canal and Millaudon Canal. These waterways were vital for drainage and navigation in a region where the land was barely above sea level.

Couba Island sits between the two large lakes, while the remote settlement of Bouquet des Chenes appears on the western edge. In the southeast corner, the intersection of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Barataria Waterway signals the area's growing importance to maritime commerce and the regional economy. This survey, based on 1932 aerial photography, preserves the original winding paths of southern Louisiana's bayous before decades of coastal erosion and industrial expansion altered the shoreline.