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1938 Map of Little Woods

Name: 1938 Topographic Map of Little Woods
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

Lake Pontchartrain defines the northwestern edge of this 1930s coastal landscape, where the rising infrastructure of Orleans Parish meets the marshy expanses of the Louisiana coast. The settlement at Little Woods and the nearby Edge Lake community are shown during a period of transition, linked to the city by the Southern Railway and the development of Hayne Boulevard. A complex network of drainage projects is evident through the numerous artificial waterways including the Janncke Canal, Farrar Canal, and the Little Woods Drainage Canal, which segment the low-lying terrain into organized tracts.

Eastward, the map reveals a more natural, winding hydraulic system characterized by features such as Sauvage Bayou, Blind Lagoon, and Dosgris Lake. The presence of Sugar Mill Lake near Micheaud suggests the agricultural and industrial history of the area, while names like Big Oak Islands and Pine I denote higher ground within the marsh. This survey, compiled in part from aerial photographs, captures the precise moment when reclaimed lands and transportation corridors began to reshape the historical wetlands of eastern New Orleans.