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1957 Map of Mangham

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Mangham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

River Boeuf snakes through the heart of this Richland Parish landscape, defining a complex network of meanders, sloughs, and brakes that dictated the early layout of plantation and farm life. The extensive system of bayous, including Gourd Bayou, Kelley Bayou, and Muddy Bayou, created a fertile but challenging terrain for 1950s residents. The map captures a moment when rural life centered around a dense network of country churches and schools, such as New Morning Star Ch and Rhymes High Sch.

Industry and transport are anchored by the Illinois Central and Missouri Pacific railroads, which supported agricultural centers like Rayville and Mangham. Evidence of the region's ancient and modern resources is seen in the Indian Mound near Girard and the developing Big Creek Gas Field to the east. Dozens of family-named landmarks and cemeteries, from Adlie Cem to Thomason Cem, provide essential data for genealogists tracing the local lineage of these river-bottom communities.