2018 Map of Melville

About this map

The Atchafalaya River winds through the heart of this riverine landscape, defining the boundary between St. Landry and Pointe Coupee Parishes. The town of Melville sits on the western bank, its grid of streets like Walnut St and S Gum St clustered near the Melville Crevasse, a notable geographic mark of past levee breaches. East of the river, the expansive Morganza Floodway dominates the terrain, a complex network of wetlands and drainage channels including Bayou Cross Vine, Bayou Latanache, and Bayou Pays Bas. Small settlements like Ravenswood and Argyle are positioned along the primary road corridors such as State Rte 77. The map illustrates the sophisticated flood control infrastructure of the basin, where winding bayous like Bayou Bilboquet and Johnson Bayou coexist with an extensive levee system and rural routes like Bayou Fordoche Rd.