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1968 Map of Melville

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Melville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1994
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1994

About this map

The Atchafalaya River bisects this Louisiana landscape, defining the boundary between St Landry Parish and Pointe Coupee Parish. Centered on the town of Melville, the map captures a river-dependent community protected by an extensive levee system and the massive Morganza Floodway. Evidence of the river's power is recorded at the Melville Crevasse and the network of gaging stations monitoring the flow.

Southward, the Ravenswood Oil Field marks the region's industrial activity with several gas wells and an oil well near Ravenswood. The rural character is further detailed by an old railroad grade and local centers of worship like Mt Olive Ch and Zion Traveler Ch. The area is a complex maze of waterways, including Bayou Fordoche and Bayou Latenache, which illustrate the natural drainage patterns of the basin prior to modern hydraulic modifications.