1957 Map of Monroe North

About this map

NE Louisiana State College and the northern residential expansions of Monroe anchor this 1950s survey of the Ouachita Parish landscape. The winding course of the Ouachita River creates a series of oxbow features like Horseshoe Lake and Moon Lake, while the industrial footprint of the Monroe Gas Field and the sprawling Selman Airport dominate the eastern reaches. The map documents a community in transition, showing the infrastructure of mid-century education and social services through the Booker T Washington Sch, Union High Sch, and the Childrens Home. Navigation and water control are central to the area's development, evidenced by the Bayou de Siard Dam and the complex drainage of the Chauvin Swamp. From the Jewish Cem to the local Drive-in Theater, the sheet provides a detailed look at the social and economic geography of the parish just before significant modern urban sprawl.