2015 Map of Newlight

About this map

Tensas River meanders sharply through this landscape on the Franklin Parish and Tensas Parish border, anchoring a series of historic river landings that once served as vital transportation nodes. The settlement of Newlight stands near Ferry Newlight Landing, part of a network of river-access points including Pecan Landing, Remolina Landing, and Glade Bayou Landing. The terrain is defined by a dense web of wetlands and watercourses, from the broad reaches of Big Bayou and Mound Bayou to the curious naming of Lake Misery. Smaller drainages like Bieler Bayou and Sandy Bayou carve through the alluvial plains, while local names such as Doc Case and Steel Gang suggest the human history and labor that shaped these lands. The map details the transition from the river's edge to the inland sloughs, tracing how roads like Newlight Rd follow the natural rises of the bottomland.