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1970 Map of Opelousas

Name: 1970 Topographic Map of Opelousas
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Opelousas serves as the focal point of this South Louisiana landscape, where the confluence of three major rail lines—the Southern Pacific, Texas and Pacific, and Missouri Pacific—illustrates the city's historic role as a transportation hub. The surrounding St. Landry Parish countryside is a dense network of watercourses, including Bayou Teche and Bayou Courtableau, which supported early settlement patterns visible through numerous community landmarks like Grand Prairie Ch & Cem and Sacred Heart Chapel & Cem.

To the northeast, the Thistlethwaite State Wildlife Management Area preserves a significant portion of the river bottomlands. The map also documents the region's industrial footprint, specifically the Ville Platte Oil and Gas Field and the Washington Oil and Gas Field. Rural life is further evidenced by isolated schools and churches such as Lawtell Sch and St Andrews Ch, reflecting the distributed nature of parish communities during this era.