1959 Map of Palmetto

About this map

Bayou Teche and Bayou Courtableau dominate this mid-century landscape of the Atchafalaya Basin, where complex drainage systems and floodways define the local geography. The map illustrates the region just as the West Atchafalaya Floodway was a central fixture of the water management system, bounded by the Atchafalaya River. Small communities and agricultural clusters such as Palmetto, Rideau Settlement, and Lebeau are connected by the Missouri Pacific RR and Texas and Pacific RR. Local history is preserved through numerous family-named sites and religious centers, including Immaculate Conception Ch. & Sch., the Godeau Cem., and De Villier Cem.. This era also captures the intersection of traditional land use and industrial development, evident in the Port Barre Oil Field and the Krotz Springs Gas Field situated near the massive ST Landry Game Refuge No 1.