1954 Map of Pecan Island SE

About this map

Freshwater Bayou winds through the coastal marshlands of Vermilion Parish in this survey based on early 1930s field examinations. The landscape is defined by the transition from the Gulf of Mexico to a series of distinctive landforms including Mulberry Island, Beef Ridge, and Shell Bank. These cheniers—relic beach ridges—offered the only high ground in an otherwise aqueous environment of sawgrass and silt. Evidence of the local economy and traditional navigation is seen in the Pirogue Trail and specialized waterways like the Fur Company Canal and Belle Isle Canal. This detailed topographic record, compiled with assistance from the Air Corps, U.S. Army, captures the intricate network of canals and trails that supported fur trapping and coastal transit before significant modern coastal erosion altered the shoreline.