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1951 Map of Pecan Island

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Pecan Island
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

Pecan Island rises above the marshlands of Vermilion Parish, anchoring a coastal landscape defined by narrow ridges and an intricate network of waterways. This 1951 survey, based on aerial photography from the late 1940s, reveals a mid-century coastal economy where established settlements like Front Ridge sit adjacent to an emerging Oil Field. The Louisiana coast is characterized here by a series of elongated cheniers—ridges of oak and shell that provided the only stable ground for habitation and agriculture—including Sweet Bay Ridge, Cane Ridge, and Lambert Ridge.

Water management and transportation dominate the northern reaches, where the Schooner Bayou and Spoil Canal cut through the wetlands near Little Bear Lake. To the south, the map tracks the transition from stable ridges like Beef Ridge and Sand Ridge toward the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Local infrastructure such as a Radio Tower, Water Tank, and scattered Oil Well sites show the intersection of traditional coastal living with industrial expansion.