2024 Map of Pelican

About this map

Pelican and Oxford serve as the primary settlement points in this pocket of De Soto Parish, where the local economy and geography are defined by a complex network of bayous and the rising elevations of the Dolette Hills. The landscape is etched with the courses of West Branch Dolet Bayou, Brushy Bayou, and Rombin Bayou, creating a segmented terrain that historically dictated the placement of roads and homesteads. For genealogists, the map is remarkably dense with burial sites and landmarks, including Zion Hill Cem, Grove Hill Cem, Saint Paul Cem, and Saint Matthew Church (Cem). The presence of the DeSoto Fire Tower on a high point north of Grove Hill RD highlights the importance of forestry management in this timber-rich region, while the persistence of names like Old Jefferson RD and Ramblin RD suggests long-established corridors of travel through the Louisiana backcountry.