1942 Map of Petit Bois Island

About this map

Petit Bois Island and the western tip of Dauphin Island dominate this coastal survey, capturing the fragile barrier island system as it existed during the early 1940s. The map illustrates the shifting geography of the Alabama and Mississippi state line, which bisects the waters between Jackson and Mobile counties. The landscape is defined by extensive Sand Dunes and the critical maritime passage of Petit Bois Pass, separating the sheltered Mississippi Sound from the open Gulf of Mexico. A lone navigational landmark, the Horn Island L H, is noted to the west, signaling the hazards of these shallow, fluctuating coastal waters during a period of significant military and maritime activity in the region.