1982 Map of Petit Bois Island

About this map

Petit Bois Island stretches across the boundary between Mississippi and Alabama, serving as a narrow barrier between the Mississippi Sound and the open Gulf of Mexico. This 1982 survey, compiled from data by the Department of the Interior and the Geological Survey, documents the island as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The map captures the shifting topography of the shoreline, noting maritime navigation aids like the Horn Island Lighthouse and markers along the Intracoastal Waterway to the north. Strategically located within Jackson and Mobile Counties, the island's low-lying terrain is punctuated by marshes and small ponds, illustrating the fragile geography of the Gulf coast before late-twentieth-century storm cycles further altered its shape.