1979 Map of Pumpkin Islands

About this map

Prairie Ridge and Front Ridge define the habitable elevations of this coastal Louisiana landscape, rising above the surrounding marshlands of Vermilion Parish. In the late 1970s, this area was characterized by a complex network of industrial and transport infrastructure designed to navigate the wetlands. The intersection of the Schooner Bayou Canal and the Freshwater Bayou Canal highlights the importance of inland waterways for local commerce and resource extraction. This orthophotomap, produced by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Louisiana Department of Public Works, provides a clear view of the land-use patterns of the era, where small settlements like Prairie Ridge and Front Ridge clung to the higher ground provided by these narrow geological features.