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1972 Map of Rapides

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Rapides
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1992
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1992

About this map

The England Air Force Base dominates the central landscape of this 1970s survey, illustrating the significant military presence north of Alexandria. The base is flanked by the Central Louisiana State Hospital to the east and the winding course of Rapides Bayou, which carves through the agricultural plains. To the south, the terrain shifts abruptly as the flat bayou country meets the rising elevations of the Kisatchie National Forest, which borders the Kincaid Reservoir.

Rural life is anchored by a network of local institutions like the St Marys Sch Ch and First Evening Star Ch. The map also documents the transition of small settlements such as Alfalfa and Rapides, alongside early 1990s urban expansions noted in purple. Water management is a visible theme, from the Red River levees in the north to the Diversion Channel and various drainage ditches like Irish Ditch No 1 that support the region's low-lying geography.