1946 Map of Redfish Point SE

About this map

Marsh Island and the coastal wetlands of the Gulf of Mexico dominate this 1946 survey, compiled from aerial photography by the Air Corps and field examinations from the early 1930s. The landscape is defined by the fluid boundary between land and water, where the Pirogue Trail cuts through the marsh as a vital artery for navigation by small boat. This trail provides evidence of the traditional methods of movement through the Louisiana wetlands long before modern dredging transformed these waterways. Significant coastal markers such as Lighthouse Point and Southwest Point frame the entrance to the Southwest Pass, separating Vermilion Bay from the open sea. Further inland, the complex hydrology of Portage Lake and the evocatively named Hell Hole reflect a dynamic environment of bayous and channels where the boundary between Vermilion Parish and Iberia Parish meets the coastline.