Loading map...

1893 Map of Rigolets

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Rigolets
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1901
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1901

About this map

Ft. Pike stands as a sentinel over the vital passage between Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf, guarding the entrance to The Rigolets in this late nineteenth-century coastal survey. This landscape is defined by the complex hydrology of the Pearl River delta, where the Louisiana Mississippi Boundary Line threads through a labyrinth of marsh and water. The map documents the critical infrastructure of the era, specifically the Louisville and Nashville Railroad as it strikes a straight line across the wetlands, bridging Rabbit Island and Pearl River Island.

Navigation through the brackish passes was central to local life, with named channels like St Catharine Pass and North Pass providing transit for coastal vessels. Military and maritime utility is evident in the inclusion of a Hospital and a Lookout near the fort, while landforms like Alligator Pt. and Pole Cat Bend reflect the wildlife and character of the coastal marshes at the turn of the century.