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1956 Map of Rigolets

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Rigolets
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

Pearl River distributaries and the vast coastal wetlands of Fritchie Marsh dominate this mid-century survey of the Louisiana-Mississippi borderlands. The intricate hydrologic network shows the West River, Middle River, and East River carving through Honey Island, a landscape defined by shifting bayous and seasonal lagoons. Human presence is concentrated along the higher ground of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad corridor, where small settlements like Pearlington and English Lookout serve as outposts between the freshwater marshes and the saline waters of Lake Borgne.

Maritime navigation is central to the area's geography, evidenced by the Rigolets Lighthouse and Fort Pike guarding the critical passage into Lake Pontchartrain. The map captures a moment when fishing lodges such as Baldwin and Campbell Lodge dotted the islands, and industry reached into the wetlands via scattered Oil and Gas operations. The presence of the Corps of Engineers highlights the ongoing efforts to manage this dynamic deltaic environment.