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1967 Map of Ruddock

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Ruddock
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1980
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1980

About this map

Lake Maurepas and Lake Pontchartrain dominate this narrow Louisiana land bridge, showing a landscape defined by water and infrastructure during the late 1960s and 1970s. The settlement of Ruddock sits as a lonely outpost along the Ruddock Canal, situated where the Illinois Central Gulf railroad cuts a straight path through the wetlands. This transportation corridor is the lifeblood of the area, shadowed by a primitive Jeep Trail that follows the tracks through the marsh.

Local history is preserved in small but significant markers like the Cem located near the railway and the numerous waterways that drain the swamp, including Bayou Black and Bayou Desert. The geography is further characterized by the Shell Bank and Shell Bank Bayou, while several Drill Hole locations indicate subsurface exploration in the surrounding St. John the Baptist Parish territory. The map illustrates how human activity in this region remained tied to a singular rail line and a network of natural and man-made canals.