1965 Map of Shaw

About this map

The confluence of the Red River and the Mississippi River dominates this mid-1960s landscape, illustrating a complex hydrologic environment where the Concordia and Avoyelles Parish lines follow the shifting paths of the water. The map documents an extensive network of bayous and wetlands, including the evocatively named Dismal Swamp and Whisky Bayou Lakes. The area's economic activity is clearly marked by the Union Point Oil Field and the Red River Bay Oil Field, showing how energy extraction integrated into the alluvial plains. Small riverfront communities like Union Point and Black Hawk are situated along the levee system, which serves as the primary infrastructure protecting these low-lying settlements. For genealogists, the map preserves the location of Cocodrie Ch and isolated rural structures that served the agricultural and industrial workers of the Mississippi Delta.