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1893 Map of Shell Beach

Name: 1893 Topographic Map of Shell Beach
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1902
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1902

About this map

St Bernard Parish's coastal wetlands and early rail connections are documented in this late nineteenth-century survey, conducted when the Shell Beach Railroad provided a direct link between the interior and the shores of Lake Borgne. The settlement of Shell Beach sits at the terminus of this rail line, while nearby Yscloskey and Florissant mark the path of development following the natural levees of the region's complex water systems.

Further south, the landscape is defined by the winding course of Bayou La Loutre, where the outpost of Hopedale is situated among a network of lagoons and bayous including Solis Lagoon and Lagoon Brady. Of particular archaeological interest are the labeled earthworks, such as the Artificial Mound 25 Ft. and various other mounds, which stand as distinct elevated points amidst the low-lying marsh of Grand Bayou and East Branch Bayou St. Malo.