1969 Map of Simmesport

About this map

The Atchafalaya River serves as the central artery for this late-1960s landscape, marking the boundary between Avoyelles Parish and Pointe Coupee Parish. The town of Simmesport sits at a critical junction where the river meets Bayou des Glaises, its layout defined by the heavy infrastructure of the West Atchafalaya Floodway and the Texas and Louisiana Pacific and Arkansas Railroad. Beyond the main settlement, the map reveals a rural network of small communities and social centers, including Dunbar High Sch and numerous community churches like Mt Calvary Ch and Sunrise Ch. To the south and east, the terrain becomes a complex web of waterways including Moreau Bayou and Marine Bayou, illustrating the reclaimed alluvial land characteristic of the basin's drainage patterns and agricultural development.