Loading map...

1909 Map of Sycamore Landing

Name: 1909 Topographic Map of Sycamore Landing
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1909
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1909

About this map

Lucerna Plantation and Sanghy Plantation anchor the landscape of Concordia Parish along the western bank of the Mississippi River. This 1909 survey, conducted in cooperation with the Fifth Louisiana Levee District, captures a river-centered economy transitioning into a railroad era. Small settlements like Sycamore and Morville are closely tied to the water, while the New Orleans and Northwestern Railroad and the Texas and Pacific Railroad cut through the alluvial plains, providing vital connections to larger markets.

Community life is mapped through several ecclesiastical landmarks, including Rufus Baptist Church, St Lukes Church, and the Daughter of Zion Church. The map meticulously details the river's dynamic shoreline and islands, such as Vidals Island and Natchez Island, alongside the crescent of Concordia Lake. These features, combined with survey elevations, reveal the complex relationship between the agricultural land and the levee system during the early twentieth century.