1969 Map of Tiger Island

About this map

The Atchafalaya Basin Floodway dominates this landscape, where the shifting boundaries of St Martin and St Mary Parishes meet amidst a dense network of bayous and lakes. In the late 1960s, this region was a focus of energy extraction, anchored by the Duck Lake Oil and Gas Field and numerous pipelines cutting through the wetlands. The hydrography reveals a complex maze of seasonal and permanent waterways, from the broad expanse of Grand Lake and Six Mile Lake to smaller named channels like Sorrel Bayou and Mystic Bayou. The terrain is characterized by low-lying landforms such as Cypress Island and Tiger Island, separated by passes including Cypress Pass and the American Pass. Large spoil areas and canals suggest the ongoing human modification of the basin to facilitate both flood control and industrial access.