1953 Map of Timbalier Island

About this map

Timbalier Island and its surrounding coastal waters reflect the mid-century industrial development of the Louisiana Gulf Coast. The landscape is defined by the Caillou Island Oil Field, a dense network of infrastructure including a Radio Tower, Oil Tanks, and scattered Oil Wells positioned amidst the marshy terrain and shallow waters. This era shows the convergence of natural barrier islands and active petroleum extraction, with navigation maintained through Caillou Pass and Little Pass Timbalier. Smaller landforms such as Brush Island, Casse-tete, and the Pelican Islands sit between the open Gulf of Mexico and the protected waters of Terrebonne Bay and Timbalier Bay. The map captures a specific moment in the shifting geography of these islands, before decades of coastal erosion and industrial expansion further altered their profiles.