1894 Map of Timbalier

About this map

Timbalier Bay dominates this coastal landscape, showing the complex network of barrier islands and marshy inlets along the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the nineteenth century. Surveyed by H. L. Baldwin Jr. and the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the map details a fragile environment where tidal passes like Jacko Pass and John Batiste Pass carve through the shoreline. Human presence is sparse but specific, marked by the lonely Timbalier Lt. H. and small outposts like Philo Brice and Jacko Camp. These names suggest a local economy tied to the sea, likely fishing or trapping, positioned near sheltered waters like Jacko Camp Bay and Pierle Bay. The map captures the configuration of Timbalier Island and East Timbalier Island before decades of coastal erosion reshaped the Louisiana delta.