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1971 Map of Vivian

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Vivian
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1983
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1983

About this map

Oil City and the surrounding Caddo Parish landscape reflect the peak industrial footprint of the early 1970s, defined by the massive Rodessa Oil and Gas Field and Hosston Oil and Gas Field. The map reveals a dense network of extraction infrastructure and transportation, with the Kansas City Southern and Texas and Pacific railroads threading through settlements like Rodessa, Mira, and Vivian. This era shows a community tightly integrated with its natural and industrial geography, where gravel pits and oil wells sit adjacent to numerous country churches and cemeteries, such as Slaughter Cem and Antioch Ch.

The hydrography of the Red River and Black Bayou Lake dominates the eastern and central portions of the sheet, with intricate water features like Eagle Chute and Scotts Slough shaping the settlement patterns. Landmarkers including the Mira Lookout Tower and various landing strips indicate the coordination required for managing this resource-heavy corridor. Genealogists will find particular value in the dispersed rural sites like Pine Valley Sch and Munneryn Chapel, which persist amidst the sprawling energy fields.