1973 Map of Wilkinson Bay

About this map

Manila Village Oil Field sits in the northwest corner of this coastal reach, representing the industrial footprint on the fragile wetlands of Jefferson and Plaquemines Parishes. This 1973 orthophotomap provides a visual record of the intricate hydrology in the Barataria Bay region, where the Barataria Waterway serves as a primary navigation corridor. The landscape is a complex network of marshes and open water, including Wilkinson Bay and Bay Chene Fleur. Deep in the bay, offshore structures such as a platform and various drill holes mark the expansion of the Oil and Gas Field into the marine environment. Landforms like St Marys Point and Big Island emerge from the water, while man-made features like the Wilkinson Canal and an underwater pipeline underscore the human engineering required to extract resources from this transition zone between the delta and the gulf.