Published in 1941 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Houma” presents a finely observed mid-century portrait of one of Louisiana’s most distinctive lowland landscapes. Drawn at a scale of 1:62,500, the map centers on Houma and the intricate waterscape surrounding Bayou Terrebonne, where settlement, transport, and ecology were inseparably bound to bayous, canals, lakes, and marshland. The USGS’s disciplined cartographic style gives the sheet both scientific clarity and quiet elegance: light blue waterways thread through the terrain, green vegetation marks the wetter margins of habitation, and contouring lends subtle structure to an otherwise deceptively flat coastal plain. It is a map of place, but also of transition—capturing a community shaped by water just before the immense postwar transformations of coastal Louisiana.

The U.S. Geological Survey was, by 1941, the preeminent American authority on national mapping, geology, and landscape measurement. Its topographical sheets were created not merely for travelers, but for engineers, planners, scientists, land managers, and public agencies requiring dependable geographic intelligence. In this map, the USGS’s methodical precision reveals the practical geography of Terrebonne Parish: roads, trails, railroad lines, canals, settlements, drainage features, and shorelines are all brought into a coherent visual system. The result is a document of remarkable density, where human occupation appears as a delicate overlay upon a watery terrain. Houma emerges not as an isolated town, but as the inland hub of a branching bayou world stretching toward Dulac, Grand Caillou, Cocodrie, and the Gulfward marshes.

Hydrography is the dominant drama of the map. Bayou Terrebonne winds through the sheet as a historic artery of movement and settlement, while Bayou Dularge, Lake Boudreaux, Lake Boudreaux Cutoff, Choupic Canal, and countless smaller lakes and channels form a lacework of water across the coastal lowlands. These features speak to a landscape built by sediment, tides, slow drainage, and human adaptation. Communities such as Dulac, Trosclair, Grand Caillou, and Cocodrie occupy strategic positions along navigable waterways, reflecting patterns that predate highways and modern infrastructure. On this sheet, water is not empty space; it is route, resource, boundary, livelihood, and risk. The map beautifully preserves the logic of a region where geography is measured in bayous as much as in roads.

The landward details are equally revealing. Highway 90 and nearby railroad tracks connect the Houma area to the broader commercial corridor of south Louisiana, including the direction of Morgan City, while smaller roads and trails trace the intimate local movements of rural life. The cartography captures a moment when automotive infrastructure was expanding, yet older patterns of settlement along waterways remained deeply visible. Houma itself appears as the principal populated place, surrounded by dispersed communities and working landscapes. The subtle contour lines and shading suggest the slight but crucial variations in elevation that determine drainage, cultivation, habitation, and vulnerability in the deltaic plain. In a region where a few feet of height can matter profoundly, the USGS topographical language becomes a key to understanding both history and survival.

As a historical document, this 1941 map offers a compelling benchmark for studying environmental and urban change in coastal Louisiana. It records the Houma region before later decades of rapid road building, oil and gas development, suburban expansion, wetland loss, and coastal reconfiguration. The network of lakes, canals, bayous, and rural landmarks invites comparison with the modern landscape, where erosion, subsidence, channelization, and storm impacts have altered both shorelines and patterns of settlement. Yet the map is more than evidence of change; it is a beautifully ordered image of a living geography at a particular moment in time. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Louisiana’s bayou country, “Houma” is an evocative study of place, infrastructure, water, and memory.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Houma
• Bayou Terrebonne
• Lake Boudreaux
• Lake Boudreaux Cutoff
• Choupic Canal
• Cocodrie
• Trosclair
• Dulac
• Morgan City
• Grand Caillou
• Bayou Dularge
• Highway 90
• Railroad tracks
• Numerous small lakes and water bodies
• Various roads and trails
• Rural landmarks

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1941
• Historical topographical map at a scale of 1:62,500
• Shows detailed landscape features in and around the Houma area of Louisiana
• Created by the USGS, a U.S. government scientific agency known for national mapping and surveying
• Features finely detailed hydrographic and topographic information
• Uses gentle color coding, including green for vegetation and light blue for water bodies
• Includes contour lines and shading to show elevation changes and terrain form
• Reflects a mid-20th-century view of the region
• Useful for studying land use changes, urban development, and environmental transformation over time

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.