Titled “Lafourche” and published in 1940 by the United States Geological Survey, this finely detailed topographical map captures Thibodaux, Louisiana, and the surrounding bayou country at a revealing moment in the region’s twentieth-century development. Drawn at a 1:31,680 scale, it offers an intimate view of settlement, land use, waterways, roads, and terrain in a landscape where subtle elevation changes were of real practical importance. Bayou Lafourche forms the defining geographic presence, winding through a low-lying environment shaped by agriculture, drainage, transportation, and settlement along the water’s edge. The map’s original title is elegantly understated, yet it refers to a place of deep cultural and environmental significance in southern Louisiana.

The US Geological Survey brought its characteristic precision to this depiction of Lafourche Parish, translating a complex deltaic landscape into contour lines, symbols, color, and measured land divisions. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the USGS became one of America’s most important scientific mapping institutions, producing maps that supported engineering, resource management, settlement, conservation, and national planning. Here, its disciplined topographic language is applied to a terrain that appears gentle at first glance, but whose minor rises, waterways, and wooded tracts mattered greatly in daily life. In a region vulnerable to flooding and dependent on navigable bayous, canals, and roads, the survey’s exacting attention to elevation and drainage gives the map enduring historical value.

Thibodaux appears as the principal urban center, its streets and surrounding routes anchoring the broader countryside. The map also identifies nearby places such as Chackbay, Paris, and Franklin, set within a mosaic of roads, waterways, wooded areas, open land, and plotted divisions. These details reveal a landscape organized by both natural geography and human use: farms and settlements follow the bayou corridors, while road networks connect small communities across the parish. The presence of specific plot numbers and land divisions is especially evocative, suggesting patterns of ownership, cultivation, and rural administration. Together, these features make the map not merely a geographic record, but a portrait of a working Louisiana landscape.

The cartographic style is classic USGS: clear, functional, and quietly beautiful. Contour lines describe the slight but meaningful variations in elevation across the lowlands, while color coding distinguishes wooded areas in green from lighter open country. Water bodies and streams give structure to the composition, emphasizing the centrality of hydrology in the Lafourche region. In many mountainous topographic maps, contours dominate dramatically; here, their subtlety tells a different story, one of flat terrain, drainage challenges, bayou settlement, and the fine gradations of land that shaped agriculture and habitation. The result is a map that rewards close reading, revealing the quiet complexity of southern Louisiana’s physical geography.

As a historical document, this 1940 map preserves the geography and infrastructure of the Thibodaux area before later decades of suburban expansion, highway modernization, wetland loss, and environmental change transformed much of coastal Louisiana. It shows a world still closely tied to Bayou Lafourche and its surrounding agricultural lands, where local roads, small settlements, and waterways formed the essential framework of movement and commerce. For collectors, historians, and admirers of Louisiana, “Lafourche” offers a compelling visual record of place: a scientifically measured landscape infused with regional character. Its restrained design, practical purpose, and rich local detail make it a remarkable window into the bayou country of the early modern South.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Thibodaux, LA
• Bayou Lafourche
• Chackbay
• Paris
• Franklin
• Major highways and local roads
• Small rivers, streams and other waterways
• Woodland and agricultural regions
• Specific plot numbers and land divisions

Historical context & cartographic details

• Produced by the US Geological Survey, this historical topographical map shows Thibodaux, Louisiana, and the surrounding area.
• Date of the map: 1940
• Scale: 1:31,680
• Mapmaker/Publisher: US Geological Survey
• The USGS is known for its extensive geological and topographical surveying work, providing essential data for mapping and land-use planning.
• The map features a topographical layout with contour lines showing elevation changes.
• Color coding is used, with greens denoting wooded areas and lighter colors indicating open lands.
• The map illustrates terrain types and water bodies, showing the physical geography of the region.
• It reflects the geographical layout and infrastructure of 1940, offering insight into land development, settlement patterns and environmental change 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.