Published in 1966 from 1965 survey work, “St. Francisville Quadrangle” captures a richly textured corner of Louisiana at the precise scale of 1:24,000, where settlement, river, bayou, and upland terrain meet in intricate detail. Centered on the historic town of St. Francisville, the map places the community within its wider landscape: the broad course of the Mississippi River, the lowlands along its banks, and the more broken, hilly country rising away from the water. Its contour lines give the scene unusual depth, revealing subtle but important shifts in elevation that shaped roads, farms, drainage, and habitation. As a mid-century record, it preserves the region’s land use and natural features at a moment of gradual modern change.

The United States Geological Survey, maker of the map, brought to this sheet the precision and clarity for which its topographical work is renowned. Founded as a scientific agency devoted to understanding the American landscape, the USGS created maps that served engineers, planners, conservationists, soldiers, hikers, and local communities alike. Here, that institutional rigor is evident in the careful layering of cultural and natural information: roads, watercourses, settlement patterns, relief, and vegetation are all rendered as parts of a single geographic system. The quadrangle format gives the viewer an intimate, practical window onto place, transforming St. Francisville and its surroundings from a named locality into a measured, legible terrain.

The Mississippi River is the commanding geographical presence on the map, its great curve defining the eastern side of the landscape and anchoring the region’s history of movement, commerce, and settlement. Near St. Francisville, the riverine environment is complemented by Bayou Sara, Bayou Pierre, Pumpkin Lake, and a web of smaller tributaries and drainage features. These waterways are not decorative details; they are the underlying structure of the countryside, influencing transportation routes, property boundaries, soils, flood risk, and patterns of vegetation. The flatter lands near the river contrast strongly with the rising ground beyond, making the map a vivid study in how water and elevation together shape human occupation in southern Louisiana.

St. Francisville itself appears as both a populated place and a point of historical gravity, set amid roads and natural corridors that connect it to the surrounding parish landscape. State Route 10 and State Route 965 trace lines of modern access through a country long shaped by river travel, plantation agriculture, and small-town exchange. The nearby name Bayou Sara recalls an older river port community, once closely tied to the Mississippi’s changing channels and the fortunes of commerce along its banks. In this way, the map does more than locate roads and settlements: it hints at layers of history, from antebellum landscapes and river landings to the infrastructure of the 1960s.

Visually, the map is a classic example of mid-twentieth-century USGS topographic design, balancing scientific exactitude with an unexpectedly elegant graphic language. Contour lines articulate the hilly terrain north and west of St. Francisville, while flatter zones near the Mississippi are expressed with quieter spacing and gentler relief. Bright greens and yellows distinguish vegetation, land use, and elevation character, giving the sheet an immediate visual rhythm. Blue waterways, fine black cultural markings, and the disciplined geometry of the quadrangle grid combine to create a dense but readable portrait of place. For collectors, its appeal lies in that union of beauty and evidence: a landscape measured, named, and preserved as it stood in 1965.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• St. Francisville
• Mississippi River
• Bayou Sara
• Bayou Pierre
• Pumpkin Lake
• State Route 10
• State Route 965
• Nearby tributaries and water features

Historical context & cartographic details

• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map showing St. Francisville, Louisiana and the surrounding area
• Dated 1965 with a 1966 imprint
• Created by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Uses color-coded elevation and land-use styling, including bright greens and yellows
• Features contour lines to show elevation and relief
• Shows hilly regions to the north and flatter areas near the Mississippi River
• Reflects land use and natural features from 1965, offering a snapshot of regional 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.