Bayou Manchac

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Bayou Manchac is an eighteen mile long bayou in southeast Louisiana. This bayou was once a very important waterway linking the Mississippi River to the Amite River.[1]

Contents 1 Exploration 2 Industrial use and today 3 See also 4 Further Reading

[edit] Exploration

This bayou was at one time called the d'Iberville River, named for the first Western explorer to have floated it. Iberville had already made his way up the Mississippi River and discovered what would later be the site of Baton Rouge and wished to find a quick way back to the Gulf of Mexico, where his ships sat at Ship Island. The chief of the Bayogoula tribe, who had accompanied him to the future site of Baton Rouge, on March 26, 1699 showed him the bayou which the Bayogoula used to travel between the present day Mississippi Gulf Coast and their village. [2]

[edit] Industrial use and today

Soon Bayou Manchac became one of the most important waterways of southeastern Louisiana. It served the vital role of linking Baton Rouge to Lake Pontchartrain via the Amite River and Lake Maurepas. Through time as ships became larger and faster, Bayou Manchac was too small to support modern traffic. In the 20th century when the levees were built Bayou Manchac was cut off from the river and later the upper sections dried out or were cut off by roads. Now the Bayou is only useful for drainage and recreation, but the area is still regarded by those that live in the vicinity as one of Louisiana's most beautiful examples of nature. [3]

[edit] See also

• List of rivers in Louisiana

[edit] Further Reading

• Sternberg, Mary Ann (2007). Winding Through Time: The Forgotten History and Present-Day Peril of Bayou Manchac.. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-3253-1.