LA Studies Unit One

Louisiana WaterwaysUNIT ONE

Louisiana Waterways

Louisiana has nearly 5000 miles of navigable waters to include rivers, bayous, creeks and canals.

Navigable -- water deep enough for safe travel by boat

Rivers

The State’s Most Important River

Messipi, Rio del Espiritu Santo, River Louis

Drainage basin covers more than 1,245,000 sq. miles

Empties into the Gulf of Mexico

The Mississippi River

The Mississippi River basin carries 375 billion gallons of water through LA each day.

Also brings 256 million tons of sediment down the river each year

The Red River

The Second largest river drainage system in the state

Formed from several smaller waterways

Ends in Avoyelles parish, flows into Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers

Other Rivers

The Pearl RiverThe Calcasieu RiverThe Sabine River

The Little RiverThe Tensas RiverThe Ouachita RiverThe Black River

The Atchafalaya River

Native American Choctaw words meaning “long river”

Long history of people trying to change and control its course

Check on Learningturn to page 40

Which river flows directly into Lake Pontchartrain?

a. Tickfaw River

b. Amite River

c. Tangipahoa River

d. Mississippi River

Lakes

Man-Made Lakes: Toledo Bend Reservior Lake D’Arbonne in Union Parish Lake Claiborne in Claiborne Parish Sibley Lake in Natchitoches Parish Lake Chicot in Evangeline Parish

Lakes

Natural Lakes Lake Pontchartrain 625 sq. miles but quite shallow Called a Tidal Lagoon, waters are Brackish Connects to the Gulf of Mexico

Lake Maurepas

Located west of Lake Pontchartrain The two are connected by Pass Manchac Tidal Lagoon Brackish

Northwest Louisiana

Caddo Lake Cross Lake Lake Bistineau

Other Lakes

Bayou D’Arbonne Lake Catahoula Lake Cocodrie Lake Calcasieu Lake Grand Lake

White Lake Lake Verret Lake Salvador Lake Borgne

Cutoff Lakes

Form when rivers seek shorter, straighter courses through flat terrain

The former bends or curves in the river become lakes when the river moves to a straighter route

Cutoff Lakes

When the Red River shifted its course away from the town of Natchitoches, it left behind a thirty-nine mile long cutoff lake. This scenic attraction is called the Cane River Lake. It can be confusing to call it both a river and a lake, but in its history it has been both.

Cutoff Lakes

False River in Pointe Coupee Parish Lake Bruin in Tensas Parish Larto Lake in Catahoula Parish

Terms to know

Bayou: a waterway that ranges in size from short and shallow, to long and navigable.

The word bayou comes from the Choctaw native language and means “creek”.

The French settlers called bayous “the sleeping water” in reference to bayous that are slow moving.

Terms to know

Sediment: material that settles to the bottom of a liquid (lake/river).

When the Mississippi flooded the land each year as part of its natural cycle, the sediment helped to create the rich agricultural land along its banks.

Terms to know

Drainage Basin: an area of land that drains into tributaries and eventually into larger rivers

Tributaries: smaller rivers and streams that flow into larger bodies of water

Terms to know

Raft Lakes: lakes created when huge logjams blocked the flow of a river. A raft created by masses of logs, tree trunks, and other debris could literally block the flow of a river. The water would then overflow into nearby swamps, forming so-called raft lakes.

Examples Caddo Lake and Lake Bistineau

Terms to know

Marsh Lakes: Created behind low groups of ridges located in the marshlands that border Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. These ridges rise only slightly above the marsh, but they are dry enough to support the growth of live oak trees along their tops.

Marsh Lakes

Chenier's: French term meaning place of oaks

trap freshwater from the overflow of nearby rivers headed toward the gulf. The water collects behind the cheniers, creating marsh lakes.

Marsh Lakes

The water remains fresh because the cheniers block the incoming saltwater that flows into the marsh from the Gulf.

Examples: White Lake in Vermilion Parish, Grand Lake in Cameron Parish, and Calcasieu Lake in Calcasieu Parish

Check on learning

What are four names given to our state’s most important river?

Check on learning

Give one example of each of the following:

Cutoff Lake Raft Lake Marsh Lake

Louisiana's Cultural Regions

Region

an area defined by similar features

A physical region has similar climate and landforms

A cultural region shares elements of culture

Check on learning RoundRobin

What are elements of culture?

Louisiana can be divided into different cultural regions based on such factors or characteristics as ethnic heritage, language, religion, food, music, or recreation.

The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism

has divided the state into five cultural regions

Five Cultural Regions

Sportsman’s Paradise The Crossroads Cajun Country Greater New Orleans Plantation Country

Sportsman’s Paradise Region

Also known as the Upland South Northern Louisiana

This region of Louisiana has more in common with neighboring states than with south Louisiana

Sportsman's Paradise

The heritage of early settlers to this area were Anglo-Saxon or Celtics

Meaning that their ancestors were English, Scottish or Irish

Sportsman’s Paradise

The northwest section has Shreveport-Bossier as its urban center (3rd largest city in the state)

These two cities are separated by the

_____ ______ but blend together into one urban culture

The northeast section has Monroe-West Monroe as its urban center

These two cities are separated by the Ouachita River

Sportsman’s Paradise

Abundant outdoor recreation activities Lakes, rolling hills, and forests Fishing, hunting, power boat racing, golfing

Check on Learning

The City of Shreveport is located in which Cultural region?

What are two characteristics used to identify a cultural region?

Define the term urban. Define the term rural.

Crossroads Region

Center of the State Merges North Louisiana and South Louisiana Rural (country) Areas Small towns that feature a Main Street Urban Center is Alexandria-Pineville

Cajun Country Region

Triangle of South-west Louisiana

Urban centers include Houma, Lafayette, Morgan City, and Thibodaux

Most citizens of this region speak Cajun French

Prairie Cajun and Wetlands Cajun

Prairie Cajun Culture (Acadia parish) is

centered on agriculture and livestock

Wetlands Cajun Culture (Lafourche parish) is

centered on fishers and trappers

Cajun Country

Though today the oil industry has brought cultural changes to both Prairie Cajun culture and Wetlands Cajun culture

Plantation Country Region

Like its name suggests this region includes old plantation homes, live oak trees, and Spanish moss

Many of these old plantation homes are national historic landmarks

Plantation Country

Baton Rouge is the urban center of this region The State’s capital city has a mix of all people

and lifestyles. Every ethnic group living in the state today is

represented in Baton Rouge

The Greater New Orleans Region

Urban center is the city of New Orleans

The city is describe as being “cosmopolitan” an American city that is more like a European one.

Busy port on the Mississippi River

The Florida Parishes

The “toe of the boot” Called the Florida parishes because it was

once a part of the colony of West Florida