Transcript Louisiana Studies Unit One

LA Studies Unit One
Louisiana Waterways
UNIT 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 River
 The
Little River
 The
Calcasieu River
 The
Tensas River
 The
Sabine River
 The
Ouachita River
 The
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 Learning
turn 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

White Lake

Catahoula Lake

Lake Verret

Cocodrie Lake

Lake Salvador

Calcasieu Lake

Lake Borgne

Grand Lake
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

What are elements of culture?
RoundRobin

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

Wetlands Cajun Culture

(Acadia parish) is
centered on agriculture
and livestock

(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