Complex sentence: Within a few decades, the Carondelet Canal was built from the French Quarter to Bayou St. John, splitting the land, and the city began building subdivisions throughout the area to house a diverse population that included Caucasians, Haitian Creoles, and free persons of color.
Split into simpler sentences: Within a few decades, the Carondelet Canal was built from the French Quarter to Bayou St. John, splitting the land. Developers began building subdivisions throughout the area to house a diverse population that included Caucasians, Haitian Creoles, and free persons of color.