The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-01
OUR GARDEN PARISHES.
SIT. Ian DR u.
ITS Features i'm Geology. Topography,
HELneraEOSX. MYdrOEraphy, Etc.

ITS Features i'm Geology, Topography,
NtneraEosy, Hydrography, Etc.
The geological features of the parish being
now well defined (see DEMOCRAT, June 23), our
next study will be its
TOPOGRAPHY.
All that part Of st. Landry lying west of the
Courtableau, and southwest of q line drawn
from Washington ENTHUSIASTICALLY and pass
ing south of Bel Cheney till it strikes the Cal
casieu boundary-all this part properly con-
stitutes the large Opelousas prairie region.
These prairies have large level expanses
and extensive unduIating belts, quite elevated
and perfectly dry. They are well watered
and drained by o quantity Of c0uiees and fine
running streams which course through and
permeate them in every direction, while most
of them afford convenient navigation to near
ly all parts. Upon the banks Of all these
streams and wherever q pond occurs there are
extensive belts and clusters of islands Of
timber including the most valuable and USE
full varieties of American forest growth with
the low land species besides abundant
The mildness of their climate and prOverb-
ial salubrity make this great table land the
most valuable field for Northern and Western
Investment and colonization.
the Sabine, Or Texas border, with general
elevation of ninety and 100 feet above tide
level, and skirts In the north the high hills OF
Avoyelles and Rapides, to slope as far south
rs the Gulf of Mexico
Starting westward from the town OF Wash
ington, OH the Courtableau, the first of the
great OpelOusaS prairleS is the
GRAND PRAIRIE.
that extends twenty miles west on width Of
twelve miles from north to south Here the
rI lIr iv,IS q
cluster of trees dots the great natural mead
ow. North of this and northwest OF Washing
ton, occurs the
PRAIRIE PLAISANCE,
O beautiful continuation of the former, with
peculiar small circular mounds studding, it's
whole BREADTH and OF which no science has
yet found the origin.
Keeping I'D the same line of q nOrthwardly
progression, Prairie Pasance, soon loses its
name, as the Mallot bayou skirts its west
ern rim to become
PRAIRIE MALLET,
and then southwest again this one, nearing
the banks OF Cane bayou takes the name OF
Hays prairie and running south, where its
mcridianal expanse is checked by the hf1luenCe
of the Nez Pique, Cane and Plaquemlne pay
GUS with the Merruenteau river, some sixty
five or seventy miles southwest OF Opelou-
SaS.
PRAIRIE MAMON.
Between the fork formed at their junction by
the Nez Pque and Cane bayOus occurs an
open space twenty or twenty-tive miles Wde
and about eighty miles long, forming the
Mamon prairie, bounded north by the Ra-
pdes highlands. The name Mamon Is a
Creole corruption for the more appropriate
designation 'mammoth' which the immense
prairie would Justify.
To the east of this prairie is the large
FAQUETAIK PRAIRIE,
named from the Indian Faqnetaik, Or wild
turkey prairie and separating Plaisance pral-
rie and It's derivatives from the great mani
on"
In the southwestern part of the parish be-
tween the forks of the Bayou Plaquemlne
and Queue de Tortue, occurs the
PLAQUEM1NE BRULE PRAIRIE,
and northeast Of this one, the
BELLE vUE PRAIRIE,
reaching in the neighborhood Of Grand Co.
fN Tbe sn nd3t qtss9 9 4op i,ra Of the
parish are its highlands ana alluVlOn.
THE HIGHLANDS.
All that part of the parish lying east of the
prairie boundaries above traced, and extend
ing west as far as the Bayou Bneuf, and south
as far as Washington constitute the high
rolling lands of st. Landry.
THE ALLUvTON
takes all the southern part beyond Washing
ton and all the western part OF the parish az
far rs the POinte COupee, lbervlile ana st
Martin boundaries. ,
For the sake of a clear comprehension The
various features Of these sections will be bet
ter shown in the photographic DIVISIONS
the parish, regulating most OF their pecullarl
ties In conventional divisions per basins
natural drainage.
HYDROGRAPHY.
The main streams that drain or pcrmeatt
st. Landry have, with more or less drec
flowing, their course traced from north tt
SOUTH and they are, beginning from the east
ern boundary: the Atchafaaya with Bayo,
Rouge and Bayou des Glaizes, the Courta
hIeali with the Teche, Caron and WaXia, tn
bavous Bpuf and Cocodrie, the Bayou Queue
de Tortue with the Bourbeux the Nez Piqu.
river with bayous Carmes, Mallet and Plaque
niue Brule, and the Mermenteau river.
THE ATCHAFALAYA
is formed from branch actuarv Of the Rec
and Mississippi rivers south OF Trumbull Is
land in township one north range two east, q
the meeting of the Pointe Coupee and Avoy
Giles border lines.
The branch of the Red river which curl
south of Trumbull Island and flows into tn
Mississippi is called Old river, and from Tn
extreme southern curve OF its right bank FLOW
the waters Of the Atchafaaya, which run
south between the parishes OF Avoyeiles, 81
Landry and st. Martin on its western banl