The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-02
OUR GARDEN PARISHES.
East Baton ROuge-its Topography and
Gse0lOgy--The various Soils of
the Parish.

the Capitol are:
The United States Barracks and grounds
in the northern part Of the town and fronting
to the Mississippi, the United States Cene
terv in the rear Of the town, the Deaf and
Dumb Institution and the State University
Tying at its southern limits, and the Penten-
tiary buildings
The streets Of the town are spacious, regu-
IarIy laid out and lined on both sides with
fine and some venerable oak trees; the side
walks and crossings are in brick ana the
whole Is kept in q condition of good repair
and cleanliness, which reflects real credit
upoi. 20 "ediles' Of the place.
Most Of the houses are in brick, and great
many quite monumental in their architecture,
while tie churches aud City Hall do not In
the least derOgate from this general char
acter.
PARISH GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY.
With the exception Of an alluvial strip Of
land, narrow as it lcgns south Of Port Hud-
son and SCOTS bluffs, in the western part OF
the parish. bOrdered by the Mississippi, and
Widening about three miles in It's midway ex-
tension south towards the city of Baton
Rouge; th0nC0, once more widening beyond
the town south and covering all the space
lying between the Mississippi and Fountain
bayou, to close at the 1bcrvie river, the par
ish of East Baton Rouge belongs to the Bluff
Formation of the Post Tertiary Age. These
bluffs being we'll known characteristics of the
eastern bank Of the Mississippi from Baton
Rouge where their last fluctuations are Wis
fblc, and reaching rs far up as Memphis.
THE BLUFF FORMATION.
When the "GlaCial Period" was brought to
an end. this change was Effected bya reversal
of the continental motion that caused it.
Then the lands ut the north sank until Mon
treal, for instance was at least 500 feet lower
than at present, while this part Of the Coun-
try was elevated though not until little
later. to its present height.
The Mississippi river was then large
sheet of fresh water, extending from the west
mt Bayou Macon Hills to n point five miles
east Of "YaEOO," in Mississippi. and thence
to the mouth Of the Amitc, covering all the
country intervening within those boundaries,
except that which was Of tertiary fOrma-
ton and its drift" which were not nuu-
dated.
During this period the Mississippi depos-
tied mass Of material in some places more
than seventy feet thick, its lower layers be-
ing Of white or buCk-shOt clay. and the upper
ones Of yellow cHlCaTGOuS silt, their extreme
fneness being the main characteristics OF
these deposits.
The current could not exist in such large
body of water, which could only buoy up
q part, and that the finest portion, of its load
Of soil. to it's distant shores.
Thus were left the bluffs of Port Hudson,
Baton Rouge, etc, of post Tertiary" fOrma-
ton, while thereafter the rivers cutting their
channels deeper and ever changing them, as
they formed their present alluviOn washed
out central portions of the bluffs and left but
n narrow bolt upon either Of their banks to
show their extent.
TOPOGRAPHY
Adopting the city of Baton Rouge as a cen
trail point from which our various lines of cx-
CuTsiOn and prospecting shall radiate to the
several sections Of the parish we will first
observe that the bluff, some twenty-five feet |
high here and skirtcd by the Mississippi |
river, follows q curved line from the town |
sOutheasterIy following the courses of Wards |
creek and Fountain bayou, clear down to the |
latters junction with the lberYIc or Man |
ChaC bayou.
Acoondincr mort h from tbn o,p,, ,,,i,,t ~
Baton Rouge toward Port Hudson, with the |
Mississippi river t. the west, bend occurs |
above the towns limit, bringing the bluff line |
to the eastward for about Il quarter of q mile |
when it takes a straight nOrtherIy direction |
slightly opening in an elliptical line leaning |
east and leaving. between it and the river, a
tract of low swamp lands some seven miles |
long and barred north by SCOTS heights
the latter being the rciU7, WestWUrd of the
bluff line toward the river.
In this swamp tract barely three miles
wide in its medal length and seven miles
long. as we have Just said, occur several
lakes or fGkcs OF 8taguant water deposited by
the reccdiug high floods of the MissiSSippi
and known as lakes "Sakale" and Solitude"
and this tract Of low land Itself is quite apprO-
priately named the "Dpvils Swamp"
Now, following a direct southern course
from our starting point Of Baton Rouge as
far south as the dam OF IberviIp river at its
aperture on the Mississippi, we find this aIIu-
vial plain protected by leyepa. PERFECTLY level
and cultivated in all its extent AS far as its
meeting with the highlands, which. as they |
i"tVe Baton Rouge, take an CastCrly course,
creating this fan ike opening or plain be
twecn them and the Mississippi.
Starting again from Baton Rouge in a
southeaSterly direction, with the low plain to
our right, and following the crest of the high
land line, which ia the course followed by
Wards creek and by Fountain BAYOU n little
more south than east, we find Ourselves on
an elevated undulating soil cut here and there
by gulCys and ravinrs into different tj'c73d4
all bearing in s0uthoaSterIy course while
their farthest western slopes on Bayou FOun-
tain affect more frequently the shape of cir
Cular mounds or hllIOcks, gradually decreas-
ing in height until they sink near the havOus
shore, but averaging eighteen and twenty
four feet above the level plain.
Returning as we reach the end Of this az
rurSiOn line, and therefore proceeding now in |
a northw"sterly direction towards Baton
Rouge. but bearing more towards Wards |
creek on our right, the soil shows the Same |
features of undulAton, perhaps less marked
and forming nearly level table land twenty | .
i've ard twenty-eight feet higher than the
plain, as we are nearer to Baton Rouge.
FROM Baton Rouge in another direction. to |
the junction OF Hurricane creek with the Com
ite river, IN Course northeast bv east, eX- |
tending from point to point about eight miles, ,
and thence following up the right bank of the 6
COmltG river due north, the surface of the soil
is broken into unduattOns of a longer stretch
than what we have seen, and cut up in south
east trends 10y deep ravineS with brisk indeut-
ing aud craggy banks, the land here being
about thirty to thirty-six feet above the plain
or tidewater level.
The table land bordering DEVILS Swamp on |
the east and spanning toward the C0mitp | :
and from Baton IL u % to the northern limit
Of the parish, is much less cut up, while per-
haps more elevated than the tracts above de
SCrihed.
Some seven miles north Of Baton Rouge,
near the Baton Rouge aud Bayou Sara road | {
occur the Butkor $ Plains, few tracts of per
Ieot level expanse il the rolling table Land