The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-07-23
nh. .Laraas oi the Mississippi.

sses 'a4o0b Akss5zes.a-ts
In Louisiana the leya system is OF
4ditys having hao us
beginning in . eaer Years OF mo
be1 = g go CAM tderthe jurisG 1f
81 & ~ and STD government an
ss1 ned q ) dignitYM public works
IA Rssi Ppi an Eeasas' howew
the reclamation d the swamp was I'm
enterprise of much NOR, modern date,
having its origin almost within memory
of.persons npv living, and at first-and:
Indeed, 'fok 1 Aongtirne- it was exploited
solely by individual effort.
y fire earlier settlements on the river
between Memphis and Vicksburgh-
generally woQd-yards with small appur-
tenint oorpf6elds were made upon
unusually high spots, which, although
i really formed ~ antecetcne 1nundasien,
obtained, absurdly enough, the reputa-
ton of being ''above overflow, because,
TOR D ,npmber Of years they;haa not been
actually Submerged. They were priced
accordingly, and the, corn.6elds OF the
wo d-choppers were gradually trans
formed into cotton plantations, at first,
of course, of very limited dimensions.
Similar elevated spots we've sought out
and subjected to culture, and before any
leyeeing operations had been attempteds
Aaavat tSaf II + As.!i3sx9 dot'ea
with settlements at pioneer planters,
who sought to utilize the fertile soil by
cultivation. Avery few years, however,
.sutliced to demonstrate the fallacy Of
the "above overflow pretensiop; the
planters mind relinquished The deMsion
that land should be hiyh-itwas sufficient
that it should be dry-and the proprie'
|toade4e} i1fpe4isnt tpfoYtify against
left by the flood upon trees, stumps and
fences were as plain as paint; these indi-
Gated the level of the water and supplied
the m ys'e stSs Va
constructed very near the river bauk,
because less. land was thereby thrown
S1latt8u sa6ak{sH. + ALWAYS
highest upon the margin Of the river,
slopipg thence inland. As the planta-
| tons increased in number! and approxi-
mated each other, the principle of CO.
.oneratiou appeared; levees were built
across upoccQRsed land : ufslftoere were
disce1n asf47 stfihss ten, twelve or fit:
teen miles long. The construction Of
6xnsVfE2r I'm snaifactory. The
operatives were generally the plantation
negroes. At that ,ip$tle Irish , ditchegs
l4HiaNeeibl4l haS 5. SCARCELY made mad
! thehifa astbpda1ahce tt cdpitry. The
colored people AZ t~rssally distin.
spade! 11i can'hd at I'LL da}bete with
the Hibernian,,, Some years there was
high water, carrying dismay to the
fbls11bsp4rS keaftD, tS&4 Stks there was
low water, Inspiring confidence and Sc
curitv; occasionally there was nc
Il Water y, ats i'll the river did not gel
out Of its banks, and was therefore helG
in contempt, In 1914, however, tfe
Mississippi, having apparently lost al
patience with this persistent intrusion
7aEaeI!m l&tsA.Sy DESCRIPTIVE issc
of the operation, and treated its unbid
'den guests to first-class. :" big over
I flow" the like of which hadlnot beel
| Seen since 1925 The river rose earl,
and went down late; it overflowed tn
whole country. and filled up the entir'
swamp; ruined all the levees, great ant
snaAi. remained at or near high-wate
mark week after. week and month ate
month tihtil late in 'July,' and did. no
finally retire within its banks until near
\ " The !" middle Of August William L
1 Murtree, Sr.,'sn Scribner. .."8 II!