Last days of Last Island
Subtitle: the hurricane of 1856, Louisiana's first great storm
By: Bill Dixon.
Publisher: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Lafayette
Language: eng
Number of pages: 290
Subjects: Hurricanes -- Louisiana -- Isles Dernieres -- History -- 19th century; Isles Dernieres (La.) -- History -- 19th century; Terrebonne Parish (La.) -- History, Local -- 19th century
Description: "The 1856 summer season was like so many that had come before--uneventful, ifyllic. The South's newest and most popular watering spot was a microcosm of Louisiana's antebellum econimic and social structure. More than four hundred vacationers--wealthy sugar planters, powerful politicians, their families, friends and servants--had come to the island to escape the hot August sun. The waters of the Gulf were cool, its breezes fresh. Life was good. On the horizon, however a massive cloud formation was about to tell a much different story. On that fateful day, August 10th 1856, a devastating Category Four hurricane destroyed Last Island. The chaos and confusion that initially reigned gave way in time to a generation of Civil War and Reconstruction. After more than one hundred and fifty years--and the devastation of Katrina--the story remains layered with myths. "Last Days of Last Island" removes that shroud and presents the first comprehensive account of the hurricane of 1856, "Louisiana's first great storm." -- Back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.