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The entrance Iberville fc i was to the Ease Fork of thw Mississippi. Its three-branched mouth was characterized by huge drift trees, and narrow passages containing submerged bars with less than 15 feet of clearance. The East and West Forks of the River joined at what is now Donaldsonville. A dense canebrake at first cloaked the river from its mouths.
These canebrakes were periodically replaced by ancient cypress which formed dense swamps as the iand upstream grew older and’higher. Carolina Parakeets filled the cypress. Bison roamed in the canebrakes. The River flowed sweet and wild.
In his journal, and in the account he and‘fellow explorers shared with theimapmakers of
their day. Iberville has left ur rich legacy of what coastal Louisiana was. It is a coast we do not see when we look at today’s map unless we read Iberville’s account, study the maps of the time, and appreciate the tremendous delta building power of the Mississippi and its two Forks.
About the Author
Dr. Richard Condrey is Associate Professor in the Coastal Fisheries/ Gceanograhphv Departments atLSU
The historian Carl Brasseaux tells us that in 1698 the French court, faced with Louis XYV!r costly European wars and monumental construction programs, had a renewed interest in colonizing Louisiana as a springboard to the Mexican mines of “its traditional enemy, Spain."
Once Louisiana was founded. Iberville advocated colonial development; but the French court continued to look for quick riches. thus setting the stage for part Ph'o of our tale.
Look for “The Priest and the King: Sound advice for wise use and the consequences of royal greed” in the next issue of CoastWise.
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Iberville was the founder of the French colony of Louisiana and its first governor. He was also the first European to document a retraceable route to the mouths of the Mississippi from the Caribbean Islands. On this voyage, he has sailed from France to the French section of Santo Domingo (now Haiti/Dominican Republic). From that island he has staged this voyage to find the mouths of the Mississippi. He is under royal orders from Louis XIV to establish a colony in Louisiana
Louis XIV, the Sun King, ruled France from 1643-1715 during one of its most brilliant periods. Versailles was built and became the center of government. He believed that he was God’s earthly representative and that all disobedience to him was sinful. Louis XIV remains the symbol of an absolute monarch of the classical age.
| In 1682 LaSalle descended the Mississippi from the French colony of Canada and took French possession of;all the lands drained by the River. In 1684-87 LaSalle unsuccessfully tried to establish a colony in Louuisiana.LaSalle’s primary interest was in establishing a fort from which the French could launch raids on the Spanish-held silver mines in Mexico. The failure to establish this colony was associated with LaSalle’s inability to locate the mouths of the Mississippi when enroute through the Gulf of Mexico.
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