14 Miles below the Spanish Ft. San Gabriel, the French Acadians established their own community of St. Gabriel. |
The historic St. Gabriel Catholic Church. |
On today's outing, I traveled the length of By Manchac starting from the Bluff Rd. Just past the Spanish Lake flood gate the bayou is reduced to large ditch. The closer one gets to its western end, the smaller it becomes. Choked off with no permanent current, the ancient distributary is littered with deadfalls and new growth occurs in the middle of the way. It's hard to imagine any type of vessel larger than a canoe navigating these waters.
Just shy of the Mississippi River, the bayou comes to an abrupt end at River Road. Having been totally obliterated by man, there is nothing to mark the location of either forts, San Gabriel or Bute.
Looking north (from Colonial Spain into Colonial England), on the right is the tree lined By Manchac - to the left is the Mississippi's levee. |
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