The Clio streetcar line opened in 1867 and ended service in 1932. Also known as the "C-L-10," this route once connected the uptown and Marigny (downtown) neighborhoods. The street, accompanied by the other eight muses, intersects a portion of St. Charles Avenue originally named Cours du Nayades in the mid-1800s. In the video below, the late journalist and historian Charles "Pie" Dufour, in what may have been his last formal interview, explains the nickname for this line.
]]>From your position in the parking lot, look towards the overpass leading northeast. Underneath the bridge, you can see the point where the Rigolets Pass snakes towards Lake Ponchartrain. West Rigolets Lighthouse stood at the head of this peninsula.
The West Rigolets Lighthouse was built in 1855 to mark the entrance to the Rigolets from Lake Pontchartrain. During the Civil War, it was occupied by Union troops who used a ship's lantern to signal passing vessels. The lighthouse was operable until 1945 when an electric signal was built nearby. The light was sold to a private owner and stood until Hurricane Katrina dislodged it from its pilings. It has since been removed but is remembered as being an important part of commerce and the defense of New Orleans.
Photographs are all that remains of the lighthouse. If you look at the second image included here, you can see the pilings above the waterline where the lighthouse used to stand prior to 2005.
]]>Before the French colonized Louisiana, Native Americans lived on the land that is now City Park. Bayou St. John, which runs through the park today, was part of a trade route commonly used by the Chapitoulas and the Houmas. After the French began to settle along the Gulf Coast in 1699, the indigenous peoples introduced the Louisiana colony's founding brothers, Iberville and Bienville, to the bayou as a short route connecting Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River. Travelers could travel by boat most of the way and portage along a trail, bypassing the powerful Mississippi River currents. This trail led to the crescent of land that two decades later Bienville would choose as the site of New Orleans.
In the late 1700s, the Allard family took possession of the land on Bayou St. John to develop a plantation. In 1829, Louis Allard and his sister, Lise, mortgaged the plantation along with the enslaved people forced to work there for $27,500. In 1845, following a default on the mortgage, John McDonogh, a businessman, slaveholder, and philanthropist, bought the remaining property at a sheriff's sale for $40,500.
In 1850, John McDonogh willed the land to the cities of New Orleans and Baltimore. Around the same time, a movement within the United States sought to improve cities by constructing urban parks as a sanctuary from the squalor and congestion of the city life. Only one year after McDonogh's passing, the Daily Picayune identified a need for a public park in the rearmost part of the city, close to Lake Pontchartrain.
In 1859, the matter of the deed to the McDonogh land, shared by the cities of New Orleans and Baltimore, was resolved. Money changed hands and the city of New Orleans solely possessed the Allard tract. Although declared a public park in the 1850's, it remained largely undeveloped until the late 1890's because of the questionable business practices of the Governor of Louisiana and park commissioners during the 1870's.
]]>Two 25 foot marble pylons mark the Esplanade Avenue entrance to City Park. They were erected in memory of Park Commissioner Anthony Monteleone following his death in 1913. Known as the Monteleone Gate, the pylons include eight bronze lamps and 600-pound capstones.
Antonio Monteleone was the owner of a shoe factory in Sicily before immigrating to New Orleans in the 1880s. He soon opened a shoe factory whose employees produced 500 pairs of shoes a week by 1888. In 1886, he bought the Hotel Victor and changed the name to Hotel Monteleone. Now a historic landmark, the hotel is owned by descendants of Antonio.
While walking along Lelong Ave, stay to the right and listen for the chimes from the Singing Tree. The twin rows of Crepe Myrtle trees flanking the roadway were planted to replace similar rows of Magnolia trees lost to post-Katrina flooding. The Crepe Myrtles bloom during much of the summer. Keep an eye out for native birds, especially pelicans, in the Big Lake. Artificial, this lake is modeled after Lake Pontchartrain. It features rental paddle boats, canoes, and one authentic Venetian Gondola.
To the left, on the other side of Lelong Avenue beyond the row of trees, one sees a large, open area of grass; this is where the Allard Plantation once stood.
]]>Opened as the Isaac Delgado Art Museum in 1911, it was renamed the New Orleans Museum of Art in 1971. In the early 1900s, wealthy sugar broker Isaac Delgado wrote the following to the City Park Board about his intention to build an art museum:
"I have been lead to believe that you would willingly donate in the park the site for a building I propose erecting to be known as the ‘Isaac Delgado Museum of Art.' My desire is to give to the citizens of New Orleans a fireproof building where works of art may be collected through gifts or loans and where exhibits can be held from time to time by the Art Association of New Orleans".
The board approved his request and designated the circular area at the end of what would become Lelong Avenue for the museum.
In 1970, The Edward Wisner Foundation funded the Wisner Education Wing, a three-level addition to the left side of the original building. In 1988, Lin Emery's kinetic sculpture was donated to the museum and mounted in a pool of water lilies in front of the museum entrance. In 1993, the museum underwent a $23 million expansion and renovation project, adding exhibition space to the right and rear of the original building.
As you pass the museum on your right, you will cross the City Park Railroad tracks and view the entrance of the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. In the late 1990s, New Orleans drug store magnate Sidney Besthoff of K&B Drugs donated his personal sculpture collection to the museum. The sculpture garden was expanded to include an additional six-acres of parkland in 2019.
]]>Many myths are associated with the "Dueling Oaks." An 1892 Times-Democrat article noted that "Blood has been shed under the old cathedral aisles of nature. Between 1834 and 1844 scarcely a day passed without duels being fought at the Oaks. Why, it would not be strange if the very violets blossomed red of this soaked grass! The lover for his mistress, the gentleman for his honor, the courtier for his King; what loyalty has not cried out in pistol shot and scratch of steel! Sometimes two or three hundred people hurried from the city to witness these human baitings. On the occasion of one duel the spectators could stand no more, drew their swords, and there was a general melee."
One of the frequently referenced duels involved a "European scientist insulting the Mississippi River by calling it ‘but a tiny rill compared to the great rivers of Europe.' A Creole overheard the insult and immediately came to the defense of the river, challenging the scientist to a duel, which the Creole won."
Before the Dueling Oaks became a favorite spot for disrespected Creoles, a frequent dueling site had been St. Anthony's Garden, located behind the St. Louis Cathedral. In 1855, laws against dueling began to be enforced, so most duels moved to the city's outskirts. Some sources claim that the last duel was fought beneath the oaks in 1890, while others contend the last one took place during the first decade of the Twentieth Century.
One of the Dueling Oaks was destroyed by a hurricane in the 1940's. The remaining one is thought to be 300 years old with a height of 70 feet and a girth of 25 feet.
]]>1777 marked the birth of Louis Allard, son and heir of the affluent Creole family of Francoise Lorreins and Jean Allard. One narrative of Louis Allard's life said he was "destined to be an active citizen of the bayou for the next seventy years." Most sources, however, claimed Allard was "cultured but impractical," a "hermit" who was "a man of letters," a "dreamer," and a "poet-farmer."
Louis Allard was raised on a plantation that was home to cattle and sheep as well as crops of sugarcane, indigo, cotton, corn, and rice, but the role of plantation owner did not come naturally to him. Allard was a poet and a politician. He was educated in France, which was typical for Louisiana men of French descent with some social standing during this era. Early in January 1798, Louis Allard returned home to the plantation, having completed his European schooling.
The most enduring account of the grave is that Allard's declining days were spent writing poetry under his favorite tree, one of the Dueling Oaks. Before his death, Allard beseeched the land's new owner, John McDonogh, for permission to be buried under his beloved tree. Allard had spent much time under this oak from boyhood and into adulthood. McDonogh agreed, and on May 18, 1847, Allard was laid to rest in a crypt under what is now the only remaining Dueling Oak.
Some accounts claim that the City Park Improvement Association (CPIA) discovered the grave was empty around the turn of the twentieth century; nevertheless, City Park continued maintenance of the crypt. In 1984, the Times Picayune published an article claiming that "when the park was developed and the grave was opened, there was no coffin, although some time later a casket lock and handles were found. To this day it is still a mystery. What happened to Allard's body? That romance and mystery surrounding the oaks is just one of the reasons why the Friends of City Park devote so much time to this community green space."
In September 2011, the CPIA removed the grave after sonar imaging of the grave site determined the crypt to be empty.
You will walk over the Dreyfous Bridge on the way to your next stop.
The Dreyfous Bridge, an auto bridge which adjoins the casino area with the Dueling Oak and Sculpture Garden, has undergone many changes throughout the years. The accompanying photos illustrate its various alterations. The original wood and stone bridge was built in 1913; in 1923, Mr. and Mrs. Felix Dreyfous contributed a new bridge to replace the old wooden span.
]]>The monument to Confederate General G.T. Beauregard stood at the center of a busy traffic roundabout at the entrance to City Park. In the aftermath of the Charleston massacre of 2015, all symbols associated with the Confederacy faced renewed scrutiny and calls for their removal have become commonplace, as have public protests and anti-monument graffiti. The statue was removed in 2017. What follows is the story of this monument’s origins and the conflicts it has inspired among New Orleans citizens.
When Louisiana native General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, nicknamed the “Little Creole,” died February 20, 1893, in New Orleans, his passing marked the end of an era. Beauregard was the last survivor of the top Confederate military leaders. According to the obituary printed in the Times-Picayune, Beauregard was an ideal soldier and leader “by virtue of courage.” Beauregard commanded the attack at Fort Sumter, the shots of which marked the outbreak of the American Civil War. He fought in the First Manassas and at Shiloh, and he defended Charleston from Union occupation for two years.
After the war, however, Beauregard advocated reconciliation between Democrats and Republicans in city and state politics, a move many former Confederates saw as a betrayal of “the Cause.” Though a proud and loyal southerner, the Times-Picayune declared, “in peace, he forgot he hated Yankees.” After the Civil War ended, Beauregard became president of the Jackson and Great Northern Railroad and was perhaps the most prosperous of the eight Confederate full generals as well as the most easily adapted to life in the New South.
The Beauregard Monument Association (BMA) formed shortly after Beauregard’s death, and was, like the Lee Monument Committee, composed entirely of men, an anomaly in post-war memorial associations. In their appeals to the public for donations to erect a monument for Beauregard, the Association stated that the monument would be an “enduring expression of his soldiers’ and countrymens’ admiration” and that “every citizen of his native state and city…and every southerner throughout the land” should show their respect and appreciation. By the time this public plea was published in 1895, monuments to Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Albert Sidney Johnston already stood on Louisiana soil.
The Beauregard Monument Association ran into numerous obstacles in their attempts to secure donations, both public and private. Yellow fever outbreaks hit New Orleans in 1897, 1898, 1899 and 1905. As happened with the Lee Monumental Association, most of the original members of the Beauregard Monumental Association, many of them veterans, died.
By 1908, the Beauregard Monument Association secured Alexander Doyle, the artist who created the Robert E. Lee statue, to create a statue of Beauregard. The City Park Association donated a plot of land at the park’s entrance to the monument. Yet after working for over a decade to secure funds, the Association was still short some four thousand dollars. When BMA appealed to the state legislature for an appropriation, it ran headlong into the Jefferson Davis Monumental Association. Each Association argued that their monument was the one most worthy of state funds. Newspaper editors and citizens also voiced their opinions. An editorial in the Times-Picayune stated that Louisianans had already “contributed liberally” to memorials and monuments of Jefferson Davis in other cities (most notably in Richmond) and that a monument to New Orleans’s “illustrious chieftain” whose “devotion to his state has made his example worthy of emulation” should take priority. Members of the Jefferson Davis Monumental Association traveled to Baton Rouge to plead their case in person, but it was almost all for naught. The state did not have the funds it was rumored to have and was only able to appropriate one thousand dollars to each association.
By 1910, the BMA had secured funds through public donation, veterans’ associations, the City Park Commission, the state legislature and the City of New Orleans. In 1913, the BMA laid the cornerstone for the monument and the statue itself was unveiled on November 11, 1915. A large ceremony accompanied the unveiling, with speeches by judges, veterans and chaplains, and musical performances. The bronze-cast monument depicts General Beauregard atop a horse and stands on a marble platform.
For many New Orleans residents, these monuments to prominent men of the Confederacy glorify slavery, racism, white supremacy, and oppression. After a 6-1 vote by the City Council in 2015, this statue was one of four Confederate monuments scheduled to be removed. The statue of General Beauregard was removed on May 17, 2017, in the middle of the night. Many protestors with Confederate flags had stood in the circle on and off for months following the city's decision for removal. The city’s current plan is for the monuments to be removed and housed in a city-owned warehouse until a more permanent location can be determined.
]]>Built in 1912, this structure was conceived as a combined refreshment stand and administrative center, then referred to as "The Casino." Because of its Spanish Mission Revival design, someone at the time of its creation felt that the building had the look of a Mexican "cantina" or Spanish casino; hence the name. [1]
The upper floor of The Casino once housed the park's administrative offices, and it was used for City Park Improvement Association meetings. In 1963 was renamed the Administration Building. [2]
Renovated again in 1999, one year later the casino was renamed the Timken Center. The center has played host to a number of concession stands ever since.
]]>John F. Popp was a park visitor with a penchant for classic style architecture and music. He was determined to construct a bandstand for the park that was harmonious with the other newly constructed buildings.
On July 4, 1917, Popp's Bandstand was dedicated during a wartime festival. When musicians were not playing, families would gather to watch the "vitascope," one of the first types of motion picture projectors.
]]>The Langles Bridge is located near the south side of the Timken Center, formerly known as the Casino building. This original stone bridge is dedicated to Miss Angele M. Langles; her estate appropriated $650 for City Park.
Angele and her mother were lost when the French steamer La Bourgogne sank on July 4, 1898, after colliding with the British ship Cromarty Shire off Cape Sable Island (near Nova Scotia).
According to Sally and William Reeves' book, History of City Park New Orleans, Langles Bridge has become one of City Park's most commonly photographed subjects. It is one of three old stone bridges in the park built around 1902.
Before crossing the bridge notice the abandoned pigeon house. This island is also home to the yearly fishing rodeo.
]]>City Park is known for having one of the largest collections of mature live oaks in the world. The oldest is rumored to be up to 800 years old, although most sources claim the oak's age is closer to 500 years. Live Oaks are evergreen, but their leaves are sparse in the winter. These trees have a unique low-slung spread and form. Established trees commonly have lateral limbs that extend to the ground. Many mature trees have a branch spread that is double the height of the tree. Children are often seen climbing the limbs of trees adjacent to the playground.
The McDonogh, Dueling and Ansman Oaks are located amongst the remnants of a forest that began long before Iberville and Bienville first scouted the area. They declared this land for the establishment of the city and port that developed into New Orleans. City Park's eldest and largest live oaks can be found along the remnants of old Bayou Metairie, a vestige of an old distributary of the Mississippi River better known today as the City Park Lagoon.
]]>The Peristyle was created as a platform for dancing while listening to music performances at the nearby band stand. It was originally called the paristyleum and cost $15,330 when erected in 1907. The dancing platform was designed to match the style of the Anseman Bridge, which was erected in 1903 by the same design firm. The Peristyle was advertized as a "majestic" addition to the park. Dancing at the Peristyle took place from six to eleven thirty at night. Today it is most often used for weddings and photo shoots.
The Peristyle has been renovated several times. The Peristyle once featured an ornate parapet, but it had to be removed due to a leakage problem.
]]>Constructed in 1822 under the direction of architect Simon Bernard, Fort Wood was thought to be impregnable to enemy troops attacking in the narrow straits of lakes Borgne and St. Catherine. In 1851, the fort was renamed Fort Macomb to honor Alexander Macomb, a field commander lauded for his actions during the War of 1812.
Fort Macomb is a Third System fort. Third System forts, erected to protect the nation's waterways from attack, were made of superior materials and usually housed more cannons than their earlier First and Second System counterparts (see Fort Petite Coquilles).
Fort Macomb features the same general design as Fort Pike, located just nine miles away. However, unlike Pike, Macomb is in poor condition today due to the encroachment of Lake Catherine.
Fort Macomb was never used for offensive purposes. During the Second Seminole and Mexican Wars, the fort was a staging area for supplies. During the Civil War, Confederate forces seized control of the fort in January of 1861. Union troops regained the fort and used it for training exercises and barracks in 1862. The First Louisiana Native Guard, one of the first all-black regiments to fight in the Union Army performed guard duty at Fort Macomb during the American Civil War. The First Louisiana Native Guard was comprised of self-emancipated men and free men of color.
The fort caught fire in 1867 and the government abandoned the site. The government decommissioned the fort by 1871.
In recent years, Fort Macomb has played host to several film projects including HBO's True Detective, NCIS, and Beyonce's Lemonade.
]]>Fort Pike Volunteer Fire Department has served the Rigolets community since 1952. In its earliest days, if a fire began in the community, the department had to pump water from the surrounding bodies of water to extinguish the blaze. Many of the volunteers resided in the community that they served. The department was almost forgotten after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their station, but it has since been rebuilt and once again protects the surrounding areas from fire hazards and storms. The building that now stands is dedicated to a local figure Rev. Authur Ginart, also known as "Father Red." For nearly 30 years, "Father Red" was the priest of Saint Nicholas of Myra Church, located in the Lake Catherine community not far from Fort Macomb. Before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, the volunteer fire department Chief Joe Perez requested that "Father Red" evacuate, but he refused. Joe was the last person to see the priest alive. "Father Red" is believed to have drowned during the storm, and his body was never recovered. The community still mourns his passing.
The next stop, Fort Petite Coquilles, is best viewed from the parking lot of Fort Pike. Exit the firehouse, then bear right along the service road and follow signs to the fort parking lot, about .5 miles.
]]>From the parking lot of Fort Pike, look north-northwest underneath the bridge towards the red-roofed bait store and marina (see picture). Past this building, somewhere near the shoreline, Fort Petite Coquilles once stood. This site was formerly accessible by Hospital Road (across from the firehouse), but the drive has since become private property. Fort Petite Coquilles (little shells) was designed by architect Barthelemy Lafon before the war of 1812. The site, selected by Lafon, was purportedly chosen on the advice of pirate Jean Lafitte. Lafon was an extraordinary surveyor who made many detailed maps of the New Orleans area. The fort itself was a Second System construction, a small wooden structure that was less durable than its Third System replacement Fort Pike. Second System forts were less stable because of the construction materials used: usually earth, wood, and masonry. General James Wilkinson, a commander of the New Orleans district, believed that building a fort at this location was "a major factor in preventing the British from taking New Orleans." However, Fort Petite Coquilles did not see extensive battle during the War of 1812. It was, in fact, criticized by General Andrew Jackson as being "of little service in protection of the pass" after American gunboats in Lake Borgne were captured on December 14, 1814. This site is no longer standing but remains an integral part of New Orleans history. Some locals say that when the water is clear following a storm, the remains of Fort Petite Coquilles can be seen near the shore. However, no photographs have surfaced, nor has anyone admitted to actually seeing this for themselves.
View the next stop, West Rigolets Lighthouse, from the same location.
]]>While inside the fort, climb to the top of the parapet in the far right corner (when viewed from the entryway). Look south-east across the lake towards a strip of land with some trees (see photo 1) and you will see marsh where the town of Lake Catherine used to sit.
The town of Lake Catherine was a rural marsh community accessible only by water or railroad. The town was settled sometime in the 1800's around a train depot, the residents lived off of what they could hunt or catch. Fur trapping and fishing sustained most of the residents. The end of passenger railroad service in the mid-1900's forced many of the residents to relocate along the Chef Menteur Highway where they could have easier access to transportation.
Reminiscent of the maroon communities that settled here in the early days of New Orleans, these settlers supplied each other with fish, game, and whatever else they could obtain from their local environment. Through the early 1900's, the town's lodges were segregated due to Jim Crow laws; African-Americans had to walk a half-mile down the tracks to the colored-only lodge. However, these two communities often traded goods back and forth, and during the holidays everyone attended the parties no matter who was giving it. These small villages are now all but abandoned or washed away by storms and time.
]]>New Orleans has been a major port since the early 18th century. Until the 1960's, warehouses stood along this part of the river. These warehouses, or wharves, used to teem with the infamous "wharf rats" that infested the area's buildings and shipping yards. They arrived as stowaways on the ships and settled here.
In the early 20th century, these rats caused quite a scare by reintroducing the Bubonic Plague to New Orleans. On June 28, 1914, at 713 St. Joseph Street, a resident of the Volunteers of America Home died of the Bubonic Plague. A large population of rats was discovered inside of his home. Panic ensued and the areas around the present day warehouse district and Lafayette Square were quarantined. Thirty people became ill, but only ten people died of this highly contagious disease. The low fatality rate was due to a city-wide effort to eradicate the rodents. The municipal government instituted new regulations regarding the disposal of garbage and encouraged private citizens to set out rat poison. Many New Orleans residents could still recall the 1905 outbreak of Yellow Fever and, fearful of similar death rates, were eager to cooperate with the local government's eradication efforts.
In the 1930s and early 1940s, the Works Progress Administration undertook several programs to abate rodent problems throughout the city.
The 1950 thriller, Panic in the Streets, took inspiration from the 1914 scare, though the disease depicted in the film is Pneumonic not Bubonic.
In the 1960s, the wharves along this stretch of the river (that is, the area by Jackson Square) were demolished and replaced by the Moonwalk on which you now stand. The removal of these wharves eliminated the majority of the rat population in this area.
To move toward the next stop, where you will learn about the city's mules, face inland and walk along Decatur St. toward Jackson Square. The mules should already be in sight.
]]>As you stand in front of the fountain in Jackson Square or walk through the French Quarter peering into courtyards and hearing the faint trickle and splash of a fountain, think about the bugs that these water features attract. Mosquitoes have been plaguing New Orleanians since the first colonists arrived in the 18th century. In addition to biting our ankles and leaving behind itchy welts, mosquitoes spread diseases like Yellow Fever.
It took a long time to combat this disease because people did not understand what exactly caused the fever or how it spread. After the particularly deadly epidemic of 1853, in which 7,849 people died, the city strove to find ways to counter Yellow Fever. One method included burning tar, which was supposed to purify the air. The municipal government also ordered the city's cannons to be fired, supposing that the vibrations would shake the disease out of the air.
The city's swamp setting contributed to the extremely high fever fatalities. Since portions of New Orleans are below sea-level, clean drinking water has always been an issue. Wells are not an option, as digging even a few feet into the ground will hit bogs. So residents relied on cisterns, massive wood or iron cylinders that were open on the top for collecting rainwater, to provide clean water. Of course, mosquitoes are attracted to standing water and lay their eggs in the stagnant pools.
The last Yellow Fever epidemic in the United States struck New Orleans in 1905, which was the same year that doctors working at Walter Reed Hospital discovered the link between mosquitoes and Yellow Fever. With an understanding of the disease, New Orleans officials were able to fight it, primarily by ordering that all cisterns be covered.
The city's fog trucks drive slowly down the streets of New Orleans, spraying pesticides into the air in order to kill the bugs and their eggs. The agency also uses an airplane for marsh areas. So while you pause at this fountain, keep in mind the tens of thousands of New Orleanians for whom water such as this proved deadly.
To find out about how termites have impacted the very foundations of this city, proceed to the corner of Chartres and Toulouse. Simply exit Jackson Square toward St. Louis Cathedral and immediately turn left. Follow Chartres St. for a block and a half. As you walk, take note of the evenly spaced silver circles that dot the sidewalks of the French Quarter.
]]>Facing Jackson Square, one should see a line of mules and their drivers ready to take visitors on a trip around the French Quarter. Now a tourist attraction, these animals played a vital role for New Orleans before the advent of motorized vehicles. Heartier than horses, mules could endure this hot and humid climate. New Orleanians put them to work hauling garbage trucks, pulling streetcars, and even towing the Mardi Gras parade floats.
Near the end of the 19th century, New Orleans residents began to notice that many of the city's mules were overworked and malnourished. These emaciated animals struggled to pull their cars and, in some cases, fell down dead in the street still harnessed. In 1888, concerned Louisianans formed a local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LASPCA) in order to fight for better treatment of the city's beasts of burden. The LASPCA, along with the New Orleans Police Department and local newspapers, raised awareness and ensured improved conditions for the mules. The organization may also have hastened the arrival of the electric streetcar. New Orleans, satisfied with mule-drawn cars, had been slow to make the change to electric cars, though the technology had been available by the mid-1880s. But pressure from the LASPCA as well as economic incentive (these electric streetcars were much more cost efficient) ensured that by 1893, New Orleans was welcoming electricity and retiring its mules.
Because the LASPCA was established in order to aid mules, whereas in other cities the mistreatment of domestic animals like dogs and cats was the impetus, many New Orleans residents have confidence that the carriage mules are well treated. And this is primarily true; however, recently controversy has erupted over this same issue once again. In December 2011, one of these mules died while pulling a carriage along Bourbon Street. Protestors responded with the same passion of a century before. As it turned outs, this carriage driver was operating without a license. The LASPCA responded by assuring all who might be concerned that the organization works with the carriage companies directly and ensures that the horses are given the "best care possible."
To move to the next location and learn about how mosquitoes have affected the New Orleans population, cross Decatur St. Be sure to look out for traffic. Head into Jackson Square and stop when you reach the fountain at the far end of the park, near St. Louis Cathedral.
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]]>In the 1830s, Irish and German immigrants dug the New Basin Canal as a link between New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. The lake end of the canal featured the New Canal Lighthouse, originally an octagonal, wooden tower resting on pilings driven into the lake bottom. Built by Francis D. Gott in 1838 for $4,500, the tower's lower timbers rotted within four years, causing it to lean.
Originally, the lighthouse stood approximately 1,000 feet offshore. Landfill projects in the early 1900s slowly brought the shore closer to the lighthouse, creating what is now Lakefront Drive. After the original lighthouse was torn down, a second square-shaped, one-story iron piling was completed in 1855.
During the American Civil War, the Confederate forces kept the lighthouse active until New Orleans fell to Union forces in April 1862.
The lighthouse remained active from the end of the Civil War in 1865 until August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged the lighthouse beyond repair. In 2007, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation dismantled the remains and salvaged as many historic materials as possible.
The lighthouse re-opened in 2013 as the New Canal Lighthouse Museum and Education Center. The lighthouse contains exhibits on the history, ecology, and preservation of the lake and lighthouse, as well as views of the lake from the outdoor deck. At night, the lighthouse's beacon is still in operation to guide boats passing through the lake.
]]>The US Coast Guard's lakefront station was once located at Spanish Fort. By the 1960s, the structure at Spanish Fort had sustained damage from many hurricanes and was in disrepair. The station then moved to the site of the New Canal Lighthouse at the head of the New Basin Canal to monitor boating activity in Lake Ponchartrain.
On October 1, 1987, the Patrol Boats Division based on the Industrial Canal was combined with New Canal Station. This established the US Coast Guard Station New Orleans at the New Canal site.
The New Canal Coast Guard was responsible for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne, Lake Maurepas, the Pearl River, the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet mile 46, the Mississippi River from mile 46 to mile 232, the Intracoastal Waterway from Pearl River to Bayou Lafourche, and all tributaries and surrounding bayous.
On November 14, 2001, USCG Station New Orleans moved from the New Canal Lighthouse to a facility one-and-a-half miles away in Bucktown, Metairie.
]]>LaGarde Hospital was built in 1941 to relieve congestion during the Second World War at other regional Army hospitals such as Camp Beauregard in Pineville, Louisiana, and Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The hospital was designated as an "exempt station," meaning that it was independent from a larger Army camp.
After completion of the hospital's construction in March 1941, the city's public welfare department selected about 150 needy families to receive scrap lumber from the project. Captain Frank A. Ray, Construction Quartermaster for the hospital, and Sarah Davis, Chairman of the Welfare Department of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Red Cross, coordinated the donation of lumber to the city's public welfare department.
Although it was ready for occupancy in March 1941, LaGarde Hospital did not become operational until April 1, 1941 after the medical staff set up rooms and tested the equipment. LaGarde Hospital offered 1,650 hospital beds for post-surgery patients and those recuperating from acute or chronic diseases and other ailments. It was staffed with 73 medical officers, 120 nurses, 500 enlisted men, and 100 civilian employees.
In March 1946, the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center moved into the LaGarde General Hospital complex. After the Second World War, commercial and residential construction on the Lakefront came to a halt. The VA moved its headquarters from the Lakefront to downtown New Orleans in September 1952.
]]>A small fort was erected in 1701 before the founding of the city of New Orleans by the French where Bayou St. John empties into Lake Pontchartrain. The settlers sought to protect the important trade route along Bayou St. John.
The fort was first used in 1793 under the authority of Governor Carondelet during the Battle of New Orleans where Major Jean Baptiste Plauche's battalion carried out observations from the fort at the direction of General Andrew Jackson.
The fort stayed active until after the Louisiana Purchase where an act of Congress allowed the sale of all obsolete military sites. In 1823, the government sold the Spanish Fort to Harvey Elkins as surplus. Elkins transformed the fort into the Pontchartrain Hotel.
In 1903, the popularity of Pontchartrain Hotel at Spanish Fort declined as a result of the suspension of steam railroad services. Subsequently, the fort's buildings were burned by an unknown source. In 1909, the resort was acquired by the New Orleans Railway and Light Company who revived it in 1911 with the introduction of electric car lines. These lines were extended to Spanish Fort until October 16, 1932.
Due to the popularity of the competing West End pier, attendance began to dwindle, leaving the Spanish Fort's future uncertain.
In 1933, the resort finally closed to facilitate the implementation of the Orleans Parish Levee Board's plans for the development of the lakefront from West End to the Industrial Canal. During the reclamation project of the Lakefront in the 1930s, the amusement park at Spanish Fort was disassembled and subsequently moved to the new Pontchartrain Beach located several miles further down the lakefront.
The area surrounding the Spanish fort was sold for residential use, leaving only a half an acre of remains left for preservation.
]]>