﻿142 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  Natchitoches. 
  — 
  The 
  abrupt 
  topography 
  which 
  crosses 
  the 
  south 
  

   central 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  town 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  considerable 
  elevation 
  

   which 
  the 
  general 
  land 
  surface 
  has 
  above 
  the 
  ordinary 
  level 
  of 
  

   Cane 
  river. 
  This 
  means 
  that 
  the 
  little 
  branches 
  and 
  creek 
  

   which 
  drain 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  corporation 
  have 
  highly 
  inclined 
  

   channels. 
  This 
  in 
  turn 
  means 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  wear, 
  or 
  

   erosion, 
  continually 
  undermining 
  their 
  various 
  banks. 
  Hence 
  

   the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  abrupt 
  topography. 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  the 
  steep 
  escarpment 
  or 
  bluff 
  is 
  main- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  the 
  continual 
  undermining 
  or 
  wearing 
  away 
  of 
  its 
  base 
  

   by 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Cane 
  river. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  observed, 
  by 
  the 
  map, 
  that 
  the 
  curve 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  

   such 
  as 
  to 
  cause 
  it 
  to 
  impinge 
  upon 
  its 
  western 
  bank 
  with 
  force 
  

   at 
  this 
  place. 
  

  

  North 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Messi 
  swamp. 
  — 
  North 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lake, 
  the 
  land 
  slopes 
  gradually 
  upward 
  with 
  no 
  important 
  steep 
  

   declivities 
  till 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  highway 
  is 
  passed. 
  Strongly 
  con- 
  

   trasting 
  with 
  this 
  topography 
  is 
  the 
  rugged, 
  broken 
  surface 
  

   which 
  appears 
  on 
  every 
  hand 
  along 
  the 
  Camp 
  Salubrity 
  road 
  

   from 
  the 
  Iron 
  springs 
  northward. 
  

  

  Faithful 
  to 
  old 
  customs 
  the 
  road 
  winds 
  along 
  on 
  the 
  summits 
  

   of 
  ridges, 
  securing 
  at 
  once 
  fine 
  drainage 
  and 
  fine 
  views. 
  

  

  Between 
  Camp 
  Salubrity 
  and 
  the 
  railroad 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  high 
  ele- 
  

   vation 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  map. 
  The 
  minor 
  details, 
  the 
  many 
  steep 
  

   slopes 
  of 
  lo 
  to 
  20 
  feet, 
  the 
  many 
  small 
  ridges 
  and 
  V-shaped 
  

   valleys, 
  can 
  of 
  course 
  not 
  be 
  duly 
  represented 
  on 
  a 
  map 
  of 
  this 
  

   character. 
  The 
  old 
  Lac 
  a 
  Poisson 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  government 
  

   survey 
  plats, 
  no 
  longer 
  exists 
  in 
  ordinary 
  stages 
  of 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  

   represented 
  by 
  a 
  clear 
  stream 
  which 
  meanders 
  to 
  and 
  fro 
  across 
  

   the 
  old 
  lake 
  basin, 
  fed 
  by 
  the 
  many 
  clear, 
  cool 
  springs 
  that 
  issue 
  

   from 
  near 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  these 
  hills. 
  

  

  The 
  road 
  and 
  railway 
  to 
  Grand 
  Ecore 
  avail 
  themselves 
  of 
  the 
  

   gentler 
  sloping 
  uplands 
  between 
  Lac 
  ^ 
  Poisson 
  and 
  Messi 
  swamp 
  

   to 
  avoid 
  the 
  wetness 
  of 
  the 
  lowlands 
  and 
  the 
  steep 
  grades 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  highlands. 
  

  

  Sharp 
  and 
  abrupt 
  is 
  the 
  slope 
  from 
  this 
  last 
  mentioned 
  upland 
  

   to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  Messi 
  swamp. 
  Here 
  is 
  the 
  western 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  

   broad 
  stretch 
  of 
  bottomland 
  that 
  reaches 
  eastward 
  to 
  beyond 
  the 
  

  

  