﻿ml 
  Special 
  Report 
  No. 
  i 
  : 
  Natchitoches 
  Area 
  143 
  

  

  Saline. 
  Here 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  bluff, 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  erosive 
  agency 
  of 
  

   Red 
  river 
  many 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  deserted 
  

   by 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  land 
  where 
  Messi 
  swamp 
  is 
  now 
  found 
  was 
  

   formed 
  in 
  the 
  concave 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  river, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  

   been 
  continually 
  pushed 
  eastward 
  and 
  eastward. 
  

  

  Low 
  Lands 
  

  

  Messi 
  swamp. 
  — 
  This 
  shows 
  most 
  beautifully 
  the 
  typical 
  

   topography 
  of 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plains 
  of 
  Louisiana's 
  rivers, 
  i. 
  e., 
  

   high 
  and 
  dry 
  along 
  the 
  banks, 
  low 
  and 
  wet 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  back. 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  land 
  increases 
  somewhat 
  in 
  value, 
  this 
  so-called 
  

   swamp 
  will 
  be 
  drained 
  and 
  will 
  disappear 
  entirely 
  from 
  maps. 
  

  

  East 
  of 
  Cane 
  river. 
  — 
  The 
  same 
  feature 
  of 
  elevated 
  banks 
  and 
  

   lower 
  grounds 
  some 
  distance 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  as 
  noted 
  above 
  are 
  

   likewise 
  well 
  exhibited 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  The 
  various 
  bayous 
  in 
  the 
  northeastern 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  

   once 
  (prior 
  to 
  1849) 
  served 
  to 
  conduct 
  the 
  surplus 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  

   then 
  Red 
  river 
  (now 
  Cane 
  river) 
  from 
  its 
  channel 
  to 
  other 
  

   channels 
  farther 
  eastward. 
  But 
  since 
  the 
  desertion 
  of 
  Cane 
  

   channel 
  by 
  Red 
  river 
  these 
  bayous 
  have 
  become 
  f 
  unctionless 
  and 
  

   their 
  mouths 
  have 
  been 
  stopped 
  by 
  levees 
  or 
  road 
  embankments. 
  

  

  The 
  observant 
  student 
  of 
  nature 
  will 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  

   entire 
  lack 
  of 
  streams 
  entering 
  Cane 
  river 
  from 
  Natchitoches 
  to 
  

   the 
  southeast 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  township. 
  

  

  Sotith 
  of 
  Chapiri' 
  s 
  lake 
  and 
  Cane 
  river. 
  — 
  Chapin's 
  lake 
  is 
  a 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  "Old 
  river" 
  channel 
  cut 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  by 
  

   two 
  artificial 
  dams. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  clear 
  body 
  of 
  water, 
  fed 
  by 
  springs, 
  

   and 
  using 
  bayou 
  Bulikano 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  for 
  its 
  over- 
  

   flow 
  waters. 
  

  

  Old 
  river 
  is 
  fed 
  by 
  the 
  numerous 
  springs 
  about 
  Sibley's 
  lake 
  

   or, 
  more 
  directly 
  by 
  Mill 
  bayou. 
  

  

  Bayou 
  Julien 
  and 
  other 
  small 
  channels 
  are 
  used 
  principally 
  or 
  

   almost 
  solely 
  for 
  flood-time 
  waters. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  adherence 
  of 
  the 
  roads 
  to 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  

   streams 
  means 
  here 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  that 
  the 
  higher, 
  better-drained 
  

   stretches 
  of 
  land 
  are 
  in 
  close 
  proximity 
  to 
  water 
  channels. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  scarcely 
  necessary 
  perhaps 
  to 
  add 
  that 
  stream 
  banks 
  are 
  

   more 
  elevated 
  than 
  the 
  back 
  land, 
  simply 
  because 
  in 
  time 
  of 
  

  

  