﻿Ill] 
  Special 
  Report 
  No. 
  2 
  : 
  Shreveport 
  Area 
  157 
  

  

  the 
  region 
  under 
  discussion. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  outlet 
  of 
  the 
  Cypress 
  

   bayou 
  and 
  Black 
  bayou 
  drainage 
  systems 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  the 
  back- 
  

   lands 
  between 
  Shreveport 
  and 
  the 
  State 
  line. 
  Before 
  the 
  closing 
  

   of 
  the 
  outlet 
  bayous 
  in 
  upper 
  Red 
  river 
  the 
  discharge 
  of 
  this 
  

   channel 
  was 
  greater 
  than 
  the 
  river 
  proper. 
  It 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  

   called 
  Caddo 
  and 
  Sodo 
  bayou. 
  It 
  formerly 
  emptied 
  into 
  Red 
  

   river 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  two 
  miles 
  above 
  Shreveport 
  but 
  by 
  a 
  cut 
  off 
  of 
  

   the 
  main 
  river 
  its 
  mouth 
  has 
  now 
  advanced 
  to 
  within 
  a 
  mile 
  of 
  

   the 
  city. 
  

  

  Cross 
  bayou. 
  — 
  The 
  outlet 
  of 
  Cross 
  lake, 
  in 
  its 
  upper 
  part 
  

   called 
  Bowman's 
  Chute, 
  empties 
  into 
  Red 
  river 
  at 
  Shreveport. 
  

   Its 
  normal 
  drainage 
  area 
  is 
  small, 
  being 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  region 
  

   about 
  Cross 
  lake. 
  In 
  flood 
  times 
  it 
  receives 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  amount 
  

   of 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  valley 
  through 
  " 
  The 
  Pass." 
  It 
  has 
  

   thus 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  discharge 
  at 
  times, 
  and 
  indeed 
  under 
  the 
  old 
  

   raft 
  regime 
  normally, 
  more 
  water 
  than 
  either 
  Twelve 
  Mile 
  bayou 
  

   or 
  Upper 
  Red 
  river. 
  

  

  Old 
  outlets 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  bank. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  

   old 
  outlet 
  channels 
  below 
  Hurricane 
  bluffs. 
  The 
  principal 
  ones 
  

   are 
  : 
  Benoit's 
  bayou. 
  Starvation 
  or 
  William's 
  bayou 
  and 
  Willow 
  

   Chute. 
  

  

  Boston's 
  bayou. 
  — 
  The 
  spelling 
  of 
  this 
  name 
  has 
  varied 
  quite 
  a 
  

   little. 
  Originally 
  Poston's, 
  it 
  became 
  Posten 
  and 
  Postern. 
  It 
  

   drains 
  the 
  back 
  land 
  above 
  Miller's 
  bluffs. 
  

  

  ArTificiai, 
  Channels 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  raft 
  period 
  navigation 
  between 
  upper 
  and 
  lower 
  

   Red 
  river 
  was 
  possible 
  only 
  by 
  devious 
  channels 
  through 
  the 
  

   bayous 
  and 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  back-land. 
  In 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  improve 
  

   these 
  channels 
  and 
  to 
  render 
  navigation 
  possible 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   artificial 
  cuts 
  were 
  made. 
  These 
  were 
  greatly 
  enlarged 
  by 
  the 
  

   water 
  flowing 
  through 
  them. 
  

  

  SeweW 
  s 
  caiial. 
  — 
  The 
  earliest 
  and 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   of 
  these 
  artificial 
  channels 
  was 
  Sewell's 
  canal. 
  This 
  was 
  cut 
  in 
  

   1839 
  by 
  Lieut. 
  Sewell, 
  U. 
  S. 
  A., 
  from 
  Black 
  bayou 
  near 
  Irving's 
  

   bluff 
  to 
  Red 
  bayou 
  and 
  diverted 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  later 
  bayou 
  to 
  

   Black 
  bayou. 
  

  

  