﻿Ill] 
  Shreveport 
  Area: 
  The 
  Raft 
  165 
  

  

  The 
  steamboat 
  route 
  around 
  the 
  raft 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  a 
  letter* 
  

   written 
  in 
  1825 
  by 
  George 
  Izard 
  as 
  passing 
  through 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   following 
  lakes 
  and 
  bayous: 
  " 
  Coshattee 
  Shute," 
  "Lake 
  Bis- 
  

   tino," 
  Swan 
  lake, 
  " 
  Badcaw 
  " 
  bayou 
  and 
  lake, 
  Bee 
  bayou, 
  Miid 
  

   lake, 
  Stump-lake 
  and 
  Willow 
  bayou, 
  

  

  Shreve's 
  work 
  : 
  i8jj-i8j8. 
  — 
  When 
  Shreve 
  commenced 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  removing 
  the 
  raft 
  the 
  foot 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  IvOggy 
  

   bayouf 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  near 
  Hurricane 
  bluffs. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  year 
  the 
  work 
  progressed 
  very 
  rapidly 
  in 
  the 
  decayed 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  raft, 
  71 
  miles 
  of 
  river 
  being 
  cleared. 
  | 
  As 
  the 
  

   more 
  solid 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  were 
  reached 
  the 
  removal 
  pro- 
  

   gressed 
  much 
  slower. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  raft 
  removed 
  the 
  fourth 
  

   year 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  (1837) 
  was 
  only 
  12^ 
  miles. 
  § 
  

  

  On 
  March 
  7, 
  1838 
  Shreve 
  reached 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  raft, 
  which 
  

   was 
  then 
  midway 
  between 
  Cowhide 
  bayou 
  and 
  Cedar 
  bluffs, 
  || 
  and 
  

   the 
  first 
  steamboat 
  passed 
  through. 
  

  

  Period 
  : 
  i8jp-i8yi. 
  — 
  In 
  July, 
  1838, 
  almost 
  immediately 
  after 
  

   the 
  close 
  of 
  Shreve's 
  work, 
  a 
  new 
  raft 
  2,300 
  feet 
  long 
  formed 
  

   three 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  raft, 
  very 
  near 
  the 
  Sterling 
  

   bayou 
  outlet** 
  and 
  as 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  removed 
  every 
  freshet 
  added 
  

   to 
  it. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  then 
  that 
  the 
  Red 
  bayou 
  route 
  around 
  the 
  raft 
  was 
  first 
  

   utilized. 
  Colonel 
  Sewell 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Army 
  in 
  i839ff 
  finding 
  

   the 
  river 
  blocked 
  left 
  the 
  river 
  just 
  above 
  Shreveport 
  and 
  pass- 
  

   ing 
  through 
  Twelve 
  Mile 
  bayou, 
  Sodolake, 
  Stumpy 
  bayou. 
  Clear 
  

   lake 
  and 
  Black 
  bayou 
  reached 
  Irving's 
  (then 
  McNeil's) 
  bluff- 
  

   Here 
  he 
  cut 
  a 
  canal 
  into 
  Red 
  bayou 
  and 
  passing 
  through 
  Red 
  

   bayou 
  entered 
  the 
  river 
  again 
  opposite 
  Miller's 
  bluffs. 
  This 
  

  

  * 
  19th 
  Cong. 
  2d 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Report, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  No. 
  96, 
  pp. 
  4-5, 
  1827. 
  

  

  fSee 
  " 
  Rough 
  Sketch 
  of 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  Red 
  river 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Great 
  raft 
  

   is 
  situated, 
  and 
  the 
  Bayous, 
  Lakes, 
  Swamps, 
  etc. 
  belonging 
  to 
  or 
  in 
  its 
  

   vicinity." 
  By 
  Capt. 
  Henry 
  M. 
  Shreve, 
  23d 
  Cong., 
  ist 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  

   Doc, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  No. 
  98, 
  1834. 
  

  

  :[: 
  23d 
  Cong, 
  ist 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  No. 
  98, 
  p. 
  10, 
  1834. 
  

  

  §25th 
  Cong. 
  2d 
  Sess., 
  Senate 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  No. 
  i, 
  p. 
  351. 
  

  

  I 
  Long, 
  27th 
  Cong, 
  ist 
  Sess., 
  Sen. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  No. 
  64, 
  p. 
  9. 
  

  

  **26th 
  Cong., 
  1st 
  Sess. 
  Sen. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  No. 
  i, 
  pp. 
  205-209, 
  1840. 
  Also 
  

   26th 
  Cong., 
  1st 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  i. 
  No. 
  2, 
  pp. 
  205-209. 
  

  

  ff 
  Collins, 
  43d 
  Cong., 
  ist 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  part 
  2, 
  p. 
  658, 
  

   1874. 
  

  

  