﻿230 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  C6te 
  Blanche 
  

   Location 
  and 
  Topography 
  

  

  Location. 
  — 
  Although 
  not 
  the 
  central 
  island, 
  Cote 
  Blanche, 
  or 
  

   "Cap 
  Blanche" 
  of 
  the 
  earh- 
  Spanish 
  cartographers, 
  occupies 
  

   the 
  geographical 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  Five 
  Islands. 
  It 
  is 
  near 
  the 
  

   center 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  shore 
  of 
  Cote 
  Blanche 
  bay 
  in 
  township 
  15 
  

   south, 
  range 
  5 
  east. 
  Access 
  is 
  had 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  

   raised 
  dirt-way 
  leading 
  through 
  the 
  marsh 
  from 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  

   Cypremort 
  point. 
  

  

  Topography. 
  — 
  Cote 
  Blanche 
  is 
  nearlj^ 
  circular 
  and 
  in 
  point 
  of 
  

   size 
  is 
  the 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  islands, 
  having 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  1400 
  acres. 
  

   On 
  one 
  side 
  the 
  waves 
  of 
  Cote 
  Blanche 
  bay 
  have 
  formed 
  a 
  bluff 
  

   about 
  fift}^ 
  feet 
  high. 
  To 
  this 
  wave-formed 
  bluff 
  is 
  probably 
  

   due 
  the 
  early 
  appearance 
  of 
  this 
  island 
  on 
  the 
  Spanish 
  maps. 
  

   It 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  rugged 
  than 
  either 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  or 
  Grande 
  Cote. 
  

   The 
  deep 
  V-shaped 
  hollows 
  of 
  the 
  centers 
  of 
  those 
  two 
  islands 
  

   are 
  entirely 
  wanting 
  here. 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  bluff, 
  

   a 
  long 
  arm 
  of 
  sea-marsh 
  runs 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  island. 
  Rising 
  abruptly 
  

   from 
  this 
  is 
  Oak 
  hill 
  the 
  highest 
  hill 
  on 
  the 
  island.* 
  North 
  of 
  

   Oak 
  hill 
  is 
  a 
  shallow 
  depression 
  in 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  which 
  

   was 
  pointed 
  out 
  as 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  Clear 
  lake. 
  Time 
  was 
  when 
  this 
  

   was 
  a 
  small 
  pond 
  something 
  like 
  300 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  3 
  feet 
  

   deep. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  natural 
  pond 
  on 
  Cote 
  Blanche. 
  

  

  Geology 
  

  

  Salt 
  investigations. 
  — 
  The 
  recent 
  salt 
  excitement 
  which 
  has 
  

   caused 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  to 
  be 
  investigated 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  

   had 
  its 
  effect 
  on 
  Cote 
  Blanche. 
  A 
  recent 
  letter 
  from 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  F. 
  

   Myles 
  reports 
  that 
  he 
  intends 
  to 
  prospect 
  the 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  

   future. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  after 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  salt 
  on 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  in 
  1862 
  

   numerous 
  shallow 
  pits 
  were 
  sunk 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  in 
  a 
  vain 
  search 
  

   for 
  salt. 
  There 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  au}^ 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  salt 
  is 
  there. 
  

   All 
  that 
  is 
  required 
  is 
  deep 
  wells. 
  

  

  Surface 
  geology. 
  — 
  The 
  lack 
  of 
  rugose 
  topography 
  and 
  well 
  sec- 
  

   tions 
  renders 
  the 
  exact 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  

  

  *No 
  altitude 
  determinations 
  were 
  made 
  here, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  writers 
  

   estimated 
  it 
  as 
  about 
  100 
  feet. 
  Hilgard 
  (Smith 
  Contr. 
  No. 
  248 
  p. 
  ro) 
  gives 
  

   it 
  as 
  180 
  feet 
  on 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  survey. 
  

  

  