﻿238 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  discussed, 
  Petite 
  Aiise 
  is 
  entirely 
  surrounded 
  by 
  marsh 
  and 
  

   swamp 
  land. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  southeast, 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  cypress 
  

   swamp 
  ; 
  a 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  Cypremort 
  swamp. 
  The 
  level 
  sea 
  

   marsh 
  gives 
  an 
  unobstructed 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  prairies 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  

   land 
  and 
  on 
  clear 
  days, 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  waters. 
  

  

  The 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  is 
  skirted 
  b}^ 
  the 
  Bayou 
  Petite 
  

   Anse. 
  Here 
  is 
  the 
  landing, 
  the 
  boat-house 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  piers 
  

   used 
  for 
  shipping 
  sugar 
  and 
  salt 
  ; 
  for 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  was 
  important 
  

   first 
  as 
  a 
  sugar 
  plantation. 
  Branches 
  of 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  bayou 
  run 
  

   along 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  and 
  finally 
  

   lose 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  marsh. 
  

  

  Co 
  mftiufii 
  cation 
  zvith 
  the 
  main 
  /a?z^.— 
  Communication 
  between 
  

   Petite 
  Anse 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  land 
  was 
  established 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  century 
  by 
  the 
  building, 
  from 
  the 
  northernmost 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  

   island, 
  of 
  a 
  raised 
  dirt 
  way 
  or 
  causeway 
  through 
  the 
  swamp.* 
  

   Communication 
  with 
  the 
  outer 
  world 
  by 
  water 
  w^as 
  greatly 
  hin- 
  

   dered 
  by 
  the 
  bar 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  ba3^ou. 
  This 
  was 
  

   partiall}^ 
  overcome 
  in 
  1880 
  by 
  the 
  digging 
  of 
  a 
  canal 
  from 
  the 
  

   lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bayou 
  across 
  the 
  marshes 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf. 
  In 
  1886 
  

   a 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  Pacific 
  was 
  completed 
  from 
  New 
  Iberia 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  Topography 
  

  

  Shape 
  and 
  area. 
  — 
  Calculations 
  from 
  the 
  land 
  office 
  maps 
  give 
  

   the 
  area 
  of 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  as 
  1,640 
  acres 
  or 
  about 
  300 
  acres 
  less 
  than 
  

   Grande 
  Cote. 
  The 
  island 
  is 
  somewhat 
  oval, 
  longest 
  along 
  its 
  

   northwest 
  and 
  southeast 
  diameter 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  marked 
  indentation 
  

   in 
  the 
  southwestern 
  part. 
  (See 
  Plate 
  19.) 
  Its 
  greatest 
  length 
  

   is 
  two 
  and 
  three-eighths 
  miles 
  and 
  the 
  narrowest 
  place 
  is 
  barely 
  a 
  

   mile 
  and 
  a 
  half. 
  

  

  The 
  hills. 
  — 
  The 
  general 
  relief 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  is 
  well 
  shown 
  by 
  

   the 
  topographical 
  map 
  (Plate 
  31) 
  and 
  the 
  model 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  

   (Plate 
  19). 
  From 
  them 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that, 
  while 
  the 
  island 
  has 
  

   no 
  main 
  central 
  line 
  of 
  hills 
  from 
  which 
  everything 
  slopes, 
  there 
  

   is 
  a 
  principal 
  hill 
  cluster 
  with 
  minor 
  ones 
  about 
  it. 
  The 
  main 
  

   hill 
  cluster 
  extends 
  from 
  southeast 
  to 
  northwest, 
  beginning 
  with 
  

   Plum 
  hill, 
  the 
  second 
  highest 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  extending 
  to 
  

  

  *The 
  Emigrant's 
  Guide 
  to 
  the 
  Western 
  and 
  Southwestern 
  States 
  of 
  

   Louisiana, 
  Mississippi, 
  Tennessee, 
  Kentucky, 
  Ohio, 
  etc. 
  by 
  William 
  Darby, 
  

   with 
  map. 
  New 
  York, 
  1818, 
  p. 
  68. 
  

  

  