Bayou Manchac facts for kids

Bayou Manchac is a bayou, which is like a slow-moving stream or river, located in southeast Louisiana, USA. It is about 18 miles (29 kilometers) long. The French explorers first called it the Iberville River. This bayou used to be a very important water path. It connected the mighty Mississippi River on its west side to the Amite River on its east side. The land around Bayou Manchac is split between different areas. East Baton Rouge Parish is to the north. To the south, it's divided between Ascension Parish and Iberville Parish. Towns like Prairieville and St. Gabriel are also found along its southern side.

What Does "Manchac" Mean?

The name "Manchac" has an interesting history. Dr. John R. Swanton, who studied Native American languages, thought the name came from the Choctaw word Imashaka. This word means "the rear entrance." An old Choctaw dictionary, written by Cyrus Byington, explains that im means "place" and ashaka means "the back side or rear." So, the name likely describes the bayou's position as a hidden or back way.

Early Explorers and the Bayou

In March 1699, a French explorer named Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville traveled up the Mississippi River. He reached the area where the city of Baton Rouge is today. D'Iberville wanted to find a quick way back to the Gulf of Mexico, where his ships were waiting.

On March 26, 1699, the chief of the Bayogoula tribe showed him a bayou. The Bayogoula people used this bayou to travel between the Mississippi Gulf Coast and their village. Even though this bayou once formed a border between different lands, it was generally hard to use as a shortcut. People tried to make it easier to travel through, but they usually didn't succeed.

Fort Bute: A British Trading Post

In 1764, the British decided to build a trading post on the Iberville River. They called it Fort Bute at Manchac. This fort was a place where people could buy and sell goods. The British wanted to trade with boats traveling down the Mississippi River. They encouraged traders to come to Manchac instead of going further south to New Orleans, where the Spanish were.

Fort Bute was a very important spot for the British. It helped them compete with Spain for the valuable fur trade. At that time, the fur trade was worth a lot of money, about 100,000 pounds sterling each year.

San Gabriel de Manchac: A Spanish Settlement

Soon after the British built Fort Bute, the Spanish built their own trading post. It was on the opposite side of the river. On September 28, 1766, a ship arrived in New Orleans from Maryland. It carried 224 Acadians who had been forced to leave their homes.

The Spanish Governor Antonio de Ulloa gave them supplies. These Acadians then settled around the new Spanish trading post, which was called San Gabriel de Manchac.

Bayou Manchac Today

Bayou Manchac used to be one of the most important waterways in southeast Louisiana. It was a vital link, connecting Baton Rouge to Lake Pontchartrain. It did this by flowing into the Amite River and then into Lake Maurepas.

However, over time, ships became much larger and faster. Bayou Manchac was too small for these modern boats. In the 1900s, when the levees (walls to prevent floods) were built along the Mississippi River, Bayou Manchac was cut off from the river. Later, some parts of the bayou dried up or were blocked by roads.

Today, the bayou is mainly used for draining water and for fun activities like boating or fishing. Even though it's not a major shipping route anymore, many people who live nearby still think it's one of Louisiana's most beautiful natural areas.