Pilottown, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pilottown
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Pilottown in the 1880s
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 Pilottown
Location in Louisiana
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| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Plaquemines |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.2 sq mi (19 km2) |
| • Land | 5.0 sq mi (13 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (6 km2) |
| Elevation | 3 ft (0.9 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 0 |
| • Density | 0/sq mi (0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
70081 (closed)
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| Area code(s) | 504 |
Pilottown is a small, special place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it's not officially a town with its own local government.
Pilottown is super important for guiding big ships. It's a base for river pilots who help steer ships safely along the Mississippi River. These pilots know the river really well. As of 2020, no one lives in Pilottown permanently.
Before Pilottown, there was an older French settlement called La Balize. It was about 10 miles (16 km) downriver. "La Balize" meant "seamark" in French, like a sign to help ships find their way.
Contents
History of Pilottown
Pilottown was built and settled after September 1860. It took the place of the much older village of La Balize. La Balize had been around for over 160 years.
From La Balize to Pilottown
A really bad hurricane hit La Balize on September 14–15, 1860. The storm blew down all the buildings and flooded the area. Because of this, La Balize was finally left empty.
The main path for ships on the river changed to the Southwest Pass. This new path had deeper water, which was better for ships. So, the Mississippi River pilots built their new home further upriver. They built it above a spot called Head of Passes, where the river starts to split. They decided to name their new settlement Pilottown.
The first French settlers built a simple fort and homes for La Balize in 1699. This was near the mouth of the Mississippi River. In 1721, the French built a tall wooden pyramid, 62 feet (19 meters) high. This structure helped guide ships on the river and through its changing delta. This is where the river pilots came to live and work.
Life in Pilottown
Pilottown is built on tall piers in a very wet, swampy area. It's on the east side of the lower Mississippi River. It's about 85 miles (137 km) downriver from New Orleans. It's also about 10 miles (16 km) south of Venice, Louisiana.
Pilottown is just a few miles above Head of Passes. This is the spot considered the very beginning of the Mississippi River's mouth. Below this point, the river divides into many smaller branches. This area is part of the active delta front. Over time, this delta has built up the larger Mississippi River Delta.
Why Pilots are Needed
Pilottown is a temporary home for members of the Crescent River Port Pilots' Association. It also serves as a base for oil exploration. Even though a ship's captain is always in charge, all big ships must have a pilot on board. This is true when they enter the Mississippi River system.
The river has many changing paths and sand bars. This makes the journey hard, especially with the tides and strong river current. The Associated Branch Pilots provide pilots for ships traveling between the Gulf of Mexico and Pilottown. The Crescent River Port Pilots' Association provides pilots for ships between Pilottown and New Orleans, Louisiana. Another group, the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association, helps ships going to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Pilottown has only a few buildings. These include temporary places for river pilots to stay and a weather station. There are also some large oil tanks. Pilottown is only a few feet above the river's level. So, a raised concrete walkway connects the buildings. This walkway runs along the whole island. It helps people walk safely during floods.
You can only get to Pilottown by boat or by helicopter. In the past, many fishermen, pilots, and their families lived here. But now, most of them live in bigger towns upriver. The pilots only stay in Pilottown temporarily while they are working. The most people ever living there was probably in the 1860s. At that time, La Balize had about 800 people.
Pilottown no longer has any people living there all the time. The few people who lived there in 2005 did not come back after Hurricane Katrina. The Crescent River Port Pilots still have their main office there. But the pilots do not live there full-time anymore. Pilottown is not counted in the United States census figures. Pilottown's one-room school closed in the 1970s. Pilottown still has its own zip code, 70081. However, the Pilottown Post Office closed because no one wanted to live in the village to be the postmaster.
Hurricane Katrina's Impact
Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana very hard, right near Pilottown. Almost every building was badly damaged. The main office of the Associated Branch Pilots had been in Pilottown for over 100 years. The storm pushed it off its foundation. Because of this, the pilots decided not to rebuild in Pilottown. They moved their office 10 miles (16 km) upriver to Venice.
However, the Crescent River Port Pilots decided to stay in Pilottown. They wanted to keep providing pilot services on their route, which starts at Pilottown.
See also
In Spanish: Pilottown para niños
