Pointe à la Hache, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pointe à la Hache
Census-designated place Unincorporated community
Ruined Parish Courthouse in 2012
Pointe à la Hache Location in Louisiana
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Parish	Plaquemines
Area
• Total	1.76 sq mi (4.56 km2)
• Land	1.76 sq mi (4.56 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	3 ft (0.9 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	183
• Density	103.86/sq mi (40.11/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	70082
Area code(s)	504
FIPS code	22-61440

Pointe à la Hache (pronounced POYNT luh HASH) is a small community in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. It's known as a census-designated place (CDP) and an unincorporated community. This means it's a place recognized by the census for statistics, but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town.

Pointe à la Hache is located on the east side of the Mississippi River. It has been the main government center, or parish seat, for Plaquemines Parish since the parish was created. In 2020, about 183 people lived there. This is less than half the number of people who lived there in 1930. The community has faced a lot of damage from strong storms like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

The Pointe à la Hache Ferry is a special boat that carries cars and people across the Mississippi River. It connects Pointe à la Hache to West Pointe à la Hache. This ferry is the furthest point down the river where vehicles can cross.

A famous businessman named E. W. Gravolet lived in Pointe à la Hache. He owned a cannery, which is a factory that preserves food in cans. He was also elected to serve in the Louisiana government from 1948 until he passed away in 1968.

History of Pointe à la Hache

Native American people lived in this area thousands of years ago. The first Europeans to settle here were the French, around the year 1700. The name "Pointe à la Hache" is French. It means "axe point" or "cape," which is a piece of land sticking out into the water. An old map from 1755 called it "Hatchet Point."

Early French Settlements

You can still find ruins of an old French fort from the early 1700s. This was Fort de La Boulaye. French settlers built it to protect their land from the Spanish and English. The land around here is mostly marshland, which is wet, grassy land. There's only a narrow strip of higher land between the marsh and the Mississippi River.

Louisiana's Beginnings

Plaquemines Parish was one of the first 19 areas created in the Territory of Orleans in 1807. This happened after the United States bought the land in the Louisiana Purchase. When Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812, Plaquemines was one of its first parishes. In 1812, a big hurricane caused a storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico. The water pushed far into the Mississippi River, causing a lot of damage and deaths.

Hurricanes and Community Life

This area has always been affected by hurricanes. Some years are much worse than others. The 1915 New Orleans Hurricane caused a lot of destruction. It broke through protective walls called levees and flooded the whole region. Thirty-one people died in Pointe à la Hache. The Parish Courthouse was destroyed, but some parts were saved and used to build a new one that same year. Pointe à la Hache used to have many beautiful old homes and businesses. Most of these have been lost due to hurricanes and floods over time.

In 1930, the community had a population of 404 people.

In 1965, Hurricane Betsy damaged the area. It flooded the courthouse, but more than 50 people who stayed there during the storm all survived.

On January 12, 2002, the parish courthouse was badly damaged by a fire that was set on purpose. Since then, the local government has used temporary buildings in Belle Chasse. People have suggested moving the parish seat three times, but voters have always said no. Pointe à la Hache was severely damaged again by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

Mardi Gras Pass and Coastal Changes

On Mardi Gras Day in 2011, the Mississippi River broke through its east bank. This happened about five miles below Pointe à la Hache. This break allowed the river's water, full of mud and sand, to flow into the nearby wetlands. Experts who work to protect the coast call this a "cost-free" way to bring new sediment to the wetlands. Adding sediment helps rebuild the land that has been lost along the coast. This is a very important part of Louisiana's plan to reverse coastal land loss.

By 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard named this new river channel Mardi Gras Pass. In July 2014, the Louisiana Department of Transportation asked for the pass to be officially named. It's the first new channel to form in the river's delta in many decades. It is important for helping the wetlands grow back naturally. An energy company wanted to close the pass because it made it harder to reach their oil and gas wells. However, discussions are ongoing to find other solutions.

After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, dead fish were found in the waterways, even north of Pointe à la Hache.

By early 2012, only a small number of people had returned to live full-time in Pointe à la Hache. The area also flooded again during Tropical Storm Isaac in August 2012.

Population and People

Pointe à la Hache was first listed as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census.

In 2020, the community had a population of 183 people.

Education

The Plaquemines Parish School Board is in charge of the public schools in the parish.

See also

In Spanish: Pointe à la Hache para niños