1893 Map of East Delta

About this map

Port Eads stands at the maritime threshold of the Mississippi River's mouth, anchored by the engineering of the East Jetty and West Jetty. This late nineteenth-century survey, based on work by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, reveals the complex distributary network of the delta before modern coastal erosion and sediment management reshaped the shoreline. The settlement of Balize and the Old Spanish Magazine offer a glimpse into the region's long history as a strategic navigation hub. Navigational aids like the Pass A Loutre Light and South Pass Light mark the vital corridors of South Pass and Pass A Loutre, while curious geological features such as the North Pass Mud Lumps dot the offshore waters. The landscape is a fine-grained web of channels, including Buttermilk Channel and Mississippi Bayou, defining the low-lying reaches of Garden Island Bay and Blind Bay.