LEVEES WERE BUILT TO MAINTAIN THE RIVER WITHIN ITS boundaries. The need arose after several floods devastated the German Coast. The levee is a mound of earth stretching as far as the eye can see, and must be built up as the river sediment increases the height of the river banks. At one time, clear land existed between the bank and the levee along the Mississippi River. However, in time, trees and other greenery turned the leveled banks into a forest. This author can remember when no trees at all could be seen arising over the levee from the inland side. But, today, trees stand out enormously.

AT THE TIME OF THE SETTLEMENTS, THE ONLY WAGON ROADS established ran along the inland edges of the river, and then the levee later, as they do today. In earlier times and still today this was called the "River Road."  Towns and villages were established as close to these roads as possible to derive the necessary transportation from the river, and to receive boats delivering hardware, tools, millenary items, and other non-producibles from New Orleans, and from Europe.

ABOVE THE "RIVER ROAD" AND ABOUT ONE-HALF MILE INLAND, between majestic oak trees or groves, stood the palatial mansions of the planters with their numerous outhouses for hired (or slave) labor. Coupled with these were the plantations and sugar houses which many of the citizens of the area worked in. Around the sugar houses were lined a double row of little white cabins with two to four rooms each leading to the fields. In the days of slavery, this was the Negro quarters, but now the free laborers and field hands live there (1909), (33) Through many generations, sugar cane was the prime crop for the area. Other crops were grown, but the richness of the soil was suited best to this crop.

"THE FIELDS, WHOSE FURROWS RUN INVARIABLY AT RIGHT ANGLES with the river, extend as far as the eye can see, with the cypress forests in the swamps standing out. Every fifty or sixty feet a narrow but deep ditch runs the same direction; little railroads lead from the fields, whence they carry the sugar cane to the sugar houses.  In the month of November, when the "grinding" season starts, these fields with the waving sugar cane, afford a beautiful crop. (34)

33 Ibid./p. 47
34 Ibid., p. 48

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