Winding Through Time

Mary Ann Sternberg has woven together history, tales, anecdotes, and personal experiences to create a fascinating narrative on Bayou Manchac, an overlooked treasure of Louisiana. Only eighteen miles in length, Bayou Manchac has a history that far exceeds it's physical longevity. It has been one of the most important waterways in the southeastern United States and a vital link in a shortcut passage from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Native Americans flourished here from about 250 B.C. until they introduced the bayou to Iberville, the founder of Louisiana, in 1699. French voyagers, British and Spanish colonials, trappers, Civil War soldiers, steamboat captains, loggers, fishermen and many others have all plied its waters and lived along its banks. It should be preserved and enjoyed by current and future generations as a historic waterway. Instead, Bayou Manchac has become a stream most revered for its drainage capacity and abused with pollution. Hopefully, Sternberg's narrative will encourage the conservation and appreciation that the bayou rightfully deserves.