City History: New Orleans 1.1: The Founding of New Orleans
Apr 19, 2024
A tour of New Orleans' risky geography and flood-prone location. Tales of early European efforts to find the Mississippi's mouth and the tricky delta navigation. The French gamble on a colonial empire and John Law's speculative finance that drove the city's impulsive founding and chaotic early years.
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Why New Orleans Sits Below Sea Level
- New Orleans sits low because of natural subsidence plus human changes that stopped sediment replenishment.
- Originally the ground was above sea level, but draining, levees, and groundwater pumping now make the city sink.
Fertile Soil Made Risk Worthwhile
- New Orleans persisted despite storms because the Mississippi's fertile soils created immense agricultural and commercial value.
- Positioned near the river mouth, the city functioned as the gateway and tollbooth to the continent's interior.
Spanish Trade Rules Shaped Colonial Culture
- New Orleans' character traces back to earlier Spanish colonial patterns of trade avoidance and informal economies.
- Spain's mercantile restrictions fostered piracy and smuggling, shaping a diverse, independent colonial culture.
