Carondelet Canal
Encyclopedia
The Carondelet Canal, also known as the Old Basin Canal, was a canal
in New Orleans, Louisiana
from 1794 through 1938.
Construction of the canal began in June of 1794 on the orders of Governor of Louisiana Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet
, for whom the canal was named. The 1.6‑mile long canal started at Bayou St. John
, which in turn connected with Lake Pontchartrain
, and went inland to what was then the back edge of New Orleans, just in back of the French Quarter
in the Treme
neighborhood. The first shallow, narrow version of the canal was completed by the end of 1794. Over the next two years further work made the canal wider and deeper. The canal served dual purposes of drainage
and shipping
.
After the United States
purchase of Louisiana
, James Pitot
worked to promote improvements of the canal. Starting in 1805 the Orleans Navigation Company improved the Canal and the Bayou, making it more important in shipping.
The 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) turning basin at the head of the Canal was the inspiration for the naming of Basin Street
in New Orleans.
Plans to build a connecting canal from the turning basin to the Mississippi River
were never realized, in part because of the engineering challenges of the needed canal locks due to the water level differences between the River and the Lake, but the plans for that never-built canal gave the name to Canal Street, New Orleans
. (The dream of a Lake-to-River canal was finally realized a century later with the construction of the Industrial Canal
).
By the early 1820s, it was reported that some 70 to 80 vessels could be found in the Canal on most given days.
In the early 19th century, the Francophone
Creole
section of the city was in competition with the Anglophone
Uptown section
; businessmen of the latter section constructed the competing New Basin Canal
in the 1830s. By the time of the American Civil War
the New Basin Canal was doing more than twice the business of the Carondolet, by then often referred to as the "Old Basin Canal". Larger ships too big to use the canal became more common in the late 19th century, but the Carondelet Canal was still economically important into the early decades of the 20th century. During this period it was important for the oyster
boat business.
Early monarchs of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
Mardi Gras
krewe
made their entrance on the Old Basin Canal.
After World War I
use of the Canal declined further. In 1927 it was declared to no longer be a navigable waterway
, and in 1938 the old canal was filled. Portions of the old Carondolet Canal infrastructure remain, however, among the oldest sections of the city's storm water drainage system.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
from 1794 through 1938.
Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet
Francisco Luis Hector, barón de Carondelet was an administrator of Burgundian descent in the employ of the Spanish Empire. He was a Knight of Malta....
, for whom the canal was named. The 1.6‑mile long canal started at Bayou St. John
Bayou St. John
Bayou St. John is a bayou within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.The Bayou as a natural feature drained the swampy land of a good portion of what was to become New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain...
, which in turn connected with Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
, and went inland to what was then the back edge of New Orleans, just in back of the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
in the Treme
Treme
Tremé is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Mid-City District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are Esplanade Avenue to the north, North Rampart Street to the east, St. Louis Street to the south and North Broad Street to the west...
neighborhood. The first shallow, narrow version of the canal was completed by the end of 1794. Over the next two years further work made the canal wider and deeper. The canal served dual purposes of drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
and shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
.
After the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
purchase of Louisiana
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
, James Pitot
James Pitot
James Pitot was the second Mayor of New Orleans.Born Jacques-François Pitot in Normandy and educated in Paris, Pitot's family was of the nobility of France, and fled that nation for the New World with the French Revolution. At first he settled in Philadelphia, where he became a USA citizen...
worked to promote improvements of the canal. Starting in 1805 the Orleans Navigation Company improved the Canal and the Bayou, making it more important in shipping.
The 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) turning basin at the head of the Canal was the inspiration for the naming of Basin Street
Basin Street
Basin Street or Rue Basin in French, is a street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It parallels Rampart Street one block lakeside, or inland, from the boundary of the French Quarter, running from Canal Street down 5 blocks past Saint Louis Cemetery...
in New Orleans.
Plans to build a connecting canal from the turning basin to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
were never realized, in part because of the engineering challenges of the needed canal locks due to the water level differences between the River and the Lake, but the plans for that never-built canal gave the name to Canal Street, New Orleans
Canal Street, New Orleans
Canal Street is a major thoroughfare in the city of New Orleans. Forming the upriver boundary of the city's oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter , it acted as the dividing line between the older French/Spanish Colonial-era city and the newer American Sector, today's Central Business District.The...
. (The dream of a Lake-to-River canal was finally realized a century later with the construction of the Industrial Canal
Industrial Canal
The Industrial Canal is a 5.5 mile waterway in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The waterway's proper name, as used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and on NOAA nautical charts, is Inner Harbor Navigation Canal...
).
By the early 1820s, it was reported that some 70 to 80 vessels could be found in the Canal on most given days.
In the early 19th century, the Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
section of the city was in competition with the Anglophone
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
Uptown section
Uptown New Orleans
Uptown is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana on the East Bank of the Mississippi River encompassing a number of neighborhoods between the French Quarter and the Jefferson Parish line. It remains an area of mixed residential and small commercial properties, with a wealth of 19th century architecture...
; businessmen of the latter section constructed the competing New Basin Canal
New Basin Canal
The New Basin Canal, also known as the New Orleans Canal and the New Canal, was a shipping canal in New Orleans, Louisiana from the 1830s through the 1940s....
in the 1830s. By the time of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
the New Basin Canal was doing more than twice the business of the Carondolet, by then often referred to as the "Old Basin Canal". Larger ships too big to use the canal became more common in the late 19th century, but the Carondelet Canal was still economically important into the early decades of the 20th century. During this period it was important for the oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
boat business.
Early monarchs of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club
The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club is a Carnival Krewe in New Orleans, Louisiana which puts on the Zulu parade each Mardi Gras Day. Zulu is New Orleans' largest predominantly African American carnival organization known for its blackfaced krewe members wearing grass skirts and its unique throw...
Mardi Gras
New Orleans Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a Carnival celebration well-known throughout the world.The New Orleans Carnival season, with roots in preparing for the start of the Christian season of Lent, starts after Twelfth Night, on Epiphany . It is a season of parades, balls , and king cake parties...
krewe
Krewe
A krewe is an organization that puts on a parade and or a ball for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with New Orleans Mardi Gras, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations around the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, and...
made their entrance on the Old Basin Canal.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
use of the Canal declined further. In 1927 it was declared to no longer be a navigable waterway
Waterway
A waterway is any navigable body of water. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals. In order for a waterway to be navigable, it must meet several criteria:...
, and in 1938 the old canal was filled. Portions of the old Carondolet Canal infrastructure remain, however, among the oldest sections of the city's storm water drainage system.