THOMAS+HARDY+MAP+SCRIPT

THOMAS HARDY MAP SCRIPT

In 1879 Thomas S. Hardy created a map of New Orleans and the surrounding settlements. It was known as the most accurate map of the city during this time period. The map shows that the population of New Orleans centered on the natural high-ground levee along the river and bayou ridges to avoid the seasonal flooding of the Mississippi River or summer monsoons. The natural levee was formed by thousands of years of the Mississippi depositing sediment and building up land as it flows towards the Gulf of Mexico. The map also shows that a large amount of the area occupied by the current city was at that time cypress swamp wetland. These low-lying areas were eventually developed in the 1900s as the need for city land increased and engineering feats enabled people to live in these former wetlands. However, these former wetland areas were also the parts of the city that flooded during Hurricane Katrina. As such, the map also shows indirectly the areas that flooded and did not flood in Katrina.