When Plaquemines Parish’s largest community was a rowdy, bustling microcosm of New Orleans

Ships anchoring. Cargo in transit. Sailors milling about. A diverse population, with more than its share of taverns and cabarets.

Ah, New Orleans, right?

Not quite. This was the Balize—or La Balise, meaning seamark or beacon in French.

Located in lowermost Plaquemines Parish on the extreme fringes of the North American continent, this windswept shoal was a place of many names, various spellings and frequent reconstructions across at least three different sites. But it had only purpose: to guide ships in and out of the Mississippi River, thus enabling New Orleans to become a world port.

Its need came as a bit of a shock to French colonials who, from initial descriptions, had surmised that the Father of Waters would offer smooth sailing.

It did not.

Sandbars clogged the delta complex