Louisiana has a rich cultural heritage dating back over 12,000 years.
During these 12,000 years, many different peoples have lived and worked
in the state. Archaeologists, who study the remains of these long gone
people, learn much about their ways of life. The Anthropological Study
series published by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism
provides a readable account of the various activities of these different
groups. _Bailey’s Dam_ is the eighth in this series.
The _Bailey’s Dam_ volume is somewhat different than its predecessors in
that it highlights a relatively recent event of Louisiana’s long
cultural past—the building of Bailey’s Dam during the Civil War. The
research for this volume resulted from work initiated by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District to record important historical
resources within the Red River Waterway Project. Steven D. Smith of the
Division of Archaeology and George J. Castille III of Coastal
Environments, Inc., the authors of this volume, have taken the technical
reports resulting from this research and have provided a very readable
account of the events surrounding the construction of Bailey’s Dam. The
Corps of Engineers funded the publication of this volume.
We are pleased to make the _Bailey’s Dam_ story available and trust that
you will enjoy this volume.
_Kathleen Byrd_