No Great Mississippi Flood

After a little reading I've discovered a massive change could occur to the USA if the flood of 1927 never happened.

1.) Herbert Hoover is never in the national spotlight in time for the Republican nomination.

2.) Huey Long never has the platform which pushes him into the top of Lousiana politics, making much of the state remain the rural back country it was before the Long governorship.

3.) Hundreds of thousands of black families are not displaced forcing them to go to Northern cities.

4.) Poor treatment of African Americans in refugee camps, and vague promises of racial reforms never occur causing many important African American leaders to stay with the Republican Party during the 30's.

5.) The massive system of levees along the Missippi are never built causing various small towns to never grown during the months when levee workers live near them.

So what kind of world comes from the flood never happening? Then again if I am utterly mistaken on any of these points do correct them.
 
5.) The massive system of levees along the Missippi are never built causing various small towns to never grown during the months when levee workers live near them.
By the fifties the Mississippi changes outlets to the Red River, and New Orleans becomes a minor Backwater City.
 
By the fifties the Mississippi changes outlets to the Red River, and New Orleans becomes a minor Backwater City.

The Missippi is still a trading route however, and it goes up far enough to make it still economical so New Orleans will remain a major trading region.
 
The Mississippi is still a trading route however, and it goes up far enough to make it still economical so New Orleans will remain a major trading region.
Actually Not - Today the Bed of the Mississippi at New Orleans is Ten feet Above Sea-level,*
Back in the Fifties it was slightly above Sea-level, which would make the remains of the Old river end Miles south of New Orleans.

Layette Would be the big New Port City.

* As the City is ten feet below Sea-level, The Levee break due to Katina, meant The water had a 20 foot head of pressure when it hit.
 
Actually Not - Today the Bed of the Mississippi at New Orleans is Ten feet Above Sea-level,*
Back in the Fifties it was slightly above Sea-level, which would make the remains of the Old river end Miles south of New Orleans.

Layette Would be the big New Port City.

* As the City is ten feet below Sea-level, The Levee break due to Katina, meant The water had a 20 foot head of pressure when it hit.

Would that not mean that today right now New Orleans would have no serious shipping ability? New Orleans is and for some time has been one of the largest ports in the world. Plus you base your comments on the situation today which has about 70 years of building up the region and setting up various levee systems changing the height and over all scope of rivier in Louisiana.
 
Would that not mean that today right now New Orleans would have no serious shipping ability? New Orleans is and for some time has been one of the largest ports in the world. Plus you base your comments on the situation today which has about 70 years of building up the region and setting up various levee systems changing the height and over all scope of rivier in Louisiana.

The statement "New Orleans is a major port" can be somewhat misleading. A lot of ocean going traffic, for example, can go to Baton Rouge (though not further, because of a bridge north of that city). New Orleans' commerce has shifted overtime and the definition of a large port depends upon selecting a measure. For simple comparison, I seem to recall that Houston (with an entirely artificial port via the Ship Channel) is the 2nd or 3rd largest port in the US, competing favorable with the Big Easy despite lacking the Mississippi. Lastly, there's the difference between an import / export port and an internal point of confluence. With the Inter-coastal waterway, New Orleans is a bit of both.

While I'm no expert, I do credit the overall notion that the Big Muddy's main course could shift significantly over time. It's not just the lack of levees in New Orleans that would alter matters, but the lack of levees throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.
 
Top