Profit Island
Profit Island, originally known as Island No. 123 and Island No. 124, then Prophet Island,[1] and also known as Browns Island and Isle de Iberville, is a 2,300-acre (930 ha) island of the Mississippi River in North America.[2] The island is part of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is located "just off the mouth of Thompson Creek, which breaks through the Tunica Hills from the uplands of southern Mississippi and the northern Florida parishes."[3] Along with Middle Ground Island, Choctaw Island, Big Island, and Island No. 8, Profit is one of the "first-order islands" of the Mississippi that host 2,000 acres or more of forest.[4]
History
[edit]The island is the approximate location of the steamboat Monmouth disaster that killed 300 or more Muscogee being transported to the Indian Territory by the U.S. Army.[5] A dredging boat called Lavacca sank near the island in 1849.[6][7] The same year steamer Thomas Jefferson crashed into the levee in heavy fog and sank at Lobdell's plantation near Prophet Island.[8] There were no casualties.[8] The ironclad USS Essex (1856) narrowly escaped an underwater explosive tripwire at Profit Island during the American Civil War.[1]
There was a gravel quarry on Profit Island.[3] A natural gas processing plant was built on Profit Island in the 1980s.[9] the island has been used for grazing cattle.[10] The island supports hunting camps.[4] Four hunters and their dogs drowned while returning from a trip to Profit Island in December 1975.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Historic names and places on the lower Mississippi River / by Marion Bragg". HathiTrust. p. 205. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Profit Island
- ^ a b "Profit's Island Gravel". St. Francisville Democrat. 1909-02-20. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ a b "River Log". The Rivergator. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Geography & Transportation | West Baton Rouge Parish, LA". www.wbrparish.org. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "River News". New Orleans Weekly Delta. 1849-10-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Sunk". The Courier-Journal. 1849-10-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ a b "Steamboat Accident". Vicksburg Daily Whig. 1849-11-15. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "$34 Million Pipeline". The Daily Advertiser. 1981-02-19. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Match Firm Buys Profit Island". The Daily Advertiser. 1962-09-09. p. 27. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Body of Hunter Found in River". West Side Journal. 1976-04-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Four Men Listed as Missing". Pointe Coupee Banner. 1975-12-18. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
Further reading
[edit]- Russell, Richard J. (1967). River Plains and Sea Coasts (1 ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-31697-3.
External links
[edit]
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