Elliot City, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Elliot City is a ghost town
that was located in Pointe Coupee Parish
's 10th Ward, approximately 6 miles west of Livonia
, Louisiana
(USA
). The site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30.55614N, 91.66520W, and is covered or partially covered by the current U.S. Route 190
roadway.
Elliot City was flooded in 1912 and 1913 due to breaks in the Atchafalaya River
levee at Latania (now East Krotz Springs
) to the west and from the backwater of the Torras crevasse on the Mississippi River in 1912 and the McCrea crevasse on the Atchafalaya in 1927. Elliot City was abandoned in 1939 when its residents were forced to leave due to the construction of the Morganza Spillway
. This area is inside the floodway levee system and was entirely underwater when the floodway gates at the Morganza control structure were opened in 1973 and 2011 to relieve the high water level of the Mississippi River. The area is subject to being flooded if the control structure gates are ever opened again. The Elliot City area is a short distance south, southwest of a now inactive U.S. Army Air Corps bombing range used as a training area for aircraft based at Harding Army Air Field in Baton Rouge
during World War II
.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
that was located in Pointe Coupee Parish
Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Pointe Coupee Parish, pronounced "Pwent Koo-Pay" and , is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Roads. As of 2000, the population was 22,763....
's 10th Ward, approximately 6 miles west of Livonia
Livonia, Louisiana
Livonia is a town in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,339 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to Livonia High School. The town's zip code is 70755...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). The site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30.55614N, 91.66520W, and is covered or partially covered by the current U.S. Route 190
U.S. Route 190
U.S. Route 190, also known as the Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway, is an east–west United States highway in Louisiana and Texas. It evolved from the shortest of intrastate routes in 1926 to a length comparable to a main Interstate Highway route, leading from the swamps and pine forests of...
roadway.
Elliot City was flooded in 1912 and 1913 due to breaks in the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
levee at Latania (now East Krotz Springs
East Krotz Springs, Louisiana
East Krotz Springs is a ghost town that was located in Pointe Coupee Parish's 1st Ward, approximately 12 miles west of Livonia, Louisiana . The site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30°32'52.80"N, 91°44'42.41"W, and is covered or partially covered by the current U.S. Route 190 roadway...
) to the west and from the backwater of the Torras crevasse on the Mississippi River in 1912 and the McCrea crevasse on the Atchafalaya in 1927. Elliot City was abandoned in 1939 when its residents were forced to leave due to the construction of the Morganza Spillway
Morganza Spillway
The Morganza Spillway or Morganza Control Structure is a flood-control structure in the U.S. state of Louisiana along the western bank of the Mississippi River at river mile 280, near Morganza in Pointe Coupee Parish. The spillway stands between the Mississippi and the Morganza Floodway, which...
. This area is inside the floodway levee system and was entirely underwater when the floodway gates at the Morganza control structure were opened in 1973 and 2011 to relieve the high water level of the Mississippi River. The area is subject to being flooded if the control structure gates are ever opened again. The Elliot City area is a short distance south, southwest of a now inactive U.S. Army Air Corps bombing range used as a training area for aircraft based at Harding Army Air Field in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.