Houseboats Along the Ouachita River Levee

This is an interesting little postcard I found that I have never seen before! It shows some children riding in a ski boat along the Ouachita River with skiers in the background. It looks to date to the late 60's to early 70's. What really caught my attention were the houseboats parked along the levee … Continue reading Houseboats Along the Ouachita River Levee →

The U.S. Waterway Dredge Boat

This dredge boat traveled up and down the Ouachita dredging the river to make it navigable in 1921 when they were building the locks and dams system. This picture shows the boat docked at Monroe around this time.

The Salt Water Natatorium right after it was built.

This next photo is the Salt Water Natatorium from an angle I have never seen before. You can clearly see the Pavilion off to the right. I think in the background you can see the Ouachita River, which gives you an idea how close it was to the river!

The Ouachita Belle

Tulane has a very impressive steamboat collection. Among the collection is this beauty: https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane:75015 I think they have the date wrong though. The Ouachita Belle was built in Louisville, KY for Captain Fred Blanks' line and made it to New Orleans in December that year to start her run. She travelled up and down the … Continue reading The Ouachita Belle →

The P.M. Atkins Bridge

Postcard of the P.M. Atkins Bridge shortly after it was built. Did you know that the Lea Joyner bridge was actually originally named for someone else? In 1931, Monroe and West Monroe decided they needed a new bridge across the Ouachita to connect the two cities. On April 30, 1936, Governor James A. Noe declared … Continue reading The P.M. Atkins Bridge →

Steamboat Landing on the Ouachita – Circa 1905

This is a postcard I bought on Ebay. It shows the steamboat Frank B. Hayne at a landing somewhere in Monroe (Pine street maybe?). The postcard was written on the back with a date of 1912. The image though, has to be a bit older than that. The Frank B. Hayne was built in Jeffersonville, … Continue reading Steamboat Landing on the Ouachita – Circa 1905 →

The Ouachita River

Last week I was the winning bid on several Monroe related postcards. I'll be sharing them with you over the next several days. This one is a great hand colored photo taken looking back at the Endom Bridge. Very pretty! Did you catch the misspelling?

Monroe Skyline, Circa 1960

I have seen the above postcard many times. It shows the Monroe skyline from the West Monroe side of the Ouachita River. Endom Bridge is in the foreground. Very pretty shot!

Steamboat Ouachita

I love this picture of the Cooley boat Ouachita on the Louisiana Digital Library. This boat steamed up and down the Ouachita hauling cotton for years. This gives you a small idea of the massive amounts of cotton this area produced! https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane:75014

The Ouachita River in 1913

The above photos show the same scene along the Ouachita River a little over a month apart. It shows how wildly river levels fluctuated before the locks and dams were put in and the river dredged! The photos came from the Ouachita Pelican yearbook of 1915.