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