Facts about Louisiana:
~ An early French explorer, Robert de LaSalle, named Louisiana for Louis XIV, King of France.
~ Louisiana’s first territorial governor, William C.C. Claiborne, had great admiration for the brown pelican. than let its young starve, would tear at its own flesh to feed them. The Governor’s great respect for the pelican led him to first use the bird on official documents.
~ Louisiana’s barrier islands combine to form approximately 20,000 square miles.
~ The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, with a length of 23.87 miles, is America’s longest bridge built entirely over water.
~ The site of one of the oldest known North American civilizations is Poverty Point in West Carroll Parish, where an Indian village existed 3,500 years ago.
