Top of page

Map Plan of New Orleans the capital of Louisiana; with the disposition of its quarters and canals as they have been traced by Mr. de la Tour in the year 1720.

View Enlarged Image

About this Item

Title

  • Plan of New Orleans the capital of Louisiana; with the disposition of its quarters and canals as they have been traced by Mr. de la Tour in the year 1720.

Summary

  • "New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, governor of the French colony of Louisiana. Bienville named the town after Philippe, Duke of Orléans, regent for King Louis XV. This map, published in London in 1759 by Thomas Jefferys, displays the focus and symmetry of the town plan, which was designed by or under the direction of Bienville. The "Mr. de la Tour" in the title refers to one of the earliest detailed manuscript plans of the city and denotes Pierre Le Blond de la Tour (circa 1670-1723), a Frenchman who was the chief royal engineer in Louisiana. Important places, such as the house of the intendant, the jails and guard house, and the hospital and convent of the Ursulines, are marked on the legend. The Mississippi River is referred to by the French designation "River Saint Louis," but the indigenous American name that ultimately would prevail also is given, spelled as both "Mississippi" and "Meshassepi." The inset maps show the course of the Mississippi from Bayagoulas to the Gulf of Mexico, and the east mouth of the Mississippi with a plan of Fort Balise, the French bastion defending the entrance to the river. The "Bayagoulas" were Indians living near the present-day town of Bayou Goula, Louisiana, in Iberville Parish. Their name was derived from the Choctaw or Mobilian language meaning "bayou people."" World Digital Library.

Names

  • Jefferys, Thomas, -1771.
  • Brion de la Tour, Louis, 1743-1803.

Created / Published

  • [London] 1759.

Headings

  • -  New Orleans (La.)--Maps--Early works to 1800
  • -  United States--Louisiana--New Orleans

Notes

  • -  "Pa. 148" under brown edging.
  • -  Insets: The course of Mississipi River, from Bayagoulas to the sea [ca. 1:800,000]--The east mouth of the Mississipi, with the plan of Fort la Balise which defends the entrance and channel of that river [ca. 1:40,000]
  • -  Scale ca. 1:5,000.
  • -  LC Maps of North America, 1750-1789, 1677
  • -  Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.
  • -  AACR2: 100; 440; 651
  • -  Vault

Medium

  • map 34 x 49 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • G4014.N5 1759 .J4

Repository

  • Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA dcu

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 74692199

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The materials in Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States, and the American Frontier are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States, and the American Frontier.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Jefferys, Thomas, -1771, and Louis Brion De La Tour. Plan of New Orleans the capital of Louisiana; with the disposition of its quarters and canals as they have been traced by Mr. de la Tour in the year. [London, 1759] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/74692199/.

APA citation style:

Jefferys, T. & Brion De La Tour, L. (1759) Plan of New Orleans the capital of Louisiana; with the disposition of its quarters and canals as they have been traced by Mr. de la Tour in the year. [London] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/74692199/.

MLA citation style:

Jefferys, Thomas, -1771, and Louis Brion De La Tour. Plan of New Orleans the capital of Louisiana; with the disposition of its quarters and canals as they have been traced by Mr. de la Tour in the year. [London, 1759] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/74692199/>.