VIDALIA LA 02/12/05

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IMAGES From Nostalgiaville
LOUISIANA- VIDALIA, LA- 2/12/05

NOTE: A Click of your Mouse on most of the pictures will enlarge them for better viewing

ADVANCING on
Vidalia, Louisiana

BRIDGING THE GAP
between Vidalia, Louisiana
and Natchez, Mississippi

NATCHEZ - VIDALIA BRIDGE
Natchez. Here passed in 1543, De Soto's men under Moscoso. In 1682 La Salle and De Tonti here visited the Natchez Indians. In 1716 Bienville here built Fort Rosalie and established a French Settlement in 1763. The fort was ceded to the English and renamed Fort Panmure. In 1770 it passed to the Spaniards. In 1798 it was occupied by American troops. Chartered in 1863, the city of Natchez was from 1798 to 1862, and from 1847 to 1821, the capital of Mississippi.

VIDALIA RIVER VIEW PARK

The River View Park at Vidalia is the result of a plan with a purpose creating a wonderful place for people to enjoy the Mississippi River.

HISTORY of VIDALIA... as spoken in River View Park

SIDNEY A MURRAY, JR HYDROELECTRIC STATION
1990. In 1990, construction of the largest prefabricated power plant in the world, the Sidney A Murray, Jr Hydroelectric Station was completed 40 miles south of Vidalia. It was the vision of Mayor Sidney A Murray, Jr to harness the power of the Mississippi River and to stabilize energy rates for the citizens of the Town of Vidalia.

The first hydroelectric generating station in the State of Louisiana was developed jointly by the Catalyst-Vidalia Corporation and Dominion Capital, Inc, which formed a partnership, the Louisiana Hydroelectric Limited Partnership, in conjunction with co-licensee, the Town of Vidalia, at a cost of 534 million.

The 192 megawatt generating station is located just north of the U S Corps of Engineers Old River Control Complex structures. The plant structure was prefabricated at Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans and was floated 208 miles upriver to its final destination.

Up to 170,000 cubic feet per second of water flows through the station's eight massive hydraulic turbines which were fabricated in England and Sweden. Engineers, designers and manufacturing workers from 16 foreign countries and 24 states were involved in the construction of Sidney Murray's dream to create a safe, clean renewable energy resource for the Town of Vidalia and the State of Louisiana.

POST OF CONCORD ESTABLISHED
1798. In 1768, Antonio de Ullos, Spain's Provincial Governor of the vast region of Louisiana, established and briefly held the original post and settlement of the land opposite the Natchez Landing, across the Mississippi River in Louisiana.

Thirty years later, Manuel Gayoso de Lemos, the Spanish Governor General of Louisiana, formally signed land grants for Don Jose Vidal of Natchez and his two sons opposite the landing and Plaza of Natchez on April 21, 1798. De Lemos stipulated that a section of this land be reserved for the construction of a fort. This reserved site is the location of the original Post of Concord where Vidal served as the Spanish Civil and Military Commandant.

POST OF CONCORD BECOMES VIDALIA
1811. By Act of the Louisiana Legislature, the Town of Vidalia was officially established on March 6, 1811. "That the Town laid off by Joseph (Don Jose) Vidal, in the Parish of Concordia, on the Mississippi River, and opposite the City of Natchez, the plan of which is filed in the public archives, be and the same is hereby established a Town, to be called and known by the name of Vidalia, and the Police Jury of the Parish of Concordia shall have the power, and it is hereby made their duty to provide regulations for the internal police of said Town, provided that his act shall not impair or affect the rights or titles of individuals to land on which this Town is situated."

JAMES BOWIE
1827. Folklore and legend swirl around the famous Sand Bar Duel of September 1827, which involved the adventurous James Bowie. What began as a "gentlemen's duel" between Dr Thomas H Maddox and Samuel L Wells on a sand bar in the Vidalia - Natchez area, ended amicably between the two principals. However, a melee ensued among the many witnesses, leaving two men dead and two seriously wounded, including Bowie. Despite his wounds, and using the Bowie knife made famous by himself and his brother. James Bowie killed Major Norris Wright, Sheriff of Rapides Parish.

GREAT MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOOD OF 1927
1927. The devastating Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 did not spare the Town of Vidalia. Heavy rains and melting snows in the northern United States in the late 1926 and the spring of 1927 swelled the river to the top of its banks. Its tributaries climbed to flood stage.

The rains continued and breaks in the vast levee system north of here allowed the mighty Mississippi River to spill over its banks into Vidalia, severely testing the strength, endurance and spirit of its citizens. As streets became waterways, many resident evacuated by ferry to Natchez. Others lived in tents atop the levee from late May until the waters receded weeks later. The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, which inundated more than 26,000 square miles of land in seven states focused national attention on the desperate need for flood control and led Congress to pass the Flood Control Act of 1928. This gave the U S Army Corps of Engineers the ultimate responsibility of Mississippi River flood control.

RELOCATION OF VIDALIA
1938 - 1939. "Vidalia, a City on the Move" is the slogan which has, in recent years, signified a progressive town surging ever forward. But in 1938 it meant something entirely different to Vidalians as they literally moved their town from the banks of the Mississippi River one mile inland to accommodate navigational and flooding issues on the river.

Two U S Corps of Engineers projects, the Giles Point Cut-off in 1935 just north of Vidalia, followed by the need to widen the river between Natchez and Vidalia, then known as the Natchez Gorge, and construct a set-back levee, served as catalysts for moving homes, offices and government buildings from "Old Vidalia" to "New Vidalia." More than 100 buildings were either relocated or demolished and rebuilt in the new town. Once again the strength and spirit of Vidalia's citizens were tested and again they overcame adversity, moving forward with grace, courage, and determination.

RIVER VIEW RV PARK & RESORT