cajun-cultural-identity

The chapter 'Preamble' from John McPhee's 'Control of Nature' introduces the complex relationship between the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana, focusing on the human efforts to control natural river course changes to protect economic and urban centers like New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It details the historical shifts of the Mississippi's course, the threat posed by the Atchafalaya's increasing capture of the river's flow, and the construction and ongoing maintenance of the Old River Control Structure by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent the river from naturally diverting.