Catherine Campanella: 5 books

From ancient bayous to beloved old businesses, Metairie has changed dramatically over generations. And many of those landmarks are lost to time. The lake, railroads and a beach resort were popular features in the early days. A streetcar ran through the short-lived City of Metairie Ridge, where gambling...

Pleasure seekers have visited Lake Pontchartrain destinations for more than two centuries. From grand resorts like the Pontchartrain Hotel to simple camps at Little Woods, these shores welcomed visitors by steamboat and train to dance, dine, drink and gamble. Milneburg was home to a noted hotel and...

Native Americans used Okwata, meaning �wide water,� as a shortcut for inland trade between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. When the Europeans arrived, the original inhabitants showed them the route�the settlement near the river became the city of New Orleans, other lakeshore communities...

Metairie was the first suburb of New Orleans; an outgrowth to the west by young families seeking larger lots, open air, and affordable new housing. Those suburbanites shared much in common with previous generations of New Orleanians who had migrated westward from the original town (now the French Quarter)...

New Orleans's location would likely have been different had Native Americans not shown French explorers a route between Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico. Early in the history of Greater New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain became a hub for transportation, commerce, and industry. Its role expanded,...