These 4 black & white photos were taken at the time
of some restoration work done by the WPA in 1937.
Fort Pike:  Guarding the Pass
Fort Pike was constructed in 1818 to guard the Rigolets Pass (pronounced
"rigolees") from reinvasion by the British.  The Pass connects Lake Pontchartrain
and Lake Catherine to Lake Borgne and the Gulf of Mexico.  The Fort is now within
the city limits of New Orleans and the Rigolets Pass forms one of the boundaries
between Orleans and St. Tammany Parishes.  Fort Pike was abandoned in 1890
and for many years had been a noteworthy tourist attraction.  The Fort is under the
auspices of the National Park Service and had been in need of restoration for quite
a long time when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita did serious damage to its structural
integrity.  Sadly, it's no longer open to the public and its fate is in serious peril.

The top 3 photos are from a visit my son and daughter-in-law made to the Fort in 2004.
Photo above courtesy of Neon9nine at Wikimedia Commons, date unknown.
The Fort is shown at the bottom of this image and, above it, the bridge over the Rigolets Pass; probably between 1930-1940.
Above, an illustration of how the Rigolets Pass Lighthouse looked in happier days; below, the lighthouse not long before it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  Below photo courtesy of Lsuff at Wikimedia Commons.
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