The Archive – 1927 Great Flood

The Great Flood Project is working to build a robust collaborative archive of stories and materials that tell the story of the 1927 flood. This archive will consist of primary and secondary sources, including photos, videos, and oral histories. It is designed to be a landing page for existing efforts that have already documented this history, including communities, organizations, and individuals who are willing to share their stories with the project. The Great Flood Project
also recognizes the physical landscape as a critical and necessary component of the archive.

Communities will play an active role in the preservation process by documenting sites that were significantly impacted by the flood through programs, events, and historical markers. With that in mind, this archive is dynamic and will continue to grow and expand throughout the life of this project.

*DISCLAIMER: This selection of materials contains primary sources that were produced by historical actors across historical periods, including the Jim Crow era. Some materials may reflect biases and views that are offensive and harmful. They are preserved and made accessible in their original form to reflect the historical context in which they were created. Their inclusion is meant to provide a true historical context and does not represent the views of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation (LTHP)

Interactive Map

The interactive topographic map invites users to engage with various visual layers of interest. Users can make each layer visible at the same time or hide layers to focus on one area. Simply click the “eye” icon next to the area of interest to hide that layer.

Layer Descriptions

Visual Stories:

provides a record of how communities are commemorating the Great Flood. This layer displays a “StoryMap” with short stories and primary sources (photos, newspaper clippings, documents, etc.) about significant sites of interest, including primary sources communities and individuals have shared. The “StoryMap” also highlights communities that have invested in historical markers as well as those that have planned programming and events related to the 1927 Flood.

Stream Gauge:

highlights the locations of stream gauges across the Mississippi River Valley and the records they indicated during the 1927 Flood.

Points of Interest:

shows locations of Red Cross camps as well as levee breaks.

Levee:

maps locations of levees.

Flood Extent:

provides the highlighted geographical area that was impacted by flooding.

Historic Topomap with 1927 Flood:

reveals the original Library of Congress “Mississippi River Flood of 1927” map.