[Dixielandjazz] Notes on South (& North) Rampart Steet

[Charles Suhor]

Yes. Many streets are named North_____ or South______, in relation to Canal Street but that bears little relation to the compass. The curve in the river confounds directions. It's more meaningful to use codes like the "river side"or  the "lake side" of something. if you're not familiar with the town, get a GPS.

Charles

> On Feb 10, 2019, at 10:25 PM, philwilking <philwilking at cox.net> wrote:
> 
> What no one would ever guess from the street names, and there are several streets which cross Canal Street and change their names from "North" to "South" this or that, is that North Rampart Street runs east from Canal Street and South Rampart Street runs west from it. These streets are north of the downtown area (French Quarter to the east of Canal Street and "American" sector to the west of it).
> 
> Canal Street itself runs north and south with about a 10 degree lean to the east of true North.
> 
> No native of New Orleans ever refers to a compass direction in giving directions. Reference is always to "up" and "down," which refers to "upstream" and "downstream" of the river. And since the river bends around New Orleans in a large crescent, "up" or "down" can mean any direction EXCEPT north or south, depending upon the neighborhood you mean.
> 
> Phil Wilking - K5MZF
> www.nolabanjo.com
> 
> Unless each one is covered in its own
> plastic shroud, two or more wire coat
> hangers in a dark closet will breed.
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Charles Suhor
> 
> Some notes on Rampart Street. “Rampart” means “wall” in French. In colonial days a rampart was built parallel to the Mississippi River at the edge of the French Quarter as a defense against possible invaders. When a wall was no longer needed, the name stuck--North Rampart Street from Canal Street all the way down through the Lower Ninth Ward, and South Rampart from Canal Street several blocks into the-uptown area. It was largely prided as a black business district, now acknowledged as a historical area. 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland Jazz Mailing list, or to find the online archives, please visit:
> 
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
> 
> 
> 
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com