Pierre Part, Louisiana the mid-twentieth century. Before the Great Depression, the inhabitants of Pierre Part were fishermen; after the Depression, many men of the town were forced to find work in other fields including logging, levee building, and the growing petroleum industry in Louisiana. Fewer people continue the traditional ways of fishing and living off the land with each generation. Pierre Part experienced flooding when the Morganza Spillway was opened during the 1973 Mississippi River flooding. The people of Pierre Part are predominantly of French ancestry, of families who either came directly from France or those whose came from Canada (Acadia), and before
Morganza Spillway 2011 event) had been opened by the Corps of Engineers. The Corps estimated the flow rate at . However, on May 25, new estimates from the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) described a much higher rate of , resulting in the closure of 3 bays by May 26, and additional closures by May 29, bringing the total to 11 bays with an estimated diversion rate of . The Corps continued to evaluate the flow and close additional bays as appropriate. By June 6, the number of open gates had been reduced to seven, and by June 8, only two gates were