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While the treehouse atop Monkey Hill (shown) is a
fun new addition to the Audubon Zoo, the spot is
no longer the highest point in New Orleans.
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Courtesy of the Audubon Institute
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Hey Blake,
I've always been told that Monkey
Hill in the Audubon Zoo is New Orleans' highest peak, but a few years ago I
discovered Laborde Mound, the "mountain" in City Park. What are the origins
of these two hills, and which is taller?
Mike Kennedy
Dear Mike,
Some people make mountains out of molehills,
but here in New Orleans, we make them out of such things as riprap and sand.
Monkey Hill has the distinction of being New
Orleans' oldest "mountain," but it is no longer tallest. This honor goes to
the "mountain" located in the Couturie Forest and Arboretum that fronts Harrison
Avenue in City Park. Its official name is Laborde Lookout, named after Ellis
Laborde, a longtime general manager of the park. At 53 feet tall, it is the
current "King of the Mountains" in the Big Easy.
Monkey Hill got its start in 1933 with New
Deal funds. The story goes that the Works Progress Administration brought in
sand to create the 15-foot mountain to give the children of flat New Orleans
the experience of a hill. Just about everyone who grew up here has memories
of rolling, running, riding, or even sledding -- yes, there were times when
we had enough snow to do that -- down the hill and having more fun than a barrel
of monkeys.
Recently, Monkey Hill had a makeover. Now
sitting atop the old hill is a neat new five-level, 20-foot-tall treehouse that
gives parents and kids a monkey's-eye view of our splendid Audubon Zoo. There
is also a series of ramps wrapping around a pecan tree, a rope bridge, bronze
lion sculptures and wading pools.
Laborde Lookout, with its observation platform
at the top, was created out of riprap from the construction of Interstate 610.
Unlike Monkey Hill, this artificial mountain is in a more natural setting --
a 33-acre preserve of a large stand of mature mixed hardwoods. In the 1930s,
Rene Couturie, one of the park's board members, provided the funds for park
improvements. Sixty thousand trees were purchased and planted.
For a while the trees grew naturally and were
generally ignored. Eventually, uncaring folks started dumping trash in the forest.
But all was made right in 2001, when members of the Louisiana National Guard
and many dedicated volunteers worked with City Park staff to clean it up. They
created more than a mile of trails, a deck, an amphitheater and six education
stations. Walking the trails, you will get an education as you encounter 45
different species of trees, all labeled with their common and scientific names.
Who ever thought that flat New Orleans would
be able to boast of not one but two impressive "mountains"?
Hey Blake,
Is there any truth to the
story that a plane crashed in Lake Pontchartrain and is still in the lake?
Bart Galloway
Dear Bart,
wish I could deny it, but it's the truth.
The terrible crash happened on Feb. 25, 1964. The Eastern Air Lines four-engine
DC8 jetliner plunged into the lake carrying 51 passengers and seven crew members.
Flight 304 was on its second leg from Mexico City to New York by way of New
Orleans, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. Many of the passengers were vacationers
who were on their way home.
Leaving New Orleans International Airport
at 2:01 a.m., the plane had a routine takeoff. Even though the sky was overcast,
there was no rain. The plane disappeared from the radar screen in the control
tower almost immediately, and about nine minutes later it disintegrated and
went into the lake about 4 to 5 miles east of the Causeway and 6 miles due south
of Mandeville. No distress signal was heard.
The search began immediately with Coast Guard
planes, helicopters, and patrol boats frantically looking for survivors. It
was at dawn when the location was determined, marked by an oil slick and debris.
There were no signs of life.
This was the first major air crash involving
a plane taking off from New Orleans International and, at the time, the worst
air tragedy in the state's history
