Lake Pontchartrain teeming with marine life and rich history

By Mary LaCoste
Contributing Writer

Enjoyed by many, feared in times of storm, the New Orleans shore of Lake Pontchartrian has an amazing number of well- hidden secrets. One of these is a nearly mile-long expanse of sand beach and green space nestled behind a line of concrete levees. Obscuring from public view by tall office buildings near the end of Elysian Fields Avenue, it is a remnant of the old Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park. By agreement with UNO, the area must be kept accessible to the public. Except almost no one knows about it . . . or how to get in.

Locked securely at sunset, the gates to the old beach are opened each morning. They are at the extreme east and west ends of the extensive office building campus and their fenced parking areas. To find the gates, a person has to be looking for them.

The old sand beach is definitely worth discovering. The seawall disappears as sand beaches and grassy areas come into view. There are walkways jutting out into the lake and beautiful scenes. On a typical weekday there may be a fisherman, a couple making out and an animal lover or two letting their dogs frolic in the water. There may be a UNO employee on a tractor cutting grass, scattering the birds that have discovered the quiet space.

Under the surface of the lakefront are even more secrets. Despite the beauty, the shore is artificial. The whole lakefront, from Jefferson Parish to the old airport, was once part of Lake pontchartrain. Six blocks of land were added to the city in the 1920s. It was formed from material dredged from the lake. The old shore was where Leon C. Simon and Robert E. Lee Boulevards are today.

Sea walls were constructed to protect the new shore. In time, levees were built, lots were sold for houses, an airport was completed and beatification projects along Lakeshore Drive were begun. The segregated Pontchartrain Beach Amusement Park opened in 1940 (integrated 20 years later) and closed in 1984. Far west of the reclaimed land, Lincoln Beach Amusement Park was opened to accommodate African- American citizens and was in operation from the 1940s until 1964.

World War II saw the testing of the Higgins landing craft for which New Orleans is famous. A military base was built and much of that land later became the UNO campus.

Before the new land was added to the lakefront, it was the site of many amusement areas. Near the Jefferson Parish line was a yacht club and a section called Bucktown. There, at Bayou St. John and also at Milneburg (where Franklin Ave, meets the lake), there were dance halls, restaurants, rides, fishing piers and nightclubs. A train, on what is now Elysian Fields Avenue, ran the five miles from the river to the lake bringing New Orleanians to and from the city for a day of recreation at the shore.

Many early jazz greats performed at the lake. Buddy Bolden was said to be one of them. Jelly Roll Morton not only performed but wrote songs about the lake. “Bucktown Blues” and “Pontchartrain” were among them. Much later, Fats Domino and nationally known entertainers appeared at Lincoln Beach.

Today, the lakefront is quiet, and many say it is underused. There has been talk of attracting a first-class amusement park with swimming facilities. Alcohol-free dance halls have been suggested. They could serve families and college students under the drinking age and bring opportunities for physical exercise to members of a community known for overweight children and adults.

Sitting on the sea wall, a person can almost hear the lively music of the past, stare at the remnants of the old beach, think about the radical changes of the past century . . . and wonder if the future will bring better uses of the secret treasures lying at the back door of the city.

This article was originally published in the November 14, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper