Pierre Part was founded by
Acadian French settlers after the
Great Upheaval of 1755, during which much of the French population of
Acadia was expelled by its British conquerors. The town, Pierre Part is named for Pierre Part, who was exiled from Port Royal, Nova Scotia, New France, and arrived in Louisiana in 1766. (6) Pierre came with his wife Marguerite Melancon, a son and daughter. They were to have 4 more children before Pierre died the 3rd of October 1826. His descendants are still living in the area. The town remained isolated from most of the world, since it was surrounded by water and was inaccessible by land until the mid-twentieth century. Before the
Great Depression, the inhabitants of Pierre Part were fishermen and alligator hunters; 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
History Channel's reality show,
Swamp People, features the Landry family, a
Cajun family who lives in Pierre Part; the series debuted on
History in 2010. On August 3, 2012, the
Bayou Corne Sinkhole, situated roughly 3 miles from Pierre Part, appeared. In areas of Pierre Part near the sinkhole, residents reported gaseous odors and strange bubbling in local waterways, prompting Governor
Bobby Jindal to issue an evacuation order for the nearby community of Bayou Corne. The sinkhole expanded significantly during the months after it first appeared, invoking fear in residents of Pierre Part due to what was perceived to be an imminent threat to the community. Significantly, the sinkhole continued to grow in the direction of
Louisiana Highway 70, the main highway on which most residents drove. Public outrage to the events in Bayou Corne was largely directed towards Texas Brine Company, the
salt mining company perceived to be chiefly responsible for the disaster; a
class-action lawsuit against Texas Brine ensued. However, a 2018 court ruling declared the fault to be shared between three companies:
Occidental Chemical was 50% at fault, Texas Brine was 35% at fault, and Vulcan was 15% at fault. As of 2019, the sinkhole continues to expand, albeit slowly, and the community of Bayou Corne remains deserted, with most homes commercially demolished. ==Geography==