Just down river from New Orleans, the Mississippi River makes a sharp turn.  Today, it doesn't present a problem to boats trying to travel upriver, but for vessels dependent on wind for their upstream power, this was a BIG problem.  In the 18th century, boats waited at this bend for the wind to change direction.  Often, impatient passengers disembarked here, near Belle Chasse, and traveled overland to New Orleans.

In 1699, the French brothers Iberville and Bienville and a handful of men met an English ship at this bend.  The brothers convinced the English captain that there was a large French force just upriver, and that, if he knew what was good for him, he should return to the Gulf of Mexico.  Of course, unknown to the ship captain, the French "force" was not much larger than the number of men filling the two pirogues of Iberville and Bienville!  But, the trick worked, and the English turned downriver.  To this day, this bend of the river is known as "English Turn."