Petit Bois Island is a

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...

off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, south of Pascagoula, and one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. It is part of

Jackson County, Mississippi Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 139,668, making it the fifth-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seat is Pascagoula. The county was named for Andrew J ...

. Since 1971 it has been a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, administered by the U.S.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

. According to the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

, variant names are ''l'Isle de Petit Bois'' (French, modern spelling would be ) and ''Petitbois Island''. in French means "little woods". The island was so named by the early French explorers due to a small wooded section located on the eastern end of this mostly sand and scrub-covered island. Following the island's inundation during

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, most of the trees comprising the little woods section have died.

Shape changes

A French exploration map of 1732 showed an elongated

barrier spit A spit or sandspit is a deposition bar or beach landform off coasts or lake shores. It develops in places where re-entrance occurs, such as at a cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift by longshore currents. The drift occurs due to ...

between Petit Bois Island and

Dauphin Island Dauphin Island is an island town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, on a barrier island of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico. It incorporated in 1988. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census, up from 1,238 at the 2010 census. The ...

This connection was breached between 1740 and 1766, possibly as the result of the 1740 hurricane. Petit Bois originally extended about east of the Alabama-Mississippi state line and was effectively located in both states. From 1933 to 1968, the eastern end of the island eroded (due to the effects of hurricanes and natural shoreline movement) until it was west of the Mississippi state line. The island is approximately long and serves as a habitat for gulls, terns,

plover Plovers ( , ) are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. Description There are about 66 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subf ...

s, alligators, and other wildlife.

Massacre Island

Early maps suggest that the Petit Bois – rather than current

– may have been the location where a large pile of human skeletons was discovered in 1699, leading to the name ''Massacre Island''. Petit Bois Mort - from sound.JPG, Petit Bois Island viewed from Mississippi Sound Petit Bois Mort.JPG, Dead trees in 'Little Woods' section of Petit Bois Island

References

*
GEMS – Petit Bois Island
Retrieved on 2009-1-28.

External links

Barrier islands of Mississippi Protected areas of Jackson County, Mississippi Gulf Islands National Seashore Landforms of Jackson County, Mississippi {{JacksonCountyMS-geo-stub

Shape changes

Massacre Island

See also

References

External links