I'm looking at Google Maps and can't for the life of me figure out what the engineers of the time were trying to achieve. The canals don't cut a bend out of the Mississippi, they connect the two rivers. That would not have saved anyone any time trying to get down to Baton Rouge, or up to wherever. It doesn't fit with what Tom is describing at all.,(reply>), Have you considered that the original canal that cut out the bend isn’t there anymore?!