Editing St. Charles Parish, Louisiana (section)

===20th century===
[[File:St. Charles Parish with Mississippi River, Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge, LaBranche Wetlands and Lake Pontchartrain from Air.jpg|thumb|right|226x226px|Aerial photograph of St. Charles Parish, Louisiana]]

Starting in the 20th century, the area of the German Coast and location of the first permanent settlement of [[Acadians]] in Louisiana began to be referred to as the "[[River Parishes]]".<ref name="RvrParishes">{{cite web|url=https://www.louisianatravel.com/parks-nature/louisianas-river-parishes|title=Louisiana's River Parishes|publisher=louisianatravel.com|accessdate=August 27, 2022}}</ref> The River Parishes are those parishes in Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that span both banks of the Mississippi River, and are part of the larger Acadiana region.<ref name="RvrParishes"/> Traditionally they are considered to be St. Charles Parish, [[St. James Parish, Louisiana|St. James Parish]], and [[St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana|St. John the Baptist Parish]].<ref name="RvrParishes"/>

Industry came to St. Charles Parish in the early 20th century as the [[energy industry]] moved to the east bank of the parish to access the Mississippi River, rail and air services.<ref name="Industry EB">{{cite web|title=Industrial Growth on the East Bank|publisher=scphistory.org|url=https://scphistory.org/plantations-to-petroleum-eastbank/|access-date=August 27, 2022}}</ref> In 1914, land in [[Destrehan, Louisiana|Destrehan]] was sold to the [[Mexican Petroleum Company]], which began operating an [[oil refinery]] in 1918, marking the first appearance of heavy industry in the parish.<ref name="Industry EB"/> In 1916, the [[New Orleans Refining Company]] purchased land in what was then [[Sellers, Louisiana|Sellers]], leading to the town to be renamed [[Norco, Louisiana|Norco]].<ref name="Industry EB"/> Additional industrial facilities in the energy industry or supporting the industry were built in New Sarpy, [[Good Hope, Louisiana|Good Hope]], and [[St. Rose, Louisiana|St. Rose]].<ref name="Industry EB"/>

In 1921, the "Little Red Church" burned and [[St. Charles Borromeo Church (Destrehan, Louisiana)|St. Charles Borromeo Church]] was built on the property that same year with the formal dedication taking place on January 25, 1922.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Becnel|first1=Joan|last2=Friloux|first2=Suzanne|last3=Richoux|first3=Marilyn|editor1-first=Anne|editor1-last=Cordry|title=St. Charles Parish Louisiana|date=June 2, 2024 |trans-title=A Pictorial History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hg9kbwAACAAJ&q=St.+Charles+Parish+Louisiana+A+Pictorial+History|access-date=January 9, 2013|publisher=Donning Company Publishers|location=Virginia Beach, VA|isbn=978-1578646388|page=135}}</ref>

In 1924, the first public high schools in the parish opened.<ref name="SCPPSHis Prt2 01–50">{{cite web|title=St. Charles Parish Public Schools Part 2: 1901–1950|publisher=scphistory.org|url=https://scphistory.org/st-charles-parish-public-schools-history/|pages=19|access-date=July 26, 2022}}</ref> [[Destrehan High School]] opened on the east bank and [[Hahnville High School]] opened on the west bank of the parish.<ref name="SCPPSHis Prt2 01–50"/>

Since the establishment of the German Coast, [[levee]]s were the responsibility of landowners and breaches in these levees called "[[Levee breach|crevasses]]" were always a major concern due to the extensive flooding they caused.<ref name="FloodContrl">{{cite web|title=Flooding—A Constant Springtime Concern|publisher=scphistory.org|url=https://scphistory.org/floodcontrol/|access-date=August 27, 2022}}</ref> Previous crevasses in the areas of Hymelia and [[Bonnet Carré Crevasse|Bonnet Carré]] caused extensive damage to the area.<ref name="FloodContrl"/> Another crevasse during the [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927]] between the towns of [[Montz, Louisiana|Montz]] and [[LaPlace, Louisiana|LaPlace]] badly damaged Montz.<ref name="FloodContrl"/> Flood Control Acts had previously been passed, but because of the size of the devastation in [[Arkansas]], [[Mississippi (U.S. state)|Mississippi]] and [[Louisiana]], authorization of the [[Mississippi River and Tributaries Project]] in the [[Flood Control Act of 1928]] was passed.<ref name="FloodContrl"/> The act called for the “levees only” policy that failed to be discarded and allowed for improved levees and [[Flood bypass|floodways]] or "[[spillway]]s" to be built.<ref name="FloodContrl"/>

Between 1929 and 1931, the [[Bonnet Carré Spillway]], a [[Flood#Flood defences, planning, and management|flood control structure]] was built and allows floodwaters from the [[Mississippi River]] to flow into [[Lake Pontchartrain]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Thibodeaux |first=Anna |date=December 26, 2017 |title=Parish's 'Hidden Jewel' Makes History |url=https://www.heraldguide.com/news/parishs-hidden-jewel-makes-history/|work=St. Charles Herald-Guide|access-date=February 3, 2021}}</ref> This site was chosen because four major crevasses had previously occurred at this location.<ref name="FloodContrl"/>

The first appearance of industry on the west bank came in 1952 when the [[Lion Oil|Lion Oil Company]] began construction of their facility in [[Luling, Louisiana|Luling]].<ref name="MidCenty">{{cite web|url=https://scphistory.org/plantations-to-petroleum-westbank-eastbank-expansion/|title=Plantations to Petroleum Westbank-Eastbank expansion|publisher=scphistory.org|accessdate=August 27, 2022}}</ref> In 1955, [[Royal Dutch Shell]] opened the Shell Chemical Plant in Norco after their forerunner, Shell Petroleum Corporation, previously acquired the New Orleans Refining Company oil refinery in 1929.<ref name="ShellHist">{{cite web|title=Norco Fact Sheet Early History|publisher=shell.us|url=https://www.shell.us/about-us/projects-and-locations/norco-manufacturing-complex/shell-norco-manufacturing-complex.html#|accessdate=September 7, 2022}}</ref>

The 1960s saw a new industry come to St. Charles Parish as [[grain elevator]]s were built in [[Ama, Louisiana|Ama]] and Destrehan. Additionally, [[chemical plant]]s were built in Taft in the 1960s.<ref name="MidCenty"/> In 1963, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church moved to Hahnville with the building being completed in 1964.<ref name="LdyHlyRsry"/>

In 1971, the [[Louisiana State Legislature]] officially recognized 22 Louisiana parishes, including St. Charles Parish, and "other parishes of similar cultural environment" for their "strong French Acadian cultural aspects" (House Concurrent Resolution No. 496, June 6, 1971, authored by [[Carl W. Bauer]] of [[St. Mary Parish, Louisiana|St. Mary Parish]]), and made the "Heart of Acadiana" the official name of the region. The public, however, prefers the one-word place name ''Acadiana'' to refer to the region.<ref>Shane K. Bernard, ''The Cajuns: Americanization of a People'' (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003), p. 80.</ref> The official term appears on regional maps and highway markers.

On October 20, 1976, the [[MV George Prince ferry disaster]] occurred on the [[Mississippi River]].<ref name="St.CharlesGovt">{{cite web|title=George Prince Ferry Disaster|publisher=stcharlesparish-la.gov|url=http://www.stcharlesparish-la.gov/departments/economic-development-and-tourism/parish-history/george-prince-ferry-disaster|accessdate=June 5, 2012}}</ref> The [[Luling–Destrehan Ferry]] ''George Prince'' was struck by the [[Norway|Norwegian]] tanker {{SS|Frosta}}. Ninety-six passengers and crew were aboard the ferry when it was struck, and seventy-eight perished.<ref name="alibris">{{cite web|title=Ferries of Louisiana: Mv George Prince Ferry Disaster|accessdate=February 20, 2013|publisher=Alibris|url=http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qsort=&page=1&matches=0&qwork=12919241&full=1}}</ref><ref name="StCharlesParish">{{cite web|title=Worst ferry disaster in U.S. history|accessdate=February 20, 2013|publisher=St Charles Herald|url=http://www.heraldguide.com/details.php?id=1054}}</ref><ref name="Groups">{{cite web|title=30 years ago: 78 die in worst ferry disaster in U.S. history|accessdate=February 20, 2013|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/alt.obituaries/jXBJwNn_hXE}}</ref> On October 6, 1983, seven-years after the ferry disaster, the [[Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge]] opened.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weeks III|first=John A.|publisher=John A. Weeks III|title=I-310 Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge|url=http://www.johnweeks.com/lower_mississippi/pages/lmiss15.html|access-date=July 5, 2014}}</ref> The bridge, originally named the Luling–Destrehan Bridge, connected the east bank and west bank of the parish by bridge for the first time. 1983 also saw the end of ferry service in the parish, marking the first time since the 1800s this service was not available.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scphistory.org/ferry-service-ends/|title=Ferry Service Ends-1983|publisher=scphistory.org|accessdate=August 27, 2022}}</ref>

In 1985, the [[Louisiana Power and Light Company]] began operation of the [[Waterford Nuclear Generating Station]] on Charles Frédérique d'Arensbourg's original land grant of Karlstein.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scphistory.org/nuclear-power/|title=Sugar Cane to Nuclear Power — Waterford|publisher=scphistory.org|accessdate=August 27, 2022}}</ref>