Inspecting a Ship's Rat Guards

ID: 451 ~ Source: Image Courtesy of the Louisiana Division/City Archives, New Orleans Public Library. ~ Date: 1936

This file appears in: Wharf Rats, the Plague, and Public Health

Rats arrived in New Orleans via ships. In this photo, a sailor inspects his vessel's rat guards to ensure that no more rodents will be able to stowaway.

This file appears in: Wharf Rats, the Plague, and Public Health

Wharf Rats, the Plague, and Public Health

By Alison Laurence & John Lee

New Orleans has been a major port since the early 18th century. Until the 1960's, warehouses stood along this part of the river. These warehouses, or wharves, used to teem with the infamous "wharf…