University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-22-2020 Caught Between Land and Sea: West End as a Maritime Lake Community on Lake Pontchartrain Madison K. Hazen University of New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Labor History Commons, Public History Commons, and the Social History Commons Recommended Citation Hazen, Madison K., "Caught Between Land and Sea: West End as a Maritime Lake Community on Lake Pontchartrain" (2020). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2751. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2751 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Caught Between Land and Sea: West End as a Maritime Lake Community on Lake Pontchartrain A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History By Madison Hazen B.A. Texas A&M University at Galveston, 2017 May, 2020 Acknowledgments I would first like to thank Steve Wagner, who fought for the Sintes story to be told. To the Sintes family, Lawrence, Geri, Judy, Dave, Steve Sr., Steve Jr., and Pam, thank you letting me into your special corner of New Orleans, and for sharing your stories with me. To my committee, thank you for being patient with me, and for showing me how to navigate the history field as a woman. Finally, to my family—Mom, Dad, Brother One, Brother Two, Roxie, and Ranger thank you for moving my junk over state lines, so that I can pursue more boat things. ii Table of Contents List of Illustrations .......................................................................................................................... v Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 4 Historiography ................................................................................................................................ 6 The History ................................................................................................................................... 10 19th Century.................................................................................................................................. 11 Early 20th Century ........................................................................................................................ 15 Mid-20th Century.......................................................................................................................... 18 The Sintes Family ......................................................................................................................... 20 Late 20th Century ......................................................................................................................... 23 The Sintes Family Over the Years ................................................................................................ 27 Early 21st Century ......................................................................................................................... 28 The Project .................................................................................................................................... 34 The Study ...................................................................................................................................... 38 Interview One................................................................................................................................ 39 Interview Two ............................................................................................................................... 40 Interview Three ............................................................................................................................. 41 iii Interview Four ............................................................................................................................... 42 The Results.................................................................................................................................... 43 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 45 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 47 Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix Interview #1 ................................................................................................................. 55 Appendix B Interview #2 .............................................................................................................. 76 Appendix C Interview #3 .............................................................................................................. 90 Appendix D Interview #4.............................................................................................................. 91 Vita .............................................................................................................................................. 119 iv List of Illustrations Illustration 1. “West End, a maritime lake neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana.” ................ 3 Illustration 2. “Southern edge of New Orleans's West End neighborhood, with Orleans Marina and Sintes Boat Works and Sea Chest Marina.” ............................................................................. 3 Illustration 3. “Lake Pontchartrain and Bayou St. John, Louisiana.” ........................................... 12 Illustration 4. "Lake Pontchartrain Fisherman Shanty." ............................................................... 13 Illustration 5. "West End Street Car." ........................................................................................... 14 Illustration 6. "Where the Band Played." ...................................................................................... 16 Illustration 7. "Pontchartrain Beach at Spanish Fort panorama." ................................................. 19 Illustration 8. “Sintes Boat Works boatyard in 1958, with the crane that allowed the Sintes family to expand its business.”. ................................................................................................................ 22 Illustration 9. "Lakefront- West End aerial.". ............................................................................... 23 Illustration 10. “The 24th Annual Pam Sintes Memorial Regatta on Lake Pontchartrain, held on August 24, 2019.” ......................................................................................................................... 28 Illustration 11. “Sintes Boat Works ten years after Hurricane Katrina, with the same crane that was purchased by Lawrence Sr.” .................................................................................................. 32 Illustration 12. “Steve Sintes Sr. presents a check from the Pamela Sintes Memorial Foundation with members of the New Orleans Family Justice Center on November 2, 2019.” ..................... 34 v Abstract West End has eluded traditional New Orleans history as academics have continued to view the city’s history and maritime culture through the Mississippi River. This project looks at the development of West End using the Sintes family and its boatbuilding business as a case study on how generational businesses are affected by tourism, natural disasters, and urban development. This project has used oral histories of the Sintes family to tell their personal story of West End, this terraqueous gap filled with boats, crawfish boils, natural disasters, and human loss, and in doing so, preserved and recorded a part of West End’s maritime lake culture that might otherwise be lost. Key Words: Maritime lake community; maritime lake culture; liminal space; terraqueous environment; local history; family business; New Orleans; Lake Pontchartrain vi Introduction The history of the Sintes family and its business, Sintes Boat Works and Sea Chest, a boat construction and repair marina on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a story of perseverance, hardship, and a community held together by water and land. The purpose of this project is to preserve and record a part of West End’s maritime lake culture through a family history defined