At the turn of the 19th century, in nearby Barataria Bay, a group of Filipinos built raised structures on stilts above the water that became known as Manila Village. These shrimp drying platform structures became the forerunners of the Louisiana shrimp drying industry. Local fisherman Quintin de la Cruz spearheaded construction and development at Manila Village. The platform community flourished for several decades until Hurricane Betsy completely destroyed it in 1965.