Book excerpt: Mary Ann Sternberg has woven together history, tales, anecdotes, and personal experiences to create a fascinating narrative on Bayou Manchac, an overlooked treasure of Louisiana. Only eighteen miles in length, Bayou Manchac has a history that far exceeds it's physical longevity. It has been one of the most important waterways in the southeastern United States and a vital link in a shortcut passage from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Native Americans flourished here from about 250 B.C. until they introduced the bayou to Iberville, the founder of Louisiana, in 1699. French voyagers.