Aquitaine would be « the land of waters ». The Isle basin is one of the clearest examples of this, everywhere water flows and spreads. Thus, it has not only shaped the landscapes, but has also generated multiple human activities linked to the river Isle: fishing and fish farming, commercial and leisure navigation, mills and industry, irrigation and agriculture.
The way of looking at this type of landscape has changed a lot. In the middle of the 19th century, the river had to be exploited, crossed, the marshes drained and the « insalubrious » ponds had to be removed. In recent decades, these are landscapes to be protected with their accompanying flora and fauna.
Illustrations :
– Pictures of ponds and ponds of the Double (to do or to go out of the curiosities)
– Photograph of the steamship « Admiral Courbet » sailing on the Isle at Mussidan in August 1899. Photo André Rigaillaud. Private collection.
– Postcard of a bull on the quai de Lagut in front of Mussidan around 1900. (© Musée André Voulgre)
– Postcard of fishermen and washerwomen in front of the Mussidan bridge around 1910. (© Musée André Voulgre)
– Postcard of the Isle at Gabillou with the Biterne mill on the left, opposite the Gabillou refractory earth factory and in the foreground a washerwoman’s house before 1918. (© Musée André Voulgre)