Biloxi Bay

Biloxi Bay opens onto the sheltered waters of Mississippi Sound, behind the barrier islands of the northern Gulf coast. Rivers and marshes border its shores, while the islands provide a screen from the open sea. The bay takes its name from the Biloxi people, who lived in the region when French explorers arrived.

In 1699 Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville sailed to this coast seeking the mouth of the Mississippi. After exploring the river with help from local inhabitants, he ordered a fort built on the eastern side of Biloxi Bay. Fort Maurepas became an early foothold of French Louisiana. The shallow coast and its channels shaped the colony’s search for a suitable harbor, while relations with Indigenous communities were essential to the newcomers.