Chef Menteur Pass is a water route from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Pontchartrain and the lakeshore of New Orleans.

The United States built the current brick fort in 1822, just seven years after British forces invaded the New Orleans area from the sea, at the close of the War of 1812.

While some efforts were made to open it to limited tourism in the late 20th century, the decaying condition of the fort was judged too hazardous for public visits.

The wakes from incoming and outgoing boats were wearing away the outer wall of the fort and accelerating the structural damage.

In February 2013 a group of 97 students and their chaperones from Oakland County, Michigan helped clear the mud and debris caused by various hurricanes from the inside of the Fort.