By the beginning of the twentieth century , Baton Rouge was being industrialized due to its strategic location for the production of petroleum , natural gas , and salt . In 1909 the Standard Oil Company ( predecessor of present-day ExxonMobil ) built a facility that lured other petrochemical firms . Although the waterfront was flooded in 1912 , the city escaped extensive damage then and during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 &mdash; which did extensive damage in Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
History of Baton Rouge, Louisiana