Bayou Puerto is the ancestral name for the area that most of us refer to today as Gulf Hills. This small, isolated, primarily Roman Catholic settlement came into existence in the mid-19th century, and encompassed for the most part the S/2 of Section 12, all of Section 13, the E/2 of Section 14, and the NE/4 of Section 24 all of T7S-R9W, Jackson County, Mississippi.
The majority of the people of the Bayou Puerto sector made their livelihoods primarily from the sea and forest. The sea provided fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, as well as the medium for travel and trade. Sylvan dwellers cut timber and light wood and made charcoal. Agriculturally, there were some citrus orchards and viticulture, but large traditional farms were nonexistence. Families cultivated vegetable gardens to supplement their high protein diet consisting primarily of seafood, fowl, and game.