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    Lafourche Parish
    Lafourche Parish
    Lafourche Parish
    Ebook180 pages43 minutes

    Lafourche Parish

    By Clifton Theriot

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    Engulfed by the bayou, Lafourche is a parish rich in history and culture known for its close-knit, family-centered communities.


    The parish was originally inhabited by Native American tribes and later by European, African, and English settlers, and many of the residents of Lafourche can trace their ancestry back to these early settlers, strengthening the sense of community that is distinctive to southern Louisiana. The fertile bayou delta fostered small vegetable farms as well as large sugarcane plantations that continue to thrive. The numerous waterways and marshes of the parish produce bountiful catches of fish, seafood, and other wildlife, giving rise to its reputation as a sportsmen's paradise. The parish's economy is also made up of a shipbuilding industry as well as the oil industry, and because of the continuous pattern of homes and businesses that sprung up organically along the bayou, many refer to the town as the "Longest Street in the World."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateDec 1, 2014
    ISBN9781439648667
    Lafourche Parish
    Author

    Clifton Theriot

    Clifton Theriot is a native of Lafourche Parish and was raised in the small community of Gheens. He is a descendant of Acadian and Isleños ancestors who settled in the Lafourche region in the 1700s. Theriot is the university archivist and head of special collections at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.

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      Lafourche Parish - Clifton Theriot

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      INTRODUCTION

      Life in Lafourche Parish has been centered along Bayou Lafourche for over two centuries. Because it branches off of the Mississippi River forming a fork at Donaldsonville, the bayou was named Lafourche, which is French for the fork. Bayou Lafourche, which has served as a lifeline for the parish since its inception, is linked to settlement patterns, community self-sufficiency, transportation, economy, and growth.

      The area that today comprises Lafourche Parish was traversed by white men during the period of early European exploration and colonization and encompassed the entire region along the bayou from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, including the present-day parishes of Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, and Terrebonne. The European explorers named the region Lafourche des Chetimachas after the Native American tribe they found living in the area. The parish was originally inhabited by Native Americans from the Chitimacha, Washa (Ouacha), and Chawasha (Chaouacha) tribes. During colonization, French, Spanish, Acadian, Canary Islanders (Isleños), German, and Canadian pioneers who had initially settled in New Orleans or along the Mississippi River migrated to the region. The predominant culture and language during the parish’s early years was French, still evident today within the parish’s Acadian/Cajun population.

      The effect of the Roman Catholicism brought to Louisiana by the early settlers during the colonial period can be seen in the governmental divisions, or districts, which were based on Roman Catholic ecclesiastical parishes. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the Territory of Orleans, the present state of Louisiana, was divided into counties, including the County of Lafourche. This county included present-day Assumption Parish, with Napoleonville briefly serving as the county seat. In 1807, Lafourche Interior Parish, encompassing present-day Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes, became one of 19 civil parishes created by the territorial legislature. Thibodaux was chosen as the seat of government for the new parish. Terrebonne Parish was established in 1822 from the southern portion of the old Lafourche Interior Parish.

      Life along the bayou was both rewarding and difficult. When the Louisiana delta formed, high ground or ridges resulted along the waterways from yearly floods. These ridges gently sloped away from the bayous and rivers toward the swamps. Thus, when colonization began, settlers established their farms and constructed their homes along the fertile ridges. Since the bayou and waterways were the main source of transportation, all property fronted the bayou. The French arpent, which is 192 feet, or five-sixths of an acre, was the common form of measurement. Most properties measured only a few arpents wide, so that every home would have access to the bayou and could easily maintain its own levee. Later, roadways were erected along the bayous. This linear pattern of settlement along the approximately 100 miles of Bayou Lafourche formed what many refer to as the Longest Street in the World. After 1803, these small farms were joined to form large sugar-producing plantations. These plantations required a substantial labor force, which introduced slavery to the region.

      The communities of Lafourche are centered along the parish’s bayou and numerous other waterways due to the central role these waterways played in transportation around the area. There are three incorporated municipalities in Lafourche parish—Thibodaux (1830), Lockport (1899), and Golden Meadow (1950). The parish seat of Thibodaux was named for Henry Schuyler Thibodaux, whose property was divided to form town lots. The town, established at the historic juncture of Bayou Lafourche and Bayou Terrebonne, was incorporated as Thibodauxville in 1830 and changed to Thibodeaux eight years later. The name was changed to the present spelling in 1918. The town of Lockport, originally known as Longueville, was established in 1835 in the central portion of the parish. Lockport was named after locks that were built at the juncture of Bayou Lafourche and the Barataria and Lafourche Canal in 1850. Golden Meadow was established in southern Lafourche Parish in the 1830s and later became a place of refuge for settlers displaced from coastal settlements due to hurricanes.

      The force that created the fertile ridges along the bayous was also the same force that would threaten farmers and plantation owners each spring. Levees were erected along the bayou’s edge to protect homes and properties from yearly flooding. Crevasses, or breaks in the levees, were a constant problem. The last break in the levee along Bayou Lafourche occurred in 1903 just above Thibodaux. This break caused residents and local politicians to petition the state government to erect a dam at the bayou’s source at the Mississippi River at Donaldsonville. After the damming of the bayou, the levees along the bayou were removed. Many years later, pumps were installed to reintroduce freshwater into the bayou from the Mississippi River. An unanticipated consequence of the dam was coastal erosion along the southern tip of the parish, which continues to be a major concern to residents and businesses.

      Today, the use of the bayous and land within the parish has only slightly changed to reflect their modern roles. The southern portion of Bayou Lafourche still serves as a central artery for boat traffic to and from the gulf. The upper and central portions of the parish are still farmed in sugarcane, while the lower portion of the parish supports the fishing and seafood industry. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil and gas changed the economy in southern Lafourche from fishing and seafood to that of shipbuilding and other oil-related jobs.

      The motto of Lafourche Parish is Feeding and Fueling America. Two of the largest industries in Lafourche Parish are agriculture and oil and gas. The agriculture industry in Lafourche Parish consists of crops ranging from citrus to sugarcane, beef, and seafood. The oil and gas industry is supported by the Port of Fourchon and produces roughly 18 percent of the country’s entire oil supply.

      Lafourche Parish is a diverse and culturally rich parish that has grown and prospered since its founding. Many of the residents of Lafourche Parish today can trace their ancestry back to the early settlers that colonized the area, giving Lafourche a strong sense of community that is distinctive to the

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