BAYOU & PLANTATION (Day 6 - part 3)

An alligator hunting pole

When an alligator jumps to get a piece of chicken hanging from the blue clothespin, the hunter shoots it in the soft spot in the head. He then loads it into his boat and sells the meat. In the 1950s, the going price was $100 per foot. Unfortunately this was leading quickly to their extinction. Today, alligators can only be hunted two months per year by hunters who have gotten all the appropriate tags and paid all the fees.

Meat can also come from alligator farms. The alligators are either allowed to reproduce or eggs can be gathered from wild nests. The eggs are placed incubators to get all males (eggs raised in heat produce only males, while eggs raised in cooler temperatures produce only females). In the wild, it takes an alligator 4 years to reach 4 feet. In captivity with ample feeding, they can get to this length in just one year. 17% of them are released back into the wild.

Jaw of an 8-foot alligator

This was the old seaplane runway for the oil company. Now with all the powerlines, helicopters are used instead.

An old oil company station

I'm not sure what the cross means but it is certainly interesting given its location. While Prestenbach is a name connected to the area since the 1950s, I was able to locate one possible story. In 2007, a deer hunter named Barry Badeaux shot the Prestenbach brothers, killing Arthur and permanently paralyzing Anthony, during an argument over hunting rights. According to Badeaux, he was hunting legally when the two men threatened him and pointed a rifle at him. Having acted in self defense, the charges filed against him were dismissed by a grand jury. The area where this took place could only be reached by water and was a 10-minute boat ride from the Bayou Segnette State Park boat launch.... which is about where we seem to be now!

Another beautiful (but freeloading) dragonfly

Spanish moss ... and cypress knees

On this pass by the osprey nest, we were able to see the two babies, who were only two weeks old.

An airboat whips around the corner, giving its passengers a wild ride.

Lots of spins, turns and sudden stops

Another airboat flys past...

... creating a large wake which reaches the shore.

This guy is going at a more reasonable speed.

An old house hidden in the swamp

The tour included lunch at the restaurant. On the standard menu, there was nothing vegetarian. However, along with a nice salad, I was also given some delicious mac&cheese as a subtsitute!

We returned to the minibus and continued on our way.

(right) We were actually driving along the base of the long Vacherie levee.

(left) The St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edgard

Miles of crops ... including sugarcane

The old Evergreen Plantation

During the drive, Maria passed back a sample of an old Dix note and explained the history that led up to it.

When France first populated Louisiana, it started with its worst citizens... criminals and prostitutes. Since it was very difficult to farm here, they lied to convince them to go. When they arrived, there were no cities and buildings as all the drawings had shown. It was a real struggle. Fortunately there was a thriving German farming settlement nearby which sold them its produce.

In the Seven Years War, France lost much of its land all over the world. In 1752, it gave this area to Spain for the next 40 years. However, no Spanish women were sent over. Those living here had to assimilate into the French culture and language. By 1800, Napoleon was in the midst of expansion. He wanted Louisiana back from Spain and also needed a port. That didn't last long and he sold the entire area to Jefferson in 1803.

The Americans then built their own section of town in St. Johns. Suddenly New Orleans had two cities within one. After 1812, there was a lot of English being spoken as well. As a result, this money had one side printed in English and the other side printed in French. In French, the word Dix means 10. And therefore, the south became known as the Land of Dix... and eventually Dixieland.

(left) Continuing our drive along the levee

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