BAYOU TECHE
Originally the Mississippi River flowed through the area in which the Bayou Teche now flows. The
Mississippi gradually moved eastward and began to flow through the area in which the Atchafalaya
River now flows. In the vacuum created by the Mississippi\'s eastward movement, the Red River
flowed. Gradually the Mississippi moved further eastward. Gradually the Red River made its way to
the Atchafalaya and what is now the Bayou Teche began to form.
Origin of Bayou Teche
At the origin of the Teche northwest of Port Barre, Louisiana the Teche actually touches the Red
River. Little, if any, water flows from the Red into the Teche.
There are two majors results of all this movement of water. In the southern part of Bayou Teche there
is still a substantial flow of water in Bayou Teche. This becomes larger as the Teche nears the point
where it flows into the Atchafalaya River near Morgan City, Louisiana. A second effect of this vast
movement of water was the formation of the Atchafalaya Basin.
The Teche is more than a bayou. It provided transportation, food, recreation, livelihood for PEOPLE.
People live by LEGEND. They are DIVERSE. They worship, form and build CHURCHES. They build
BRIDGES. they deal in CONTRABAND. All of these are part of the history and the personality of the
Bayou Teche.
Atchafalaya Basin
"The Basin", as it is called is an important part of the ecology and the history of this area. Before any
European immigrants came here local Indian groups made The Basin their home. It was a convenient
site for a home. There were convenient islands throughout the area. The area was hidden, off the
beaten path. They could live there virtually undisturbed and could avoid being taken as slaves. Both
the water and the land provided food. It was easy to get from place to place by water if you knew the
paths. Even after Europeans took over the area and confined the Chitimacha Indians to their present
reservation, The Basin was inhabited. From 1938 to 1941 the records of Immaculate Conception
Church in Charenton, Louisiana record baptisms in seventeen different mission churches in The
Basin.
ATCHAFALAYA MISSIONS
ATCHAFALAYA BAYOU BENOIT BAYOU CATFISH BAYOU CHENE
BAYOU SMITH BUTTE LA ROSE DIAMOND SLEW CANAL GRAND BAYOU
HENDERSON HOG ISLAND LAKE CHICOT LAKE DAUTERIVE
LAKE LONG LAKE ROUND LITTLE LONG LAKE SHAW\'S ISLAND
WHISKEY BAY
The Teche is CAJUN LEGEND
One of the most famous legends of the Bayou Teche centers around a story made famous by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, the story of Evangeline. The original story is of an Acadian man and an
Acadian woman engaged to be married. Shortly before their wedding day they are shipped from their
Acadian home to separate areas on separate boats. They spend the rest of their lives searching for
one another and meet only as one of them is about to die.
In the original story their reunion takes place in New Orleans. But St. Martinville, one of the towns
along the Bayou Teche, claims credit as the place of the reunion. St. Martinville has designated two
oaks in memory of the two lovers. As you travel the Bayou Teche you learn of the presence of the
Acadians (Cajuns) and the tragic story of their separation and the need for them to start their lives all
over again.
St. Martinville is also known for the aristocrats who fled from France in the wake of the French
Revolution. They fled to New Orleans but feared they would be hunted down there. So, they fled up
the various bayous going out of New Orleans. They took whatever material goods they could safely
carry. They expected the revolution to end quickly. Then they could safely return to France and
resume their normal lives.
The Bayou Teche was a land of political exiles, a safe haven. Today with automobiles, helicopters,
satellites we do not
appreciate the idea of such a safe haven.
The Teche is INDIAN LEGEND
Long before any European settler traversed the Bayou Teche native people lived in the area. They
also had their legend. They looked at the Teche (a word which means snake) and they saw a huge
snake. The snake was always considered a sacred creature by the local natives. No one would harm
much less kill a snake. Then one day there was this monstrous snake that stretched from Morgan City
all the way to Port Barre. It threathened the local people. Their elders met and decided that despite
the ban this snake had to die. A group of their young warriors was sent out to kill the snake.
The snake did not give up easily. All day long the warriors fought the snake. The longer they fought
the stronger the snake seemed to become. Just about the time the warriors were about to become
totally exhausted one of them struck a fatal blow to the snake's head.
Even then the snake did not give up. In its death struggle the snake began to wiggle and gradually
formed a huge cavern in the earth. Gradually the area was filled with water and the Bayou Teche was
born.
The Teche is DIVERSE PEOPLE
Over the years many different and diverse people traveled the waters formed by the dying snake.
First were the "Native American". Most likely they migrated here. They came earlier enough than any
other group that they merit the title "Native American". Then came the explorers. They came from
Spain, Portugal, France, England, Holland. Some of them captured the natives and took them to
Europe as slaves.
French nobility fled the Revolution in 1789. At first they settled around New Orleans and gradually
worked their way inland to St. Martinville. Acadians were exiled from Nova Scotia. Immigrants came
from the Canary Islands. These settled in Charenton. Several months later spring floods inundated
the area and they fled further up the bayou. Eventually they settled at New Iberia. As plantation
farming became more and more common slave labor was imported from Africa. As economic and
social conditions became more and more intolerable in various European nations immigrants strayed
in from Ireland, Italy, and other European nations. There were immigrants from Haiti and other
Caribbean nations. Our study of history led us to believe all Blacks in this land descended from
Africans and that all are descendants of slaves. In fact, many had ancestors who were free persons
of color. Some actually owned slaves themselves. Many Blacks came not from Africa but from Haiti
and other Caribbean nations.
The Teche is CHITIMACHA
A Chitimacha legend gave the Teche its name. Before European immigrants came to the area,
Chitimacha roamed the Teche, fished it, made their home there.Chitimacha used the Teche as one of
their major trade networks. Several
Chitimacha mounds abut the Teche.
At one time the Chitimacha were in danger of extinction. During this time many of them hid in the
Basin between the Teche and the Atchafalaya. These small villages helped to assure their existence
in a time of peril and danger of
extinction.
The Chitimacha Indian reservation sits on a bend in the Bayou Teche. Charenton near the
reservation was once known as "Indian Bend". Near the Chitimacha Indian reservation and
Charenton the Bayou Teche comes closest to the Atchafalaya Basin, one of the largest swamp and
wild areas in the nation. A large beach drew many people to Charenton until the Army Corps of
Engineers built structures to prevent New Orleans from being flooded. The structures changed the
water level and caused an uncertain water level. The beach was flooded out when the water
was allowed to rise and became dry when much water was let out. Today, Charenton is once again the
center for fun and recreation. The Chitimacha Indians have a casino on their reservation and they
now draw people from as far away as Corpus Christi Texas to the casino. When the Chitimacha were
being hunted down, they had about 15 villages all around the Atchafalaya Basin.
The Teche is FREE PERSONS OF COLOR
Black church in Leonville, one of early communities of free persons of color
The Bayou Teche hosts an interesting human history as well as a geological history. In addition to
being the homeland of Native American tribes, it was the home of many diverse migrant groups. In
Louisiana prior to the Civil War there
were "free persons of color". These were often land owners and sometimes people of means. One of
the first towns along the Bayou Teche flowing south is Leonville, La. which was a town of "free
persons of color."
The Teche is BRIDGES.
Bridges play an important part in the history of the Teche. Several towns along the Teche take their
names from the bridge across the Teche: Poche Bridge, Breaux Bridge. The name Teche means
snake. It comes from a Native
American legend that a huge snake once lived in the area. It stretched from Morgan City, La. on the
coast of the Gulf of Mexico up to Port Barre. The Native American warriors attempted to kill the snake
and there ensued a huge battle.
Finally the snake was killed, In its death struggle it moved from side to side and created a huge
crater which eventually filled with water and became the Bayou Teche. This legend has been
memorialized in stone at Breaux Bridge where a
marker on the legend has been erected and the Bayou is depicted as a huge snake. Breaux Bridge
also hosts a Crawfish Festival. Most towns along the Bayou have fairs and celebrations. Breaux
Bridge is also famous for its fine restaurants.
The Teche is CONTRABAND.
The area along the Bayou Teche has a long history of contraband activity, a history which continues
to the present. In the southern section of the Teche it is often no more than 5 or 10 miles from the
open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
There are many waterways which lead to the open waters of the Gulf. It is very difficult to monitor all
these waterways.
In the days of steamboats many vessels came into the Teche at the Baldwin cut. Thus they were able
to avoid paying duty on their cargo. In the days of airplanes, drugs and other illegal contraband can
easily be dropped into the swamps and open fields along and near the Bayou Teche. It can also be
brought in through small boats in the Baldwin Cut and other waterways. For several years a blimp sat
over the area looking for illegal drugs and other contraband activity.
During the days of prohibition there was a good deal of contraband alcohol. The Yellow Bowl
Restaurant near Jeanerette tells the story of its name. A large yellow bowl sits in front the restaurant.
The bowl has been there since the days of prohibition. During the days of prohibition a bowl in front
of a building was a code used to signify that alcohol was available on the sly in this establishment.
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CHARENTON HERITAGE MUSEUM
3041 CHITIMACHA TRAIL
CHARENTON LOUISIANA 70523
337-923-4281
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