Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Atchafalaya Basin , La. seem like people like the swamp stuff .

Some place different is the lure of Cajun country .

Good info.

Being a lifelong resident of the high desert, my swamp experience is extremely limited. Limited, in fact, to a 2 hour swamp tour I took near New Orleans about 15 years ago. I found it fascinating. I can see how some would be drawn to it. A lot more would love it if the poisonous varieties of snakes weren't there.

I live on the western edge of the basin, I can get there by car in about 20 minutes. I knew an old fellow who was raised on a houseboat in the swamp, but
left to work in the oilfield. He was self educated and one of the most intelligent men I ever knew.

I do love a good swamp, and am very familiar with, and comfortable in a swamp. We have plenty of that stuff in Florida.

yep that's what it's like down here, lots to visit and eat if you come down here. prices aren't bad either

My uncle (married my Dad's sister) is around 85 years old is of the last generation that grew up on Bayou Chene in the Basin.What was interesting is that a lot of the Bayou Chene community was not of the traditional Cajun ancestory. Instead of Boudreauxs and Robicheauxs there were Cases, Stockstills, Curry, and Snellgroves.

The community had its own school, Post Office, churches, and cemeteries. The only access was by water.

The Corps of engineers made them move off the land in the 1950's. Not much remains, some of the old houses are now camps and some of the cemeteries are still there.

Bayou Chene History

If you open the attached link the man on the first page is my Uncle's Dad, he drove the school boat, and the kid is his nephew.

On the lower right of page 25 is a picture of their home circa 1930. I brought my Uncle to the site of his old home last year. One of his brother's ashes are spread on the site of their old house.

I know the Stockstills, they knew my grand parents well. we had the bus on the hill near the GA on the crook chene

I lived in Des Allmands for a little while - went on google earth to see if I could find the little village [couldn't] where there were no roads - boat transportation . The young bucks had nice polished up boats instead of a 4x4 truck .
There was a bar that served food - sold about everything - bait/hooks/ammo/liquor - called the Gatorbait . You write your name on a dollar and date it -then staple it to the ceiling .
I would fish my way to it then drink beer with the local lads/gals - lots of very cute girls back there . This was in 1980 . I worked on the rigs most of the locals fished etc. some worked the rigs . They would laugh at me because I had a 16hp suzuki outboard . They'd say - you make that big money and ride a 16hp motor - ask me if it will get up on a plane - say they had a P-reaux that was faster . All in fun .
A coonass pays no attention to what HP a hull is rated at - their rule of thumb is to double the HP rating for the hull. I've seen john boats with 175hp merc hanging on the back .
We'd drink and fish - boat ride - fun time .

Mike 70560 , that link is a good read . thanks !

Me too, well, until the skeeters hatch.

Beautiful place, my dad grew up in Lafayette, spread his ashes in the basin per his request

Lol...everybody loves the swamp til it's time to do swamp stuff.