The story of a Christmas foundling
The letter to the Lafayette Advertiser published on February 16, 1901, was headlined, "A History Veiled in a Mystery - A Young Man Seeking His Unknown Mother." The letter told the story of an i...
Chachere royalty?
We're pretty sure that Louis Chachere arrived at the Poste des Opelousas at least by 1790, because on November 25 of that year he signed a legal document saying so. The document also said that he c...
Rayne boasted first radio station Today, the call letters WBKB are assigned to the CBS television affiliate in the Alpena area of northern Michigan, but for a short time in 1930 they belonged to the first radio station to broadcast...
Acadian prairies good for health, wealth
When mapmaker William Darby toured south Louisiana in 1816, he was impressed with our mild climate, rich soils, and the huge potential of the prairies of the Attakapas and Opelousas districts which...
Harry gave 'em hell in Abbeville The political stump speech was developed into a high art form in Louisiana by folks like Huey and Earl Long in north Louisiana and Dudley LeBlanc and Cat Doucet who could deliver in both French and...
Maybe they are strawberries. But who would eat them? With food prices rising, it may be time to look closer to home to find something to eat. Maybe the yard.
It worked in Kansas, the sunflower state, just not with sunflowers. The Kansas sunflo...
No happy ending at Belle Isle
When I hear of a disaster in a mine such as the one that trapped 33 workers in Chile, I think back to March 1968 and the tragedy of the Belle Isle salt mine near Calumet in St. Mary Parish. There w...
Fontenot wasn't a Cajun
Most people recognize that names like Fontenot, LaFleur, Doucet, LaGrange, Bonin, Deshotel, and Brignac are of French origin, and since they are long-settled names in south Louisiana assume them to...
Neighbors trusted Lastie with their money
Lastie Dupré; was a fabulous figure in St. Landry Parish history. He lived in a simple, nondescript home out on the prairie that didn't interest anyone too much. But the little brick building next ...
Swamp pop museum long overdue
The Beatles and their brethren nearly killed the music we know as swamp pop, but the museum that just opened in Ville Platte means that it not only survived but will be with us for a long, long tim...
Two football stories
The beginning of football season reminds me of two Acadiana stories with national implications — sort of.
Anyone who knows the least bit about football knows that Paul (Bear) Bryant became a legend...
Sunset Limited has proud history
The Amtrak train that was involved in the recent collision in Crowley has come a long way in the wrong direction since the days when it was one of the most famous and popular passenger trains in th...
