Kiwanis keeping youngsters warm this winter
December 13, 2006‘Rock Star’ to Rock Houma-Terrebonne
December 15, 2006
For the past three years, Wetland Acadian Cultural Center rangers have made the trek up and down Bayou Lafourche twice a week, sharing stories about the area’s rich cultural heritage and natural history.
Those who join the rangers travel Bayou Lafourche as the first settlers did in a traditional Louisiana boat called “The Lafourche.”
Matt Boswell, one of six rangers trained in boater safety, is in charge of the tours. His duties go beyond navigating safely down the bayou. Boswell is also responsible for knowing the history of Bayou Lafourche, Acadian culture and Cajun and Creole heritage.
As riders travel up what the rangers like to call the “World’s Longest Street,” they learn about how the Cajuns settled on the bayou, made a living and raised their families. Boswell said he is honored to share the history of Acadian culture. He delights in riders asking questions on the boat because he can give them historic answer.
“As a ranger, my job is to try to make the boat trip exciting and fun. I tell descriptive stories about the Civil War battles that took place along the Bayou Lafourche and the native plants and animals that are found along the bayou,” he said.
Boswell said one of the greatest stories he gets to tell on the boat is about how two neighbors from opposite sides of the bayou kept a feud and rivalry alive for years. He said the two homeowners held animosity toward each other for so many years that it become a part of Acadian history.
Everything about the tour is historic, from the sites the riders see to the boat they ride in, he said. The students and employees of the Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building from Nicholls State University made the boat that is used for the tours.
“We partnered with NSU to have the boat built. It follows the mission here at the Wetland Center to interpret the Acadian culture of the Bayou Region,” the ranger said.
The boat is housed behind the Wetland Center on the boardwalk in Thibodaux. It is an exact replica of the boats the Cajuns built by hand long ago. It is a wooden flat-bottom barge that is able to maneuver in shallow waters.
“Long ago, the Cajun settlers used the shallow draft boat to fish. Now, we use it to tour the lands that they settle on,” Boswell said.
Appealing more to all generations, the ranger said the fall trips from the Wetland Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux have been scheduled, if weather the permits, through this month.
During the warmer temperatures, the boats were unable to make the voyage to Madewood Plantation because of the recent overgrowth of hydrilla in the bayou. Trips were delayed until this fall, he said.
“The Bayou Freshwater District cleared most of the hydrilla. They are still working on the rest. They have cleared it enough so that the boat can travel up to Madewood Plantation,” Boswell explained.
The rangers are hoping that the recent cold snap will kill more the of the hydrilla and allow the water level to increase, which will give tourists a few more chance to travel up Bayou Lafourche before the Christmas and New Year’s break.
The Wetland Acadian Cultural Center is part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in New Orleans. Visitors can climb aboard “The Lafourche” and cruise the bayou to Madewood Plantation in Napoleonville. Then, once a week it makes a shorter trip to the E.D. White Historical Site in Thibodaux.
The Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center is open Monday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Sundays and Mondays, the cruise to Madewood Plantation is offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The trip costs $28 and includes lunch in the formal dining room and a tour of the renovated historic plantation.
On Saturdays, a 10 a.m. to noon cruise visits the E.D. White Historic Site, home of a former U.S. Supreme Court chief justice. The trip costs $10 and includes a guided walk.
Reservations are recommended because “The Lafourche” seats only 18 people. For more information, call (985) 448-1375 or visit www.nps.gov/jela.
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