Story & Photos by David Bell
LOUISIANA’S OLDEST TOWN OFFERS RIDERS ELEGANCE AND CHARM, HISTORY, MYSTERY, AND EVEN A WORLD-FAMOUS MEAT PIE OR TWO.
I have a very simple paradigm for riding: “Wherever you go is more fun on two wheels than on four.” Several years ago my wife and I spent a couple of years living smack in the middle of the piney woods of west central Louisiana. Even though we are Ozarks natives, we thoroughly enjoyed our sojourn among the tall timber. Things that made our stay there enjoyable were the food, the friends we made, and the wonderful historic town of Natchitoches.
The long history of Natchitoches
Natchitoches is properly pronounced Nack-a-tish. As best I understand, it’s an English mispronunciation of the French pronunciation of the name of the Natchitoches Indians who lived in the area. Fort St. Jean Baptiste (Natchitoches) was established in 1714 by a French soldier named Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. The settlement was located near the wide, navigable Red River. Its purpose was to facilitate trade at the boundary between colonial French lands and the Spanish territory of Mexico, on the northern terminus of El Camino Real de los Tejas. It served as a balance to Spanish influence in the area.
A reconstruction of the original bousillage fort has been built based on historic plans. This Louisiana State Park interpretive center and historic site is believed to be near the 1714 site and gives a look at French Colonial everyday life.
The history of Natchitoches has been shaped by French and French Creole culture, not Cajun, and today the remnants of French Creole culture and architecture can be seen throughout the area. A Creole is a person of French or Spanish, African, and/or West Indies descent. Cajuns are also French, but they are descendants of the French who were expelled from Nova Scotia/New Brunswick by the British in Le Grand Dérangement, or the Great Upheaval. The Acadians—or Cajuns—settled in southern Louisiana.
The 1714 establishment date of Natchitoches makes it the oldest permanent settlement in what would become the Louisiana Purchase—two years before the founding of New Orleans. The 301-year-old city is the third oldest in the United States.
While no buildings dating back to the time of Natchitoches’s founding survive, numerous structures in the Natchitoches and the Cane River Lake areas are quite old. The Tauzin-Wells House (still a private residence) dates back to the 1770s. The Oakland Plantation dates to 1821, and the Melrose Plantation to 1833. A great example of the French Colonial-Creole architecture is the three-room 1803 Roque House. It was acquired and restored by a preservation group and in 1967 moved to the downtown Riverbank Park. The private two-story Roselawn home on Williams Avenue, built around 1902, is one of the best examples of Queen Anne Revival style in the state.
Early one morning I was walking on Front Street near the Roque House and met a retired art teacher, who described the city like this: “Walking through Natchitoches is like walking through a Monet painting”—an impressionistic canvas where the artist has used lush, beautiful light and bright colors to “paint.” The brick-paved Front Street historic district fits that description. The two-story shops located here mimic the French Quarter of New Orleans with their second-story balconies and wrought-iron railings. And like that French Quarter, downtown Natchitoches is definitely made for strolling.
Creole and Cajun fare finds a home in Natchitoches
Outside Louisiana, the terms “Creole” and “Cajun” are often used interchangeably to describe the food of this area. For sure, both Creole food and Cajun food use the same locally found basic ingredients. For example, both have gumbos and jambalayas. But according to the Louisiana Travel website (louisianatravel.com), “Creole cuisine uses tomatoes and proper Cajun food does not.” Historically, Creole cooks had access to the spices found in upscale French homes; Cajun food uses fewer spices, but often includes copious amounts of cayenne pepper. Another way to think of it: Creole is “city food” and Cajun is “country food.”
While living in rural Louisiana, we enjoyed meals with friends and the Creole and Cajun food they prepared. At one such meal I had my first real Cajun boudin, a spicy sausage with a variety of pig parts, spices, and rice, onions, and peppers. One of my must-do stops in Natchitoches is Lasyone’s Natchitoches Meat Pie Kitchen & Restaurant on Second Street. The signature item is the Natchitoches Meat Pie. While it is perhaps more Spanish than French because it’s like an empanada (a fried pie), its spices and beef-and-pork filling are pure Creole. Other dishes on the menu are of Cajun origin.
When I’m in the mood for good food, good music, and the company of other riders, my choice is the Pioneer Pub, on Front Street. The food is well-done pub food, and “the pub,” like most of the bars and restaurants in this small college town (Northwestern State University is here), has live music, ranging from jazz to rock to real Creole zydeco. My favorite catfish restaurant anywhere is a pleasant 30-mile ride west on LA Highway 6 to Many, which in Louisiana fashion is pronounced differently than its spelling would indicate: say Man-E. Country Boy Foods on Fisher Road has been my benchmark for catfish for years. The spices in the cornmeal batter here are perfect, making it not too hot but with enough zing to leave my tongue begging for more. Just looking at the place, you probably wouldn’t be enticed to stop. But that would be a big mistake.
Follow the Water
In recognition of its efforts to preserve its history and culture, Natchitoches has been listed as one of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Many of the area houses show Creole and French elements. The older, more historic part of Natchitoches is on the west side of town. One of the town’s most beautiful features is the 37-mile-long Cane River Lake, an oxbow created when the Red River dramatically changed course around 1840. Suddenly, the oldest river port west of the Mississippi was left high and dry.
Natchitoches and the river have a symbiotic relationship of sorts, each complementing the other. The buildings on Front Street and those on the adjacent Cane River Lake blend beautifully in terms of their architecture. A great way to get a feel for the lay of the land around Natchitoches is to loop down one side of the lake and then back up the other. This ride starts out heading east on Keyser Avenue to LA Highway 494. It plays tag with the lake before running into LA Highway 119 and winding south to LA Highway 484. You take that back across the lake, where it runs into LA 494 again. At this point you can either head back to Natchitoches—the way you came down—or ride farther west to LA Highway 1 for a straight shot north and back to town.
Plantations on the lake
When I think of Southern plantations I generally imagine the colonnaded mansions you see in Gone With the Wind. But in Louisiana, Creole architectural elements were the norm for plantations, which include large porches, tall ceilings, and lots of trees—all to provide shade and cooling air movement.
Many of the historic plantations and buildings in this area are today private residences. Some are occasionally open to the public. Others are bed-and-breakfasts. Fortunately, two of the most historically significant plantations are open to the public as historic sites and both, in my opinion, are must-sees.
The Oakland Plantation dates back to about 1821. The entire house and grounds are of classic Creole design. The plantation is part of the National Park Service’s Cane River Creole National Historic Park, located 12 miles south of Natchitoches on LA 494. The Melrose Plantation was built around 1810 by the family of a freed slave. Today it is owned and maintained by the Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches—and, like Oakland Plantation, it is open for tours. The Melrose is about 18 miles south, on LA Highway 119.
Natchitoches in the movies
The area around Natchitoches has been featured in several films. In John Wayne’s 1959 Civil War movie Horse Soldiers, the Oakland Plantation and river area played a prominent role. And in 1989, the entire town of Natchitoches was the backdrop for the motion picture Steel Magnolias, starring Sally Field and Dolly Parton. Natchitoches native and writer Robert Harling based the stage play and movie on his hometown. The 1840-era Taylor House—now the Steel Magnolia House B&B—was used for major scenes in the movie. There is even a Steel Magnolias tour map on the Natchitoches website.
Besides showcasing the spots that became scenes in the movies, Natchitoches offers a charming array of things to do and see when you’re in town. Shops and restaurants with live music, galleries and boutiques, and ample places to just relax and soak up the atmosphere are scattered along the city streets and the riverfront of Natchitoches. Front Street alone is lined with enough restaurants, bars, and shops to occupy you for several days and evenings. For example, be sure to stop by the Natchitoches Art Guild and Gallery, which displays works by local artist members. Since Natchitoches is the oldest town in Louisiana, you would naturally expect it to be home to the oldest general store in the state. The Kaffie-Frederick General Mercantile store on Front Street, one of the oldest businesses in Louisiana, seems to function as both a museum and a contemporary business, and you will enjoy browsing there, discovering many items from “the good old days.”
If you’re staying a few days, consider a stop at the Grand Ecore Visitors Center. Here you’ll get a feel for how important the Red River has been throughout history, as well as how its eccentricities have shaped the area. Nine exhibits cover the history, the present, and the future of the waterway. From an 80-foot-high bluff visitors have an outstanding view of the river valley below. In addition, the exhibits at this Corps of Engineers facility provide informative lessons on both the geological and the cultural history of the region.
Alligator Park, just a bit north of Natchitoches on LA Highway 1, provides an interesting side trip. In south Arkansas we have alligators, but most of us haven’t been up close and personal with one. This seven-acre park—the largest of its kind in the state—is stocked with hungry American ‘gators. You can feed them and get close enough to eyeball one eyeballing you—you can even hold a small one. There’s even ‘gator on the Cajun food menu at the snack shop.
Riding through the woodlands to Natchitoches is as enjoyable as strolling the historic streets of the town. As they say in this part of the country, “Laissez les bon temps rouler”—let the good times roll. You will definitely enjoy your journey to the old city.
Along the Way
BERMUDA
OAKLAND PLANTATION
4386 LA Hwy. 494
318-356-8441
KINDER
COUSHATTA CASINO RESORT
777 Coushatta Dr.
800-584-7263
coushattacasinoresort.com
MANY
COUNTRY BOY FOODS
105 N. Highland Dr.
(at Fisher Rd.)
318-256-3953
MELROSE
MELROSE PLANTATION
3533 LA Hwy. 119
318-379-0055
NATCHITOCHES
FORT ST. JEAN BAPTISTE STATE HISTORIC SITE
155 Rue Jefferson
318-357-3101
GEORGIA’S GIFT SHOP
626 Front St.
318-352-5833
georgiasgiftshop.com
GRAND ECORE VISITORS CENTER
106 Tauzin Island Rd.
318-354-8770
KAFFIE-FREDERICK GENERAL MERCANTILE
758 Front St.
318-352-2525
oldhardwarestore.com
NATCHITOCHES ART GUILD & GALLERY
584 Front St.
318-352-1626
natchitochesartguild.org
PIONEER PUB
812 Washington St.
318-352-4884
ROQUE HOUSE
1 Rue Beau Port
historicfoundation.org
ROSELAWN HOME
905 Williams Ave.
(Private)
RUSCA HOUSE B&B
124 Poete St.
866-531-0898
ruscahouse.com
TAUZIN-WELLS
(OLDEST) HOUSE
607 Williams Ave.
(Private)
ROBELINE
ADAI INDIAN NATION CULTURAL CENTER
4460 LA Hwy. 485
Robeline, LA
318-472-1007
adaicaddoindiannation.com
On the Road
Pit Stops
1. SHOPRITE
247 Keyser Ave.
2. ZIPPY B GROCERIES & GAS
5696 Old Hwy. 1
Grab a Bite
1. CANEBRAKE CAFE
584 Front St.
318-238-3030
2. LASYONE’S MEAT PIE KITCHEN & RESTAURANT
622 Second St.
318-352-3353
lasyones.com
3. MAGLIEAUX’S ON THE CANE
805 Washington St.
318-354-7767
maglieauxs.com
Stay the Night
1. THE CABINS OF HORSESHOE HILLS RANCH
240 Bayou Pierre Cutoff Road
318-352-2920
horseshoehillscabins.com
2. STEEL MAGNOLIA HOUSE B&B
320 Jefferson St.
318-238-2585
steelmagnoliahouse.com
Diversions
1. CANE RIVER CREOLE
NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
400 Rapids Dr.
318-352-0393
nps.gov/cari
2. NATCHITOCHES
ALLIGATOR PARK
380 Old Bayou Pierre Rd.
877-354-7001
alligatorpark.net
Only in Louisiana
1. CANE RIVER ZYDECO FESTIVAL & POKER RUN
Sept. 4–5, 2015
Downtown Natchitoches
318-471-9960
