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Anyone here have family connections to the former Bayou Chene community?
Posted on 11/15/23 at 10:26 pm
Posted on 11/15/23 at 10:26 pm
That is likely one of the last isolated, frontier style communities in the lower 48.
It was a fairly large town (for a bayou community) until the 1927 flood destroyed it. A lot of the town was moved to higher ground on the spoils from USACE dredging projects, but several more foods in the mid 20th century displaced almost all the remaining residents. The last post office was closed in the 1950’s. The ruins of the town are now buried under nearly a dozen feet of river silt and sediment.
In the late 1800’s Bayou Chene was one of the few basin communities with a proportionally large English speaking population. That enabled kids educated in their school house to be one year ahead of most other students in the basin, who were typically French speaking had to spend a year learning English.
US Army Medic Eugene Row was born in Bayou Chene. He was portrayed in the Band of Brothers series by a British actor named Shane Taylor.
Interesting read
It was a fairly large town (for a bayou community) until the 1927 flood destroyed it. A lot of the town was moved to higher ground on the spoils from USACE dredging projects, but several more foods in the mid 20th century displaced almost all the remaining residents. The last post office was closed in the 1950’s. The ruins of the town are now buried under nearly a dozen feet of river silt and sediment.
In the late 1800’s Bayou Chene was one of the few basin communities with a proportionally large English speaking population. That enabled kids educated in their school house to be one year ahead of most other students in the basin, who were typically French speaking had to spend a year learning English.
US Army Medic Eugene Row was born in Bayou Chene. He was portrayed in the Band of Brothers series by a British actor named Shane Taylor.
Interesting read
8
Posted on 11/15/23 at 11:13 pm to member12
I know they are all still pissed off over it
Posted on 11/16/23 at 12:34 am to member12
No family personally but I work with a few that had parents or grandparents from the Chene.
A long time ago, I worked with a few guys that went to grade school or high school with kids who still lived out there. A boat brought them to the Verdunville landing in Yellow Bayou and the bus picked them up and brought them to school in Centerville. This would have been the late 40s to early 50s.
A long time ago, I worked with a few guys that went to grade school or high school with kids who still lived out there. A boat brought them to the Verdunville landing in Yellow Bayou and the bus picked them up and brought them to school in Centerville. This would have been the late 40s to early 50s.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 1:13 am to member12
I have a little knowledge from around that area. My family name is in some of that writeup you posted. I have a bunch of information on most of the area Southeast of Bayou Chene.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 5:05 am to member12
I went to high school with Doc Roe's grandson, so I know someone who has family connections to the former Bayou Chene. Is there a Kevin Bacon award in my future?
Posted on 11/16/23 at 5:51 am to member12
My wife’s grandfather was born and lived there until the 40’s I think. She still owns the land where his house was. I’ve never taken her to look at it but it’s on the to do list.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 7:06 am to Joe_Dirte
Some family by marriage lived there. Spent much time around that area in the 70's when my PawPaw had a houseboat near there.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 7:47 am to kook
I spent a lot of time fishing that area in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Traveled thru virtually every bayou and cut in that area and had no idea a community had existed there earlier. There was absolutely no evidence that I could see. Very interesting article. Thanks to the OP for posting
Posted on 11/16/23 at 7:58 am to member12
Yes. My dad's family is from Bayou Chene. After the 1927 flood, his family was moved to Grand River where they mostly lived on house boats. My grandfather was a fisherman so once my dad and his siblings came along, they mostly moved where ever the fish were.
My dad is 82 now and loves telling his grandkids about catching the school boat to go to school and the grocery boat coming around where they'd trade fish for produce and grocery staples.
My dad is 82 now and loves telling his grandkids about catching the school boat to go to school and the grocery boat coming around where they'd trade fish for produce and grocery staples.
Posted on 11/16/23 at 8:08 am to John Wayne
Not Bayou Chene, but my grandpa was from Lockport and he trapped as a teen to help the family make ends meet, and they had a school boat as well. Told a story about missing school after being swamped in the pirogue they used to get to the school boat stop during the winter.
Remember visiting my great grandma with him as a kid, she had never learned English and only spoke French.
Remember visiting my great grandma with him as a kid, she had never learned English and only spoke French.
This post was edited on 11/16/23 at 8:17 am
Posted on 11/16/23 at 8:15 am to member12
My great grandmother was born in Bayou Chene in 1866, but she left and married my great grandfather in Breaux Bridge in 1888, where she gave birth to my grandfather in 1897. I know that her parents and some of her siblings remained in Bayou Chene but I haven't been able to find out a lot of details beyond that. That's one branch of the family tree that I've had a lot of trouble researching.
This post was edited on 11/16/23 at 8:58 am
Posted on 11/16/23 at 11:37 am to member12
A little more information. Around that Atchafalaya area, the long section of bridge between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. There’s a marker on Bayou des Glaises , not far from there is Bayou Big Alabama, that’s where Tony Chachere had his camp. A bunch of my friends were in the same camp with him. That where he started making his seasoning blend.
A good friend of mine goes into the Spillway, lifts the Cypress logs that have been in there for over 100 years. He has his own mill, rough cuts this cypress, he has over 1,000 board feet of lumber.
A good friend of mine goes into the Spillway, lifts the Cypress logs that have been in there for over 100 years. He has his own mill, rough cuts this cypress, he has over 1,000 board feet of lumber.
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