Also featured in the upcoming series on down the bayou, Cut Off is teeming with history and culture. Make it a priority to drive along the bayou on your next Louisiana roadtrip!
Host: Kyle Crosby
Camera/Editor: Michael Malley
Coordinator: Samantha Rohr
Transcript:
We are back down the bayou, more specifically in Cut-Off, Louisiana, and the earliest residents here were the survivors of the Cheniere Hurricane of 1893. They built houses near the pioneer chapel served by the priests in Larose. These houses were painted white which is the reason the village was given the original name of Cote Blanche or “White Coast”.
Cote Blanche only had about 200 refugees but still managed to have 2 grocery stores on either side of the bayou.
A “cut-off” canal was dug to create a shortcut to New Orleans, but was ultimately neglected in favor of the much larger Intracoastal Canal, BUT it was this canal on the East Bank that would eventually lend its name to the whole community.
It’s been recorded that dancing was basically the only pastime and the waltz or square dancing were most popular until the two-step came into the equation. The dances were held in barns lit by candlelight with people dancing to local violinists and accordion players. Around 1916, established dance halls were constructed and Saturday nights would be filled with party-goers. Every 4th dance was known as “Treat Your Lady” which was when the young men would treat their partner to candy or soft drinks. A showboat named “Madame Troutman” would pull up some times and show silent movies on the bayou.
The doctor would travel on horseback to see patients, but they would rarely call for him, probably because he believed in healing patients with only tea and prayer. No chance there was a dentist in the early days, with accounts saying a pair of pincers and hot knife was all that was needed for dental issues.
Most people down the bayou still joke around that Cut Off means Cut off from civilization, and that’s exactly how it felt when Hurricane Ida slammed into the Louisiana Coast. Cut Off, like the other towns on the bayou, was completely devastated. However, the down the bayou community organized relief efforts to help relocate and feed victims of the disaster.
Cut Off is one of the towns that make up the DTB region that houses some of the most unique culture in Louisiana. Be sure to stop in some of the small businesses on the historic Louisiana highway 1 or Highway 308 on the other side of the bayou by crossing the Cote Blanche Bridge. Built in 1956, the pontoon bridge is one of only a few such type bridges in South Louisiana still remaining.
29 авг 2024
