"Take a Cultural Journey" by Cane River National Heritage Area , public domain
Cane RiverNational Heritage Area - Louisiana |
The Cane River National Heritage Area is located in the state of Louisiana. The heritage area is known for plantations featuring Creole architecture, as well as numerous other sites that preserve the multi-cultural history of the area. The heritage area includes the town of Natchitoches, Louisiana and its national historic district. Founded in 1714, it is the oldest community in the territory covered by the Louisiana Purchase. Cane River Creole National Historical Park, including areas of Magnolia and Oakland plantations, also is within the heritage area.
The Heritage Area begins just south of Natchitoches and extends south and west for about 35 miles (56 kilometers along Cane River Lake and Interstate 49 to Monette's Ferry. Other sites in the heritage area include the Kate Chopin House and the state historic sites of Los Adaes State Historic Site, Fort Jesup, and Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site.
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Map of the U.S. National Park System. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Park System with DOI's Unified Regions. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
Cane River NHA
https://www.nps.gov/crha/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_River_National_Heritage_Area
The Cane River National Heritage Area is located in the state of Louisiana. The heritage area is known for plantations featuring Creole architecture, as well as numerous other sites that preserve the multi-cultural history of the area. The heritage area includes the town of Natchitoches, Louisiana and its national historic district. Founded in 1714, it is the oldest community in the territory covered by the Louisiana Purchase. Cane River Creole National Historical Park, including areas of Magnolia and Oakland plantations, also is within the heritage area.
The Heritage Area begins just south of Natchitoches and extends south and west for about 35 miles (56 kilometers along Cane River Lake and Interstate 49 to Monette's Ferry. Other sites in the heritage area include the Kate Chopin House and the state historic sites of Los Adaes State Historic Site, Fort Jesup, and Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site.
More than 300-years of history are etched into the rural landscape of colonial forts, plantations, churches, cemeteries, and homes that comprise Cane River National Heritage Area. Historically, this region lay at the intersection of the French and Spanish Realms in the New World, with the town of Natchitoches originating as an important 18th century trade center.
Cane River National Heritage Area in northwestern Louisiana is a largely rural, agricultural landscape known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its multi-cultural legacy. The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of Natchitoches, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three State Historic Sites, and other places.
Grand Ecore Visitor Center
The US Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center is located at Grand Ecore, a small community about four miles north of Natchitoches, Louisiana, and commands a panoramic view from a bluff 80 feet above the Red River.
Roque House
Historic house with steep pitched roof, brick walkways leading up to open front porch
The Roque House, originally built in 1803, has since been restored and is a great example of French Creole architecture.
Melrose Plantation
Large white plantation house with large two story porch
The Melrose Plantation was built in 1833 and offers regular tours.
Cotton Field
Cotton field with colorful sunset
Beauty is all around in Natchitoches Parish.
Cane River
Waterway with deck stretching out over water in foreground and homes on other side of water; sunset
The Cane River which defines the region is actually an oxbow lake that once was the primary channel of the Red River.
Cane River Music Festival
The annual Cane River Music Festival celebrates the tradition of live music on the landscape of Cane River Creole National Historical Park. It began with early "juré singing" without instrumentation, evolved into a style that incorporated rhythm and blues with accordion, saxophone, and washboard. Today, contemporary musicians play Creole music inspired by tradition and newer influences. Creole culture was and continues to be a blend of continuity and change.
A musician holds a round-bodied cheesebox guitar in both hands at the 2012 music festival.
Code Noir
The Code Noir initially took shape in Louis XIV’s edict of 1685. Although subsequent decrees modified a few of the code’s provisions, this first document established the main lines for the policing of slavery right up to 1789.
Resistance Escape Community
The conference “Resistance, Escape, Community: Opposition to Enslavement in North Louisiana and the 19th Century Deep South" connected scholars and grassroots researchers with place-based history.
A group of people holding a banner
Cane River Map.qxp_Layout 1 7/30/15 4:04 PM Page 1
Take a Cultural Journey
as you travel the Cane River National Heritage
Trail, a Louisiana Scenic Byway. Stretching from
the Spanish Presidio of Los Adaes to the
southern tip of Natchitoches Parish, the
highways and byways of the Cane River region
will engage you whether your interest is in
historic plantations, military history, Creole
culture and cuisine, or the scenic beauty of the
area’s lakes, rivers, and forest.
Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau
780 Front Street
Natchitoches, LA 71457
1-800-259-1714
OR VISIT: www.CaneRiverNHA.org
Cane River National Heritage Area Office
1115 Washington Street
Natchitoches, LA 71457
Cover Art courtesy ©Cane River Art Corporation features renowned folk
artist Clementine Hunter’s painting of Melrose Plantation and
documents the historic structures originally constructed by the
descendants of freed Black slaves. Hunter’s paintings are noted for
depicting everyday life in the rural South, specifically Cane River in the
first half of the twentieth century.
1
Clarence
Natchitoches
Red River National
Wildlife Refuge
5
485
7
West Side
Exit 138
?
Fish
d.
ry R
che
Hat
494
Information Kiosk
119
Hagewood
1
6
120
8
9
Robeline
West to Many
and Toledo Bend
Reservoir
West Side
6
29 is 34 miles
from I-49
fro
Natchez
chezz
6 Grand Ecore Visitor Center
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
15
Atahoe Plantation
16
St. Matthew High School
17
Carroll Jones House
18
Jones-Roque House
19
Badin-Roque House
20
Melrose Plantation
21
St. Augustine Catholic Church
22
Lewis Jones House
23 Metoyer-Cohen Plantation
8 Oaklawn Plantation
24 Magnolia Plantation Home
9 Cherokee Plantation
25 Cane River Creole NHP,
Magnolia Plantation Unit
26 Kate Chopin Home Site
27 Chopin Plantation
28 Monett’s Ferry
13 Beau Fort Plantation
1
15
14
29 Fort Jesup State Historic Site
Cypress
Flora
Travel down river and
explore the plantation
agriculture that shaped the
economy and the lives of
generations of people in the
Cane River region. Historic
plantation homes and
outbuildings set the scene
for the story of working
plantations from the 18th to
the 21st centuries.
Exit 127
1
17
712
18
32 St. Anne Catholic Church
119
Trails
484
48
Isle Brevel
Brevellee
Cane River National
Heritage Trail
20 Me
Melrose
19
493
Isle Brevelle Trail
21
Montrosee
El Camio Real National
Heritage Trail
23
22
akeview
Lakeview
24
25
117
De
Derry
Exit 119
Bellwood
Kisatchie National Forest
31 Adai Indian Nation Cultural Center
Down River
1
16
494
30 Los Adaes State Historic Site
Red Dirt National
Wildlife Management
Preserve
830
Longleaf Vista
Complex
?
Longleaf Trail Scenic Byway
Red River National
Wildlife Refuge
?
C
Cloutie
Cloutierville
Information
Boat Launch
26
Hospital
Information Kiosk
27
49
Chopin
119
Exit 113
28
1
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
AND THE ALLIANCE OF NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS
South to Leesville and Ft. Polk
Cane RiverNational
HeritageTrail
10 The Old Plauche Place Plantation
12
133
7 Natchitoches National
Fish Hatchery
Bermuda
Kisatchie
Ranger District
Cane River Creole NHP,
Oakland Plantation Unit
12 St. Charles Borromeo Chapel
120
478
5 Fort St. Jean Baptiste
State Historic Site
Rigolette de Bon Dieu
Provencal
Down River
14
11 Cedar Bend Plantation
11
Exit 132
During the Spanish
Colonial period in
America, royal roads
tied far-flung regions
of Spain’s empire
with Mexico City.
One of these was El
Camino Real de los
Tejas, which provided
the only primary
overland route from
what is now Mexico,
crossing the Rio
Grande to the Red
River Valley in what is
now Louisiana.
4 Northwestern State University
of Louisiana
La Cote Joyeuse
478
117
3 National Center for Preservation
Technology and Training
Traces of each era of
Natchitoches Parish’s 300
years are reflected in the
33-block National Historic
Landmark District. Giving
testament to Natchitoches’
unique intersection of
cultures are numerous
architectural styles, new and
long-standing businesses,
surrounding stately homes,
prominently placed
churches and a historic
cemetery where many early
leaders rest.
49
1
2 Louisiana School for Math,
Science and the Arts
Historic
Natchitoches
32
31
Natchitoches National
Historic Landmark District
Kisatchie National Forest
Grand Ecore
coree
Exit 142
Fort Jesup SHS
Fo
F OR VISITOR INFORMATION:
6
Heritage Sites
East to Winnfield
84
6
Cane River National Heritage Area
Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc. is a
not for profit organization that manages the
congressionally designated Cane River
National Heritage Area and works to protect,
preserve, and promote the historic character
and sustainability of the Cane River National
Heritage Area region.
71
Campti
Exit 148
30
Cane River National Heritage Area in
northwestern Louisiana is a largely rural,
agricultural landscape known for its historic
plantations, its distinctive Creole archi
Historic Natchitoches Map.qxp_Layout 1 7/30/15 4:00 PM Page 1
Historic
Natchitoches
Natchitoches has been
Traces of each era of
Natchitoches’ 300 years are
reflected in the 33-block
National Historic Landmark
District. Giving testament to
Natchitoches’ unique
intersection of cultures are
numerous architectural styles,
new and long-standing
businesses, surrounding
stately homes, prominently
placed churches and a historic
cemetery where many early
leaders rest.
welcoming visitors to the heart of the Cane
River region for over three hundred years. As
the oldest permanent settlement in the
Louisiana Purchase, its history is also a story of
the development of our nation, of the
challenges and successes of democracy, and of
ever evolving American values. A historic
downtown and friendly citizens are the setting
for your visit. Nationally recognized as a
Preserve America Community, a Distinctive
Destination, and a Great American Main Street,
Natchitoches is a genuine heritage destination.
1
Historic Front Street
1 Roque House
2
Historic Cane River
2 Bust of St. Denis
6
17 Lemee House
33 Northwestern State University
10 Nakatosh Hotel
18 Fort St. Jean Baptiste
The Red River Campaign
4
Legacy of Catholicism
5
The American Transition
6
The American Cemetery
5 Kaffie-Frederick Hardware
3 Sompayrac Building
11 DeBlieux Building
4 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and
34 National Center for Preservation
26 Old Courthouse
State Historic Site
19 American Cemetery
Technology and Training (NCPTT)
27 Natchitoches Parish Courthouse
Science, and the Arts
12 Location of 1866 Freedmen’s
20 First United Methodist Church
28 Old Masonic Lodge
13 Prudhomme-Rouquier House
21 First Baptist Church
29 Landmarks in Time Exhibit
Trails
6 Ducournau Square
14 Tante Huppé House
22 Trinity Episcopal Church
30 Texas and Pacific Railway Depot
Cane River National
Heritage Trail
7 Blanchard Building
15 Bayou Amulet
23 Bishop Martin Museum
31 Roselawn
8 Prudhomme Building
16 Taylor House / Steel Magnolia House
24 Catholic Rectory
32 Tauzin-Wells Home
Northwest Louisiana History Museum
Historic District Trail
A D E S T I N AT I O N
35 Louisiana School for Math,
Bureau Office
36 Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery
Since 1714
37 Grand Ecore Visitor Center
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
30
Business
Sixth Street
Street
Fifth Street
Church Street
Fourth Street
Fourth Street
6
emezie
?
Visitor
Center
17
Rue J
Rue Amulet
Rue Pine
ey
18
14
15
16
13
Rue J
son
4
12
effers
effer
26
22
24
23
11
on
25
P
Arts Center
28
10
3
South to
P
City Hall
Church Street
Fort St. Jean Baptiste
State Historic Site
Rue Nelken
21
Rue Trudeau
P
20
Rue Touline
Natchitoches Convention and Visitors Bureau
Rue Sid
n
F OR VISITOR INFORMATION:
Events
Center
Central
Fire
Station
Library
Rue Percy
P
5
8 7
9
Historic Front St.
29
Utility Service
Servic Center
Second Street
6
1
P
5 ?
4
3
RRue Washington
2
Rue Beau Port
1
P
P
Cane River National Heritage Area Office
C A N E
Keyser Ave. Bridge
1115 Washington Street
Natchitoches, LA 71457
R I V E R
Cover Art courtesy ©Cane River Art Corporation features renowned folk
artist Clementine Hunter’s illustration of Zinnias. Hunter used Zinnias,
her favorite flower in many of her paintings of life on Cane River.
Fleur de Lis Stage
L A K E
1
2
Church Street Bridge
Williams Ave.
ce Ln.
Dr.
Street
Keyser Ave.
31
St. Mauri
Adelaide
t
Sirod Stree
Whitfield
South to Cane River
Plantations and
Historic Sites
Business
32
St. Clair Ave.
494
Stephens Ave.
1
Henry Ave.
South to
National Fish Hatchery
and Alexandria
Carver Ave.
National Fish Hatchery
location is 1 mile south
Keegan Dr.
36
1
6
37
North to
Grand Ecore
and Clarence
Cover image ©Cane River Art Corporation
P
rson
Post Office
27
ypres
s
Texas Street
Rue Po
Rue C
Jeffe
Third Street
ete
Rue D
Gate
6
Gate
P
Rue Pavie
19
Rue Buard
Gate
Rue Sibley
American
Cemetery
et
Rue Saint Denis
Restroom
d Stre
P
Univer
Pocket Parks and Gardens
Secon
Gate
Rue Ragan
Parking Lot
re
P
rkway
Information
sity Pa
?
Rue Touline
Campus Main Gate
Rue Saint Denis
Police
Rue Lafayette
33
Fifth Street
Rue Lafayette
treet
nue
Rue Horne
Boyd S
al Av
e
1
Catholic
Cemetery
Rue Trudeau
Centr
Caspari
34
Bossie
r Stree
t
Northwestern
State University
Campus
Rue
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
AND THE ALLIANCE OF NATIONAL HERITAGE AREAS
25 Minor Basilica of the Immaculate
Conception
3
49
9 Deterville’s Corner
North to
Shreveport
Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc. is a
not for profit organization that manages the
congressionally designated Cane River
National Heritage Area and works to protect,
preserve, and promote the historic character
and sustainability of the Cane River National
Heritage Area region.
780 Front Street
Natchitoches, LA 71457
1-800-259-1714
OR VISIT: www.CaneRiverNHA.org