17.5.06

Ville Platte and Cajun country

I found an old tourist pamphlet in the library's vertical files. It talks about the history of Ville Platte. A part in the article grabbed my attention:

Ville Platte
its history, growth, and future

Compliments of Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce

by Jules R. Ashlock

"Quite erroneous is the impression held by many that Ville Platte was settled by the Acadians driven from Nova Scotia by the British. Actually, the earliest settlers here were directly from France or the British Isles, or the descendants of such individuals. The Acadian, or "Cajun" country, is located largely south of Opelousas."

1967

Note the date. Finding stuff like this in the 70's, 80's, 90's, and especially now is very rare.

Also, I don't see mention of the word Creole. French was the word often used to describe the culture and people in Evangeline. But I have seen Cajan used too. I see that spelling more in the early 1900s newspapers.

Evangeline Parish French Creole Heritage

That's it for me. It's been real. I used to talk about this subject on forums and with people and several found it annoying. Evangel...