Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “history”
In downtown Gibsland, Louisiana, on 1st Street—right near City Hall—sits a small abandoned gas station. A concrete porte-cochère (which is a grand doorway to a building or courtyard) features three old gas pumps with long-gone prices. A small store area and garage stand silent in the background. A plaque pinpoints where a pay phone used to hang. That plaque represents …
With over 7,700 miles of shoreline, it’s no surprise that a seabird was chosen as Louisiana’s state bird. We’ve celebrated the brown pelican as our state bird since July 27, 1966. Louisiana’s even known as the Pelican State. Our brown pelicans are both majestic and distinctive, and Louisiana’s state bird is beloved by many for so many reasons. Louisiana’s State …
Louisiana’s unique cuisine is world famous, but there’s one dish that’s most strongly identified with the state – the Louisiana Crawfish. Crawfish have always been abundant in Louisiana and actually live on every continent except Antarctica. Native Americans who originally lived in the state ate crawfish by catching them using reeds baited with deer meat. So how did the humble …
Much like the city it calls home, the history of New Orleans Voodoo is fascinating. Voodoo has been ingrained in Louisiana culture for over three centuries. Don’t let Hollywood depictions fool you. Voodoo doesn’t involve sorcerers, potions, dark magic, or a doll being poked with a sewing needle. Voodoo is an authentic religion, still practiced today around the world, and …
There is a common misconception that central and northern Louisiana don’t participate in the Cajun and Creole traditions associated with south Louisiana. This misconception includes the belief that people from these areas don’t cook iconic foods such as jambalaya, boudin, and gumbo. This is simply not true. You can get a bowl of gumbo in Shreveport just as easily as …
Most people who are not from Louisiana couple the word “Cajun,” with spicy, peppery food such as gumbo. Those of us who live here know how inaccurate that is because heat is just one aspect of Cajun cuisine. Let’s explore the region of Louisiana known as “Cajun Country,” and then take a dive into Cajun Gumbo. Cajun Country, primarily located …
