flown over Natchitoches. Historic Natchitoches February...

FRANCE 1714-1763

SPAIN 1763-1801

UNITED STATES 1960-PRESENT

CONFEDERATE STATES 1861-65

UNITED STATES 1803-61

FRANCE 1801-1803

STATE FLAG OF LOUISIANA

CITY OF NATCHITOCHES

HHistoricistoric NNatchitochesatchitoches ®®

A Free Guide to Leisure and Attractions Courtesy of The Natchitoches Times

300 years of flags that haveflown over Natchitoches.

February 2015

STORY ON PAGE 3

Don’t ever build something you haven’tdreamed of, first.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS AND OTHERTOUR MAPS PAGES 7-10

Entering downtown his-toric Natchitoches, visitorsfeel transported to anotherera.

Traveling along bumpybrick roads reminiscent ofpre-asphalt travel, younotice ornate ironwork onthe bridges and shops,horse-drawn carriagesaround the historic districtand locals who smile andgreet you with a friendlywave. Welcome toNatchitoches.

Founded in 1714 by LouisJuchereau de St. Denis, thecity of Natchitoches wasoriginally established as aFrench outpost on the RedRiver to facilitate tradewith the Spanish inMexico.

The fort, which was to be

discovered, was built some-where along the west bankof the Red River near a vil-lage of NatchitochesIndians, a Native Americangroup whose tribal namemeans “Chinquapin-eaters.”

At the time of the estab-lishment of St. Denis’ fort,navigation of the Red Riverwas prohibited by a mas-sive log jam that was bro-ken up during a flood in the1830s.

Thus, the Red Riverchanged its course, leavinga 36-mile-long oxbow lakecalled Cane River that runsthrough the downtownNational LandmarkDistrict.

Once a bustling river-port and crossroads,

Natchitoches gave rise tovast cotton kingdoms alongthe river. Affluent plantersnot only owned charmingcountry plantations, butkept elegant houses intown.

The Red River’s aban-donment of Natchitochesisolated the community,preserving its historicbuildings and the deeply-ingrained traditions of itsresidents along the CaneRiver.

With its French,Spanish, Native American,African and Anglo-Saxoninfluences, Natchitochesmaintains a colorfulpalette of ethnic tradition,hospitality and pride in thepast that residents sharewith visitors.

HISTORIC NATCHITOCHES February 2015

Ins ide . . .Ins ide . . .Mardi Gras Comes to Natchitoches.......................................................Page 4

En Plein air.......................................................Page 5

The Story of Melrose.......................................................Page 6

Maps, Walking Tours, NSU Tour and Cane River Tour................................................Pages 7-10

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.....................................................Page 11

The Last Cavalry Horse.....................................................Page 12

Mary Belle de Vargus.....................................................Page 14

The Came Out of the Sky.....................................................Page 16

For more information on local history and events contact:Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission

781 Front Street; Natchitoches, LA 71457 (318) 352-8072 or 1-800-259-1714

Web site: www.natchitoches.net

‘Historic Natchitoches’ is a monthly publication of The Natchitoches Times

To advertise in this publication contact The Natchitoches Times

P.O. Box 448Natchitoches, LA 71458

On the CoverGeorge Olivier celebrates 50 years

of business in Natchitoches.

Welcome to Natchitoches:Enjoy your stay in our historic town

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February 2015 HISTORIC NATCHITOCHES

Don’t ever build something you haven’t dreamed of, firstBy: Natalie Covher

George Olivier celebrat-ed 50 years as the creativeforce of Olivier’sWoodworks, builders offine Louisiana cypress fur-niture, at his gallery onFront Street. Mayor LeePosey presented Olivierwith a proclamation declar-ing Jan. 17 as “GeorgeOlivier Day.”

Owners and admirers ofOlivier’s work arrived toshow their support. Peoplemingled through thegallery admiring worksand recanting stories.Newspaper clippings ofarticles and ads releasedover the years decoratedthe back courtyard. A fullspread included freshfruits, meat pies, chickensalad croissants, king cake,coffee and at Olivier’srequest a tower of boiledshrimp. “He had to have theshrimp,” said caterer KeriFidelak. “He considersthem the sign of a goodparty,” said daughterChalon Ahbol.

Dave and Judy Curry ofAlexandria knew Olivierfrom Slidell where theymet in the early 90s. “Wewere admirers of his workfor a long time and fouryears ago we brought ourfirst chair. Then we boughta second,” said Judy. “It isso remarkable how heenjoys his work and howsuccessfully he makes thetools to make the furniture.He has recently made us awonderful custom head-board. When we are intown we always like to stopat his shop and say hello.”

Oliver’s cypress woodpieces range from tablesand chairs to gun cabinets,armoires and elaboratebeds. He also makes a col-lection of deep oval woodbowls created on a woodlathe. His high-end piecesfeature clean lines, present-ed in the wood’s raw, origi-nal form. The cypress’sknots and rings embeddedin the design help the woodstand out. The shop has itsown branding iron that canimprint the shop’s logo onany piece.

Olivier grew up in NewOrleans. The furniture and

architecture he saw grow-ing up became the inspira-tion for his life’s work. Asa descendent of one of theearliest French Creole fam-ilies, he saw furniture ofunparalleled magnificenceproduced for the wealthyby master craftsmen anddesigners in New Orleans,according to the proclama-tion.

Olivier came toNatchitoches to attendNorthwestern StateCollege in fall 1960. Whileattending college, heworked three years remod-eling the Newman Club stu-dent center, now HolyCross Church. Olivierfound a love for workingwith cypress and makingfine cypress

furniture. He beganrefurnishing items andthen started cabinet mak-ing. With a knack for mak-ing fixtures and cabinets,people’s interest in hiswork grew.

Father JohnCunningham commis-sioned Olivier to build ahand-carved altar for theChurch of the ImmaculateConception. Once complet-ed, Cunningham stoodbehind the altar and for thefirst time, faced the congre-gation during Mass. This

altar caught the eye of Dr.W.H. Pierson who believedin Olivier’s talents andhelped set up his woodworking business inNatchitoches.

Although Olivier attend-ed college for 6 years, henever graduated. “I wasborn on the day he was sup-posed to take his last final,

he missed the test,” saidAhbol.

At the party Dr. SteveHorton presented Olivierwith an associate degree ingeneral studies. He is thefirst official graduateunder NSU’s 18th presidentJim Henderson. “It wasn’teasy to locate your tran-script,” joked Horton. “I

am sure if John Kysercould see Olivier’s work hewouldn’t care what anyonesaid. He would say givehim the degree.”

Ahbol hosted the partyand orchestrated the sur-prise proclamation anddegree presentations. Shehas been working with herfather 2 days a week for the

past four months learninghow Olivier creates. “Theyare some pretty big shoesto fill,” said Ahbol.

Olivier is one of the mostprominent makers of finecypress furniture in thestate. The proclamationdescribed Olivier’sLouisiana style furnitureas having a sense of tradi-tional formality, beauty,and regal elegance. Thedetail, precision and highquality of Olivier ‘s workattracted attention andsupport from communitymembers.

Olivier’s cypress woodfurniture designs are dis-tinctly Louisiana, show-casing its uniqueness.Olivier devoted years toresearch and the study ofantique tool design. Hedeveloped tools to createfurniture in styles that hadnot been made for over 100years, oval bowls being oneof his signature creations.These custom tools andmachinery prove Olivierdoes what no one else can,create signature one-of-a-kind pieces.

A master craftsman whocarried the legacy of beau-tiful furniture into theTwenty-First Century,Olivier’s furniture is inmany residences and busi-

nesses. He promotesNatchitoches by shippinghis work throughout theUnited States.

Through the decades, hehas influenced the look ofdowntown Natchitoches,by building many of thestorefronts on Front Streetwhile keeping with trueperiod architecture.

“My father and Oliviermet in the 80s when myfather built our home inNatchitoches. Theybecame quick friends nei-ther of them ever knew astranger,” said GilenNorwood. “I lost my fatherover 20 years ago andGeorge stepped in. He is avery humble person. Idon’t think people realizehow much he does andwhat a special individualhe is.”

“Olivier’s work is a pin-nacle of artistry, craft andskill, with his Louisianastyle cypress furniturebeing passed down throughfamilies as treasured heir-looms,? according to theproclamation.

“Natchitoches is a greatplace to live and I appreci-ate being a part of it,”Olivier. “ Now, there is abunch of food over thereand no one can leave untilit is all gone.”

I’ve known George since 1969when I first came to Natchitoches. Herestored furniture for me. Work likehis takes time, but that is part of thepackage. He is an institution. Hiswork is absolutely astonishing. Weare fortunate to have him in own com-munity.

-Tom Whitehead

Olivier’s grandchildren Alix and Olivia Ahbol and Nolan and Nathan Olivierhave fun at the party.

The Krewe of Dionysus’den is a Mardi Gras wonder-land. Floats are lined upwaiting for finishing touch-es before the parade rollsout.

The theme is“Natchitoches Tri-Centennial Celebration.”An NSU float sits next to apirate float. To the right area meat pie float and a floatcalled the “Riverboat.” Thisparticular float receivedsome special artwork fromMichael David, an artistwho painted the sides withhay bales, giant pecans anda hidden rat shadow andcat’s eyes peering from thedarkness.

The king and queen floatsit next to one another.Behind them sits a differentkind of float. Krewe mem-ber Dennis Walker has spe-cial pride for the seethrough constructionbehind the “Who Dat”float’s design. Wrapped inwrought iron balconies andsporting two spiral staircas-es, this float pays tribute to

the Big Easy. These giants parade

through the City causingmasses of people to screamtheir lungs out for a pair ofbeads. However, there’s somuch that goes on behindthe scenes that no oneknows about. Everything inthe krewe’s den is made in-house. They do all their ownfabrication, painting andwoodwork.

Members painted fakebrick backdrops, cleaned upantique iron accent piecesand made their own beadholders to line the walls ofthe floats. Improvisation iskey when building every-thing in house and the cre-ativity that has gone intothe floats is astounding.

They have updated thestereo equipment, all thebetter to blare Mardi Grasmusic with. Two generatorsare located on each float toprovide power for all thelights and music.

Formed in 1998, thekrewe threw its first paradein 1999. Walker remembers

renting floats fromShreveport and gettingready to start the parade. “Ilooked down the street tosee people everywhere. I’ve

never had so much funthrowing stuff at people,”he said.

There are over 200 mem-bers in the krewe divided

into six float groups with 30-40 participants per group.Each member on the float isequipped with around 70dozen beads, plenty ofstuffed animals, cups andFrisbees. Parade goers areadvised to get ready to havefun.

Mardi Gras arrives inNatchitoches on February14 for the Krewe ofDionysus Mardi GrasParade. A family friendlyevening parade with superfloats, losts of throws, andmarching bands throughDowntown Natchitoches.


Beads, sweat and glue:Krewe works on parade floats:Mardi Gras arrives this month

• Recognized in 2007 as a Preserve America Presidential Award Winner

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• Named as a 2006 Great American Main Street Award Winner by the National Trust for Historic Preservation

• N amed as one of the 2005 Dozen Distinctive Destination in the United States by the National Trust for Historic Preservation

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For 100 years prior to theLouisiana Purchase by theUnited States in 1803, theCreoles of the Cane RiverCountry were greatly influ-enced by their brethren inlower Louisiana. This wasespecially true in the typeof plantation houses theybuilt.

he isolation of the area,the influence of the Frenchcolonial period-style ofarchitecture did notchange in the Cane Riverarea until the late 1850s.

The architecture of theperiod reflected Frenchand Spanish traditions aswell as ideas importedfrom the Caribbean, wherean early marriage ofIndian and European cul-tures had given birth topicturesque houses thatoffered good ventilationand ample shade.

The main characteris-tics of the French colonialor Creole houses were rec-tangular shapes withraised, above-ground cel-

lars with the main floor onthe second level and stor-age below.

A gallery on the secondlevel was on at least twosides or on all four. Atticswere not used for livingspace but were nearlyalways fitted withdorm-ers. Boxed, wrap-aroundfireplace mantels werestandard features.

The number of roomsvaried, but the floor plannever included hallways.The smaller houses oftenhad three rooms posi-tioned side by side, whilethe larger houses mighthave two parallel rows ofthree rooms each. A wallof cabinets, commonlyused for storage, was usu-ally positioned at the rearouter corners of thehouse.

Each room on the secondlevel had French doorsopening onto an encirclinggallery. This level wasalways the living area andit rested on a full brick

base usually raised aboutseven feet.

Examples of Creolearchitecture along theCane River Lake include

Oak Lawn Plantation,Cherokee Plantation,Cedar Bend Plantation,Beau Fort Plantation,Robieu House and Badin-

Roque House, owned bythe St. AugustineHistorical Society of IsleBreville.

Creole Architecture and the influences from Creole Culture

Painting for over 35 years,Tate works on continuingher education in the arts,constantly perfecting andlearning new techniques ina variety of mediums. Hershow will focus on her end-less love of color, light andnature in all its shiftingbeauty.

Growing up her father

encouraged learning andher mother encouraged cre-ativity. “Both my parentsinspired me with the thatlearning is a cumulativething and that’s what keepsme going,” said Tate.

Earning her bachelor offine arts from NortheastLouisiana University inMonroe, she continued to

study under well-knownartists including DanielGreene, Alan Flattmannand Lian Zhen.

Striving to challenge her-self artistically, Tate enjoyspainting “en plein air.” Thismeans she paints outdoors,which increases the diffi-culty of the art. Being inthe open air creates a timelimit for the artist; the light-ing on a landscape canchange drastically withinthe span of a few hours.

“I try to find somethingthat will appeal to the view-er,” said Tate. “It doesn’thave to be some grandiose

subject; there’s beauty ineverything.”

Tate also challenges her-self by painting with water-colors. “It’s a challenge initself,” she said. “It’s in con-

trol, but if you don’t trysomething harder you’llnever get any better. I learnsomething new from eachmethod, technique and sub-ject matter I work with.”

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‘en plein air’ Painting Outdoors


Melrose is one of theunique plantations of theold South, its career mea-sured, not by years, but bygenerations. Its story willendure, for it is recordednot only in fiction and fire-side legend, but on theindelible pages of history.

The Association for thePreservation of HistoricNatchitoches has under-taken the careful restora-tion of the eight structurescomposing the Melrosecomplex.

In 1971, in the interest ofmaintaining Melrose as amonument to Louisianahistory, Southdown LandCo., which had acquiredthe plantation, conveyedthe six-acre site and com-plex of buildings to theAssociation. In 1974, theCane River plantation wasdeclared a NationalHistoric Landmark.

The story of romanticMelrose Plantation beginswith the legend of MarieTherese Coincoin, who wasborn in 1742, a slave in thehousehold of LouisJuchereau de St. Denis, thefirst commandant of thepost at Natchitoches.

Marie Therese becamethe matriarch of a familyof 14 children—four blackand 10 of Franco-Africanblood—and the founder ofa unique colony of people.

Along with several ofher children, she was soldto Thomas Pierre Metoyer,who later freed her andeventually all her Metoyerchildren. Between 1794 and1803, she and her sonsreceived a number of landgrants, the lands formingMelrose Plantation beingrecorded in the name ofher son Louis.

Descendants of theMetoyers live along theriver today, a people proudof their heritage and cul-ture.

It was at Melrose that the

Metoyers built the YuccaHouse, the African Houseand other structures. Itmust have been a tremen-dous undertaking for themto clear the land, buildroads and fences and raiseindigo, tobacco, cotton andother crops to achieve asuccessful plantation oper-ation.

Yucca (c.1796), the origi-nal main house at Melrose,incorporated local materi-als exclusively-heavy, hand-hewn cypress beams,uprights and sleepers, and

walls made of mud fromthe river bottoms, mixedwith deer hair and Spanishmoss.

The African House(c.1800), a strange lookingconstruction reminiscentof the straw-thatched hutsfound in the Congo, wasbuilt as a combinationstorehouse and jail forrebellious slaves.

The Big House was con-structed on the Melrosegrounds about 1833, aLouisiana-type plantationhome, the lower floor of

brick, the upper story ofwood. Twin hexagonalgarçonnieres and a kitchenwing were added later bythe Henry family.

In the economicupheaval of the 1840s, theplantation passed to whiteownership. It was boughtby Hypolite and HenryHertzog, who, in turn, lostit in the aftermath of theCivil War. In 1884, the plan-tation was acquired byJoseph Henry.

At the turn of the centu-ry, Melrose became thehome of John Hamptonand Cammie GarrettHenry, the latter knownaffectionately as “MissCammie” to her Cane Riverfriends. In the succeedingyears Miss Cammie’spatronage of the arts andpreservation of local arti-facts made Melrose justlyfamous. Mrs. Henryreplanted and extended theplantation gardens, res-cued the colonial buildings,

revived local handicraftsand accumulated herfamous library ofLouisiana books and mate-rials.

Artists and writers wereinvited by Mrs. Henry tostay as long as they wished,as long as they were work-ing on some creative pro-ject. Among the many whovisited and worked atMelrose were ErskineCaldwell, AlexanderWoollcott, Alberta Kinsey,Caroline Dormon, RoseFranken, WilliamSpratling, Gwen Bristow,Ross Phares and RuthCross. One warmly remem-bered personality whowrote for years at Melrosewas Lyle Saxon, whose“Children of Strangers”portrays the Cane Riverarea.

Melrose is one of theattractions on the annualTour of Historic Homes thesecond weekend inNovember.

Unique, romantic story unfolds at Melrose

Nobody knowsNatchitoches better!

Visit our website:www.collinsandstamey.com

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Formerly the resi-dence for 10N o r t h w e s t e r n

presidents, theOld President’sCottage was reno-

vated for theA l u m n iCenter in 1984.Built in 1927 ofF r e n c hN o r m a n d yarchitecture,the buildinghas been desig-nated a nation-al landmark.

The historical signifi-cance of Cane RiverCountry is undisput-ed. Because of thisheritage, the federalgovernment chose

Natchitoches as thesite for the NationalCenter forP r e s e r v a t i o nTechnology andTraining. The OldW o m e n ’ sGymnasium, NelsonHall, has beenrestored for the per-manent headquartersof the center.

Northwestern State hasbeen dedicated to prepar-

ing teachers for careers ineducation since its found-ing in 1884. One symbol ofthat legacy is the one-roomschoolhouse, which wasthe St. Nichols School,which was established insouth Natchitoches Parishin 1906. The school was inuse until 1924 and wasdonated to NSU in 1981.

The archives ofWatson Libraryand theW i l l i a m s o nMuseum inKyser Hall exhib-

it historical hold-ings from thelocal and region-al culture.C o n t r i bu t i o n sfrom citizens andhistorians repre-sent archaeologi-cal resources ofIndian and ante-bellum influ-ences.

NSU Demonsplay SouthlandConference foot-ball at TurpinStadium.

The Wellness,R e c r e a t i o nand ActivityCenter is locat-ed in the heartof theNorthwester nState campusand providesmore than10,000 square feet ofspace with weightand cardio machines,basketball courts,

racquetball courts, anarea for aerobics, ajogging track andmore.

Northwestern StateUniversity has beenan important part ofthe Natchitoches com-munity since it wasestablished in 1884.Three columns of theBullard Mansion thatoriginally stood on thegrounds, serve as theunofficial symbol of theuniversity.

Northwestern’s students and facultyshare diverse talents in drama andart with the community.

The Hanchey Gallery oftenexhibits the best works of itsfaculty and students.

Northwestern State University Tour

Chaplin Lake furtherenhances the historiccampus that servesmore than 9,000 stu-dents.

The A.A. Fredericks Fine Arts Center regularly featuresperformances by the Natchitoches/NorthwesternSymphony Orchestra and theatre department.


MELROSE PLANTATION, 1796, is aNational Historic Landmark. Thecomplex includes the Big House,African and Yucca houses, weavingcabin and original home of primitivefolk artist Clementine Hunter. Theplantation is rich in history. and cul-ture that began with Marie ThereseCoincoin, an owner who was a freedwoman of color. The cultural high-

lights of the site were furthered during the Henry years as Miss Cammieprovided living quarters for writers. Clementine Hunter, renowned folkartist, painted here while employed as a domestic servant. Her muralsadorn the walls of the African House and her work is displayed in a gallerywithin the Big House. Melrose serves as the annual location for the MelroseArts and Crafts Festival in July. Tours are available daily.

OAKLAWNPLANTATION ,1830, is therestored home of“Steel Magnolias”author RobertHarling. Thisbousillage, three-story structuredisplays Creolearchitecture common to Cane River Country. The 680-foot oak avenue is the third longest in the state.

CHEROKEE PLANTATION, 1839, is list-ed on the National Register of HistoricPlaces and was the site of the famousBossier-Gaiennie duel, that was fought onthe savannah at the rear of Cherokee.This restored raised cottage is an impor-tant Creole structure and is often featuredduring the annual NatchitochesPilgrimage in February.

BEAU FORTP L A N TAT I O N ,1790, was built onthe former site ofFort Charles. It isan early Creole-style home and fea-tures an 84-footgallery and coveredrear patio. Many

special occasions are conducted at Beau Fort.

OAKLAND PLANTATION, 1821, now partof the Cane River Creole National HistoricPark contains the finest examples of Creolearchitecture. The first cotton in the statewas planted on this plantation.

THE BADIN-ROQUE HOUSE isone of five structures of its typeremaining in the United Statesand the only one of its kind inLouisiana. Badin-Roque is listedon the National Register for his-toric places and has been nomi-nated for National Landmarkstatus. It is owned and main-tained by the St. AugustineHistorical Society.

THE ST. AUGUSTINECATHOLIC CHURCH is locatedat Isle Brevelle and was foundedand built by Augustine Metoyerand his brother Louis Metoyer in1803. St. Augustine Church is thefirst church in America estab-lished and maintained by free peo-ple of color. In 1829, when it wasblessed as a mission, it was giventhe name St. Augustine in honor

of St. Augustine. It was blessed as a church parish in 1856,and at that time, had four missions attached to it: St. Anns onOld River, St. Joseph at Bayou Derbonne, St. Anns, SpanishLake and St. Charles, Bermuda. The church was used as afilm site for Steel Magnolias.

MAGNOLIA PLANTATION,1830s, is one of only twoNational Bicentennial Farmswest of the Mississippi. Exceptfor the Big House, the complexis now part of the Cane RiverCreole National Historic Park.The original walls and founda-tion were reused after beingburned by General Banks in1864. The two and one-half story

structure has 27 rooms, including a Catholic chapel. The only cottonpress still in its original location is here along with the only row ofbrick slave quarters still standing in Louisiana. The plantation isclosed to the public.

Auto Tour of the

Cane River


The AmericanCemetery represents themany cultures and coun-tries that influenced theoldest settlement in theLouisiana Purchase. Thesite is the original loca-tion of Fort St. JeanBaptiste.

Cane Country cavalierLouis Juchereau De St.Denis foundedNatchitoches in 1714.Fort St. Jean Baptistewas the French outposthe commanded. A replicaof the fort was built andpresents frequent livinghistory programs.

Several organizations that con-tribute to civic and preservationinterests in Natchitoches haverestored landmarks for use asheadquarters. The Prudhomme-Rouquier House was restored bythe Service League ofNatchitoches.

FRONT STREET of Natchitoches boasts historic sites that earnedthe oldest settlement in the Louisiana Purchase National HistoricLandmark designation. Santa, and the Christmas Belles as helpers,greet guests during the holi-day season at the Santa ClausHouse on the riverbank. TheRoque House, also along theriverbank, was relocated to itspresent location. An exampleof Creole architecture, theRoque House is constructed ofbousillage, a mixture ofSpanish moss, deer hair andmud.

Bells toll ante-bellum historiessurrounding thetwo landmarkchurches ofI m m a c u l a t eC o n c e p t i o nC a t h o l i cChurch, left,and TrinityE p i s c o p a lChurch, below.

The Natchitoches Parish OldParish Courthouse is home to a

genealogicall i b r a r y .

It is onSecond Streetacross thestreet fromChurch of theImmaculateConception.

Walking Tour of the Historic District

1. Tourism Information Center2. Bust of St. Denis3. Sompayrac Building4. Unter House5. Chez des Amís6. Washington Square7. Breazeale House8. Tauzin House9. Fitzhugh House10. Roque House11. Kaffie-Frederick Store12. Ducournau Square Townhouse13. Blanchard Building14. Prudhomme Building15. St. Denis Tomb Plaque16. Nakatosh Hotel

17. Old Opera House18. DeBlieux Building19. Kaffie House20. Prudhomme-Roquier House21. Tante Huppe House22. Chamard House23. Metoyer Townhouse24. Levy-East House25. Bayou Amulet26. Rusca House

27. Laureate House28. Steel Magnolias House29. Metoyer-Winbarg House30. Lemee House31. Steel Magnolias House32. Queen Anne House33. Green Gables34. Plauche House35. Steamboat House36. Nelken House37. William and Mary Ackel House

38. Fort St. Jean Baptiste39. American Cemetery40. Dismukes House41. Judge Porter House42. Fleur de Lis House43. Chaplin House44. First Methodist Church45. First Baptist Church

46. Trinity Episcopal Church47. Cunningham Law Office/

Chamber of Commerce48. Bishop Martin’s Residence49. Catholic Rectory50. Church of the Immaculate

Conception51. Old Courthouse Museum

53. New Courthouse54. Old Masonic Lodge55. Exchange Bank56. H.A. Cook Building57. Fort Claiborne Guest House58. Wells Home59. Rose Lawn House60. Wheelwright Inn61. The Blessed House

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The Cunningham Law Office, left, serves as headquarters for theNatchitoches Historic Foundation and is open daily providingtourism information. The Lemee House is one of several proper-ties maintained by the Association for the Preservation of HistoricNatchitoches.


Sally Field por-trayed M’LynnEatenton, thewarm-hearted butiron-willed motherof a young bride.

Natchitoches residents were extras, includingthe late Norm Fletcher and Lori Tate. Fletcherand Tate played the bridegroom’s parents.

Robert Harling,author of“ S t e e lM a g n o l i a s , ”played the min-ister who mar-ried Shelby andJ a c k s o nLatcherie.

Drum Eatenton(Tom Skerritt)shoots at thebirds prior to thewedding recep-tion for hisdaughter, Shelby(Julia Roberts).

Truvy’s Beauty Shop was transformedinto a Christmas wonderland as the citycelebrated its annual Christmas Festival.D o l l yP a r t o n ’ squick wita n dS o u t h e r ncharm shinein her role asTruvy Jones.

Robert Harling,author of “SteelM a g n o l i a s , ”received a staron the St. DenisWalk of Honor.Each of thestars in the fea-ture filmreceived a star.Conferring theaward wasr e n o w n e dsportsman andNatchitoches resident GritsGresham.Much of thestory came from real life, based on the sacri-fices of Harling’s sister, Susan, and mother,Margaret, in his hometown of Natchitoches.

The Steel Magnolias House on JeffersonStreet was used during filming as thehome for M’Lynn and Drum Eatenton. Itis now a bed and breakfast inn.

‘Steel Magnolias’ Tour

“Steel Magnolias” stars, from left, JuliaRoberts, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton,Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field and DarylHannah, portrayed six remarkable friends inthe southern town of Chinquapin.

The actresses commented onthe strength of the charactersand the sense of communitythat drew them to their parts.Meeting many of the real-lifecounterparts of their charac-ters also contributed to theiracclaimed performances.

Produced by Ray Stark, “Steel Magnolias”was directed by Herbert Ross. VictoriaWhite was the executive producer andAndrew Stone was the associate producer.

1. St. Augustine Catholic Church, La. Hwy. 493 atMelrose, Shelby’s wedding.

2.Northwestern State University Field House, postgame interviews.

3.American Cemetery on Second Street betweenDemeziere and the railroad tracks, Shelby’s funeral.

4. Lemee House, 310 Rue Jefferson, Ouiser’s house.

5.Steel Magnolia House, 320 Jefferson, Eatenton house.

6. Trinity Episcopal Church, 533 Second St., Truvy’s church.

7. Private home, 301 Rue Touline, Mrs. Robeline’s boardinghouse.

8. Chaplin House, 434 Second St., Aunt Fern’s house.

9. Walk of Honor, corner of Second Street and Rue St. Denis.

10. Blanchard Building, 700 block of Front Street, adjacent toDucournau Square, Truvy’s No. 2.

11. Riverfront behind Roque House, 800 block of WashingtonStreet, Easter egg hunt.

12. Private home, 515 St. Maurice Lane, Annelle and Sammy’shome.

13. Private home, 453 Henry Blvd., Truvy’s house.

14. Brookshire’s, Dixie Plaza Shopping Center, 318 Dixie Plazaon Keyser Avenue, shopping with Clairee and Ouiser.

15. Natchitoches Parish Hospital, 501 Keyser Ave., baby’s birth.

16. Tauzin Plantation Home, 1950 Williams Ave., Clairee’shome.

17. Odalie Lambre-Gwinn House, 1972 Williams Ave., Shelbyand Jackson’s house.

According to availablerecords, the history ofImmaculate ConceptionChurch began in 1717, orperhaps 1716, when theFranciscan, Fr. AntonioMargil de Jesus, walked the21 miles from the SpanishMission at Los Adaes to sayMass at the French military

post in Natchitoches.Services were also held inthe home of LouisJuchereau de St. Denis,commandant of the post,and his wife, DonaManuela.

The present church wasbuilt in 1857; however, itwas not entirely completed

until 1892 when BishopDurier added the dome onthe tower, constructed thepresent sanctuary and sac-risties, added the altar andtile floor. The church wasrestored and redecorated in1955-56 when the frontvestibule and entrance wereadded.

On the south corner ofthe church is a plaque com-memorating the first publicreligious service held inNatchitoches.

The date is given as 1716;however, records now avail-able give 1717 as the date.

The Rt. Rev. Msgr. A.Piegay, Vicar General, andFr. A. Andries are buried infront of the church.

All fittings and furnish-ings, except the pews, wereimported from France: themain altar, the hand-paint-ed Stations of the Cross, theStatue of Blessed VirginMary over the main altar,the chandeliers and the lad-der located in the choir.

The spiral staircase lead-ing to the choir is unique inthat it has no center sup-port. The wooden BaptismalFont, beneath the staircase,was handcarved in France.

Bishop Augustin Martin,the first bishop of theNatchitoches Diocese andhis Vicar General PierreF.Dicharry, are buried inthe church near the sidealtars.

Across the street are theRectory and the OldSeminary built in 1855 tohouse and educate seminari-ans.

The Bishop MartinMuseum is now locatedthere and is the depositoryfor early records, datingfrom 1724, and for churchartifacts including a silverbell dated 1836.

Back of the Seminary onTrudeau Street is the bish-op’s residence erected byBishop Martin.

At one time a similar butlarger edifice was directlyacross from the residence onthe corner of Second andTrudeau streets, with a widebrick walk between the two.


The Natchitoches meatpie is a regional dishwhose ingredients includeground beef, ground pork,onions, peppers, garlic, oil,and a pie shell.

Natchitoches meat piesare often fried in peanutoil because of the oil’shigh smoking tempera-ture.

A number of restau-rants in the historic dis-trict in Natchitoches servemeat pies, and frozen piesare available from grocersin northern Louisiana.

It has a savory meat fill-ing in a crescent-shaped,flaky wheat pastryturnover. It is similar to aSpanish picadillo beefempanada. Varieties arethroughout the colonies ofthe Spanish Empire.

This meat pie is not gen-erally available from otherethnic regions ofLouisiana “ThePicayune’s Creole Cook

Book” published 1901 byThe Times Picayune of

New Orleans containsnothing comparable toNatchitoches meat pies in

its list of over a thousandrecipes.

Recently, Natchitochesmeat pies sold at foodbooths have become popu-

lar at the New OrleansJazz & Heritage Festival.

The recipe has evolvedover the last 300 years.Ground pork or porksausage is now blendedinto the ground beef foradditional flavor.

Onions, bell pepper andwhen used garlic and pars-ley provide aromatics.Ground black pepper andcayenne pepper are addedto get attention withoutbeing uncomfortable.

Flour is added tobrowned meat and veg-etable mixture to dry,thicken and loosely bindthe filling.

The meat filling can beused in other foods (e.g.tacos, tamales, enchiladas,stuffed bell peppers) butthe turnover crust is adefining element.

Traditional size isapproximately 4 ounce (byweight) on 5”- 6” diameterpastry dough.

The filling should bemade the day before toallow flavors of the ingre-dients to meld.

Filling, dough and toolsshould be chilled beforeassembly. Warm fillingwill cause the dough to dis-integrate.

In the first part of the20th century, meat pieswere sold from homekitchens or from carts bystreet vendors.

By 1967, Natchitochesmeat pies were producedin commercial kitchens.Now, they may be orderedonline. This progressionhas allowed more people toexperience the memorablemeat pies and their famecontinues to grow.

The Meat Pie Festival,held in September, cele-brates the Natchitochesmeat pie.

The festival draws visi-tors from around the globeto sample the tasty pies.

Meat Pie is tasty treat identified with Natchitoches

Meat pies are good eaten by themselves or with dirty rice.

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BY: RICKEYROBERTSON

Everyone who lived dur-ing the large scaleLouisiana Maneuvers of1941 remember manythings of this great event,such as the long convoys oftrucks and tanks, longcolumns of marchinginfantry units, littlegrasshopper airplanesthat could land in yourhay field , large camps andbivouac sites filled withtents and soldiers, but theone thing everyone talksabout is the mountedhorse cavalry. During theLouisiana Maneuvers 2full cavalry divisions, boththe 1st and 2nd CavalryDivisions, plus severalother cavalry regimentsoperated throughout theSabine Maneuver Area. Itwas common to see a longdusty cavalry columncoming by for whatseemed like hours , withthe long columns ofmounted cavalry travelingday and night, often stop-ping only to water theirmounts. Residents remem-ber seeing the cavalry

horses in column withfeed bags on their muzzles,eating oats and corn asthey traveled. Many ruralpeople tell of catching sol-diers in their corn cribstrying to get additional

corn for their mounts. Themounted cavalry troopertook care of his mountbefore he took care of hisown needs. His most valu-able piece of militaryequipment was his horse.

With the mounted unitsbeing used to and fro dur-ing the maneuvers, horsesbecame sick and manywere injured. TheQuartermaster Sectionbrought to Louisiana a re-mount section with over800 replacement cavalrymounts ready for use,along with several hun-dred mules. The remountsection was set up on thewest south west side ofPeason Ridge near presentday Jett Road nearHornbeck, La. All thesehorses and mules werebroke and ready for use.Each cavalry mount wentthrough basic trainingwhen the QuartermasterRemount Section pur-chased them. They knewevery move and turn, andyes, they knew every buglecall and knew just what todo when they heard thecall ! And the big Missouri

pack and artillery muleswere trained in carryingheavy loads such asartillery field pieces, butthey were also broke toride! The artillerymen andmule packers could ride

the animals if they werenot carrying neededequipment. But somethingnew was taking place inthe U.S. Army. With thearrival of tanks, half-tracks, and other armoredvehicles, the cavalry wasto be phased out. It could-n’t happen, but yes it did.The famous cavalry regi-ments that had beenmounted since the days ofthe Civil War, the IndianWars, and up to 1941wereabout to have to turn intheir famous mounts.

By the end of theLouisiana Maneuvers, thebeloved cavalry mountswere being traded formechanized vehicles. Tothe cavalryman, hismount was more depend-able than a motor vehicle.A veteran cavalrymancould saddle and place hisequipment on his mountand be in formation in lessthan 3 ½ minutes. Themounted units of the U.S.Army had performed mag-nificently during themaneuvers but were beingdisplaced by the fast mech-anized units. As the unitsleft the LouisianaManeuver area in-routeback to their home bases,at the Courthouse Squarein Newton, Texas many ofthe units began disband-ing and turning in theirbeloved horses.

But as these unitsturned in their horses, theUS Army QuartermasterSection began selling offall the cavalry horses 16years old or younger. Allthe other older mountswere shipped to Fort Riley,Kansas where they wereput out to pasture on thatbase. Over the years thesehorses slowly died offuntil there was only oneoriginal cavalry horse leftin the US Army inventoryand on its rolls. Chief, abig bay gelding, was thelast cavalry horse living atFort Riley. Chief had beenfoaled in 1932 and in 1940he had been purchased bygovernment purchasing

agents as a re-mount for$163.00. He was broughtinto the service at FortRobinson, Nebraska andafter his initial breakingand training was assignedto the 10th US CavalryRegiment at Fort Riley,Kansas in late 1940. Chiefwas one of 6000 cavalrymounts that arrived at

Fort Riley to be assignedto the various units andcavalry troopers. After thedisbanding of the mount-ed cavalry units, 3 werekept on active duty at FortRiley, with Chief beingone of these. He was semi-retired in 1949 and wasfully retired in early 1958as the last living cavalrymount. Sadly on May 26,1958 Chief, the last cavalryhorse, passed away. Chiefhad lived to be 36 yearsold, which in human yearsis 108 years of age. A spe-cial funeral and burialtook place for Chief atFort Riley. A special coffinwas made for Chief, and hewas placed standing up init. The CommandingGeneral of Fort Riley gavea speech and remarksabout Chief and his ser-vice to the US Army. Withthe US Army Band playing“Boots and Saddles “, thefuneral procession carriedChief to his gravesite. Ifyou have ever been to FortRiley there is a large stat-ue of a mounted cavalry-man located there nick-named Old Trooper bysome and Old Bill by oth-ers . In honor of his faith-ful service to the US Armyand to the nation, Chiefwas buried at the foot ofthis statue and hisgravesite is visited eachand every day by visitors

to this location. But isthere any remnant ofthese magnificent cavalryhorses left in existence ?Yes there is, right here inSabine, Vernon , andNatchitoches Parishes!

There is still a largewild horse herd on PeasonRidge MilitaryReservation. The ances-

tors of these horses werehorses and mules thatwere used in the largescale logging operationsfrom 1917 to 1935, werehorses who were left bythe settlers and home-steaders of Peason Ridgewhen the US Army usedimminent domain to taketheir farms and home-steads from them in 1941,and yes, many of theancestors were cavalrymounts that had beenturned loose as sick orlame by the RemountSections, and some thathad just escaped from theRemount Sections duringthe maneuvers. As youview these wild horses,you can see the blood linesof the cavalry horses ofWorld War II in them.Many of the cavalrymounts, sick or lame,along with some whoescaped, mixed with thewild horses roaming thePeason area and theirdescendants still roamfreely throughout thearea. You can look at thesehorses and can immediate-ly tell which of these ani-mals had an ancestor as acavalry horse. So we maynot have any living caval-ry horses on the govern-ment rolls, but we stillhave their ancestors whowill always remind us ofthese magnificent horses !

THE LAST CAVALRY HORSE

A collection of baseballssigned by slugger Mel Ott,Archie Manning’s No. 8New Orleans Saints jerseyand a souped-up FordThunderbird that becamethe fastest car in the worldin 1963 are just a few of theartifacts that make theLouisiana Sports Hall ofFame and Museum inNatchitoches an up-close,personal and unforgettablefan experience.

Housed in a dazzling $23million museum buildingdeveloped and operated bythe Louisiana StateMuseum system in part-nership with the LouisianaSports Writers Associationand the city ofNatchitoches, theLouisiana Sports Hall ofFame Museum honors theachievements of the state’sgreatest athletes.

Founded in 1959, butlacking a permanent homefor its collection of por-traits and memorabiliauntil now, the Hall hasmore than 300 men andwomen on its roster. Somecarry famous names suchas Vida Blue, EddieDelahoussaye, “PistolPete” Maravich, WillisReed and Joyce Walker, butothers are relativelyunknown today. NewOrleans-born Audrey“Mickey” Patterson, forexample, was the firstAfrican-American womanto win an Olympic medal.Visitors will see the TeamUSA jersey she wore in a200-meter dash that wonher the bronze medal at the1948 games in London.

“The main goal indesigning exhibits andselecting artifacts was toinspire people, especiallyyoung people, to thinkabout greatness,”Louisiana State Museumdirector Mark Tullos said.“Every object here tells astory. Seen together, theycreate a visitor experiencethat we hope is both uplift-ing as well as entertain-ing.”

Indeed, the museum iscrammed with fun stuff tolook at. Items on displayinclude vintage varsity let-ter sweaters, antique duckand turkey calls, a blackand gold 1967 Saints cheer-leader’s outfit, a collectionof whistles from

Louisiana’s top highschool sports coaches,hand-carved water skisbelieved to be the first toskim across Cane RiverLake and famed outdoors-man Grits Gresham’s fieldtypewriter on which hetapped out features for thenational magazines SportsAfield and Gentlemen’sQuarterly. The typewriteris among many artifactsdonated by his family forthe Grits and MaryGresham exhibit inSportsman’s Paradise, alarge gallery focused onhunting and fishing.

Two of the most spectac-ular objects on display arethe Louisiana GolfAssociation’s amateurchampionship trophy, athree-foot-high sterling sil-ver replica of theLouisiana State Capitolcommissioned in 1934, andL.W. “Knot” Farrington’sstreamlined and modifiedFord Thunderbird whichhe drove to a world speedrecord of 241.78 mph atBonneville Salt Flats inUtah in 1963. A self-taughtmechanic, Farringtonnamed his dream car“Hel’s Angel” after his wifeHelen. Now 93, Farringtonkept the car in the garageof his Metairie home until2011 when he loaned it tothe Museum for display.

Coverage of profession-al and college teamsports—football, baseballand basketball—is high-lighted with iconic uni-forms, autographed gameballs, photographs andinteractive media captur-ing historic games andmajor players. In GreatMoments, a seven-minutevideo produced by film-makers Michelle Benoitand Glen Pitre, visitors canrelive the glory of BillyCannon’s tackle-breakingpunt return against OleMiss in 1959, WarrenMorris’ game-winninghome run for LSU in the1996 College World Seriesand Kim Mulkey’s NCAAchampionship basketballgames as a Louisiana TechLady Techster and later ashead coach for BaylorUniversity.

Touch-screen technolo-gy delivers even moresports greatness in theimpressive Hall of Fame

galleries near the mainentrance. Visitors can callup life stories, career sta-tistics and even the mostmemorable quotes of everyHall of Famer past and pre-sent.

The newest members arealso recognized with hand-painted portraits, includ-ing basketball greatShaquille O’Neal, tennisstar Chanda Rubin andnine other 2013 inductees.

The Hall opens to thepublic July 2 in a 27,000-square-foot buildingshared with the NorthwestLouisiana HistoryMuseum. Designed by

Trahan Architects of NewOrleans, the buildingevokes the region’s agri-cultural heritage with sin-uous molded stone interi-ors suggesting slow-mov-ing rivers and linear earth-colored exterior claddinginspired by plowedfields.

Located at 800 Front St.,the museum is open 10 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdaysthrough Saturdays and 1p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.Admission is $5 for adults;$4 for students, seniors andactive-duty military; andfree for children 12 andyounger.

The Natchitoches prop-erty is the newest culturalattraction in the LouisianaState Museum system,which was founded in 1906with a mission to collect,preserve, interpret andpresent the state’s rich his-tory and cultural and artis-tic achievements.

The Louisiana StateMuseum system includeshistoric properties in NewOrleans—including theCabildo, Presbytere, OldU.S. Mint, Madame John’sLegacy and 1850 HouseMuseum—as well as muse-ums in Baton Rouge,Thibodaux and Patterson.


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On February 18, 1946, ourcity mourn the death ofMary Belle de Vargas, trulya Natchitoches treasure.Born without arms, MaryBelle decided early that shewasn’t going to let a handi-cap stop her from living life.

She was born inNatchitoches on March 4,1902, the daughter of Mrs.Laure Oranguet de Vargasand Mr. Richard de Vargas,Sr., a prominent jeweler andoptometrist. Even thoughshe was born armless shedeveloped her artistic tal-ents by using her feet.

Mary Belle graduatedfrom St. Mary’s Academyand enrolled in LouisianaNormal where she majored

in art. She graduated fromLouisiana Normal in 1932with a Bachelor Degree inArt. She also receivedanother degree in Spanish.

On March 26, 1937, a NewYork newspaper featuredher as one who dressed andfed herself, combed herhair, threaded a needle,sewed, embroidered, paint-ed, engraved jewelry, wroteshorthand, played a piano,conducted a flower shop,and in addition, was anactress, authoress, publicspeaker, and holder of adegree from LouisianaState Normal College.

After the article appearedshe had received mail fromnearly all the states in theUnion and many foreignplaces. One letter camefrom New York and writtenby Gualterio Quinonas, andhe asked Mary Belle, “Do

you really exist? I am skep-tical. Were you actuallyborn armless? Can youwrite, paint, draw and sewwith your toes. If you actu-

ally exist, wilt you send mea sample of your penman-ship?”

In a few days Mary Belleanswered, “Yes, I reallyexist. BELIEVE IT OR NOTand here is the evidence.This is a sample of my pen-manship. I would like tocorrespond with you.” Afriendship began and afterconstant exchanges of let-ters, she asked Guinonas towrite a story of her life, anda few months after herdeath he published a biog-raphy on Mary Belle.

Mary Belle delivered lec-tures, discourses on art and“Chalk Talks” in severalcities, notably Shreveport,Marksville, and Jennings,LA, and also cities in Texas.Her visit to Beaumont, TXwas a day of singular tri-umph. She was accompa-nied by police with motor-cycle escort. Her appear-ance on the stage was amoment of heart-stirringovation.

Her studio was located onthe north end of FrontStreet where theNatchitoches Main Streetoffice now stands. The stu-dio was 10ft. by 14 ft., andwas built as part of theNatchitoches MotorCompany. Mary Belle wasgranted life-time permis-sion to use it. Over theentrance the sign in boldRoman letters “Mary BelleStudio.” The little buildingwas furnished with a stu-dio, couch, desk, secretary,radio, Victrola, coffee table,and a display case to adver-tise her paintings and dis-play souvenirs for sale.

For several years she con-ducted private art classescomposed largely of chil-dren.

Linda Whitehead Perot,now a resident ofAlexandria, LA, said as achild she took art classesfrom Mary Belle.

Mary Belle’s watercolor“Vagabond Trail ofLouisiana” was one of thepictures selected for thenationwide Aqua-chromat-ic Exhibition in 1938. Thepainting “Old Inn” won asaward of the AmericanArtists Professional Leaguein 1938.

She was swamped withradio and theatrical con-tracts, but declined thembecause she “preferred notto cheapen artistic abilityby exhibiting it as a curiosi-ty.” For the same reason,she declined an offer toexhibit as the World’s Fairin New York in 1939.

During World War II, shecollected autographs of sol-diers, and at her death hadthousands, includingGenerals, and also mademany character sketches ofG. I.’s. In September 1944,Mary Belle had written“they were going to sendsome V-Mail to those inService.” V-Mail is short for

Victory mail. The V-MailService provided the most

w .... I.’f ”“ expeditious dispatch and

reduces the wright of mailto and from personnel ofour Armed

Forces outside the conti-nental United States.

V-Mailletter use waspostage free for members ofthe Armed Forces, and allothers paid .03 cents forordinary mail, and .06 centsfor air mail.

When Mary Belle usedthe phrase BELIEVE IT ORNOT in a letter she hadwritten in 1937, I’m sure shehad no idea that some nineyears after her death, herimage would appear inRipley’s’ BELIEVE IT ORNOT.

The slab covering thegrave in the CatholicCemetery reads: “MaryBelle de Vargas, March 4,1902 - February 18, 1946.”Then there’s the footnote atthe end, “Born for Heaven.”

Mary Belle de Vargas: A Natchitoches Treasure by Henry “Buddy” Maggio

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By Rickey Robertson

Clarence is hardly a spoton a Louisiana road map. Itis most identifiable by beinga crossroads where presentday La. Hwy. 6/84 crossesU.S. Hwy. 71 and is locatedon the east bank of the RedRiver. Nothing of impor-tance ever happens inClarence, Louisiana does it?Yes, there was one verygreat event that happenedthere in 1941 that foreverchanged the organization ofthe United States Army.

By late August 1941, over470,000 men of the U.S.Army began to convergethroughout the Sabine area,the large area denoted forthese maneuver exercises inLouisiana. Complete divi-

sions of men, vehicles andequipment began pouringin and preparing for theupcoming maneuvers.Every unit that was to par-ticipate in the maneuvershad months to prepare forthese exercises. That is, allbut one.

On August 29, 1941, only16 day before the maneuverswere to begin, the 502ndParachute Battalionreceived orders for one com-pany to proceed toLouisiana. But there weremany problems that ham-pered their movement toLouisiana. These problemsincluded only 13 transportaircraft for the paratroop-ers, shortages of weaponsand shortages of equip-ment. Only 100 men would

be available on such shortnotice. U.S. Army GeneralHeadquarters announcedthat the parachutists wouldbe made available secretlyto both the red and bluearmies in succession.General Headquartersbelieved that there would beno real test of airborne war-fare during the Louisianamaneuvers. How wrongwere they to be!

September 17, 1941 was awarm clear day inLouisiana. Phase 1 of themaneuvers had begun onSeptember 15, 1941 with the502nd Parachute Battalionbeing assigned to GeneralKruegar’s Blue Army. AtClarence, Louisiana it washarvest time. This littletown was a farming commu-nity that had vast fields ofcotton throughout the area.It was time for the cottonharvest.

Field hands, both whiteand black, had hit the fieldsearly to get a start on thevast harvest. At 9:30 a.m. thefield hands heard heavy air-craft engines approaching.As they looked up to watchthe aircraft pass over, some-thing they had never wit-nessed happened. All of asudden the 13 transportplanes started droppingsomething! What in theworld was happening? Whatis that hanging under thatwhite umbrella lookingthings? No one knew butthey all had one thing ontheir minds and that waslet’s skeedaddle out of here!What in the world is takingplace?

The owners of the fieldsand the field hands scat-tered and headed for safety.They all remembered in1939 the Orson Welles radiobroadcast of the “men frommars” that had landed inAmerica and the first thing

these folks thought was thatthe Martians were landingright on top of them! Theyheaded to their homeswhere they armed them-selves with rifles, pistolsand shotguns for protection.But no, they weren’tMartians! It was 127 men ofcompany 502nd ParachuteBattalion making a combatjump into the area. Yes, anactual airborne assaultbegan right at Clarence,Louisiana.

Once the paratroopers hitthe ground, everyone wasable to see that these wereU.S. Army soldiers thatcame out of the sky. Oneman exclaimed in excite-ment, “They came out of thesky!” and pointed skyward.No one had ever seen oreven heard of a parachutistwho came from the sky suchas these men had. But themen of the 502nd, with mea-ger parachute training andinadequate material andsupplies had made a verywell organized and executedair drop. Yet it could havebeen different because atthis time in early U.S.Airborne operations, themen jumped separate fromtheir equipment and onceon the ground they had togather their equipment,supplies, ammunition andweapons, then rally togeth-er and begin their advancetoward the enemy.

What a day of disruptionand mayhem these para-troopers caused! They com-mandeered vehicles, cap-tured Red Army troops andblew up a pontoon bridge! Itwas two hours before anyresistance could be gath-ered by the surprised RedArmy that consisted of ananti-aircraft battery firingtheir guns at the paratroop-ers on the ground. And oneplatoon of paratroopersraided the Red SecondArmy Headquarters atWinnfield then escapedback toward Clarence,where they captured a RedArmy DivisionHeadquarters before beingsurrounded. When wargame umpires arrived tosort out the destructioncaused by the paratroopersand to assess damage andcasualties, something unex-pected happened. Parachutetroops were not listed in thetable of organization andequipment for the U.S.Army and they were dis-qualified by the umpireseven though they hadaccomplished unheard ofresults! No one in the U.S.Army chain of commandexcept General

Headquarters inWashington D.C. knew ofthis new type of unit in theU.S. Army. Even theumpires in these large-scalemaneuvers were baffled bythese parachute troops.

Even though this wasmore of a suicide missionwith no link up availablewith other Blue Third Armytroops, these parachutetroops succeeded in dis-tracting and most impor-tantly, embarrassing theRed Second Army. But mostimportant GeneralHeadquarters now had itseyes opened and was able tosee the importance of air-borne units in the upcom-ing war in Europe thatloomed on the horizon. Andsomething that changed theU.S Army from just a fewparachute battalions camefrom the adventures of acompany 502nd ParachuteBattalion’s 127 men in theLouisiana maneuvers. AtCamp Claiborne, Louisianathe 82nd Infantry Division,of Sergeant York fame ofWorld War I was garrisoned.With orders fromWashington, D.C. Aug. 15,1942 the division formed forthe last time at the paradeground on Camp Claiborne.The new orders were readorganizing the 82ndAirborne Division (AllAmerican) and the 101stAirborne Division(Screaming Eagles) intoAmerica’s first twoAirborne Divisions. Asnames were called somemen went to the 82nd andsome to the 101st. CorporalKennith Dixon of Anacoco,La. was picked and wentinto the 101st Airborne.From Camp Claiborne theseunits were shipped out forparachute and glider train-ing. These became the twofamous airborne units thatlanded on D-Day night inNormandy and completelydisrupted the German armyso that the invasion land-ings could take place. Andthe rest is history!

In conclusion, from 127men who jumped intoClarence, Louisiana,evolved America’s airbornedivisions. Louisiana has thebragging rights on this firstcombat parachute jump inUnited States Army historyeven though it was maneu-vers and, most importantly,is the location and homewhere America’s AirborneDivisions were formed. Andas we remember these greatfeats in our history inLouisiana, remember theywere airborne! Airborne allthe way!

They came out of the sky!

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Open Mon-Sat 7am-3pm for Breakfast & Lunch

Open later on Saturdays for NSU and City Events Meat Pie Restaurant

A Natchitoches Tradition Come join us and choose from our unique menu featuring a blend of Soulful Louisiana Creole Flavors.

622 Second Street • Natchitoches, LA • 352-3353

We’re famous for our award winning MEAT PIES and CRAWFISH PIES

flown over Natchitoches. Historic Natchitoches February...

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