World United States Louisiana Natchitoches

Ginny's Journeys Ginny's Adventures 2009

Natchitoches, LA May 18, 2009

I can't believe there are lots of things to say about this little, quaint but historic town!

First, it's pronounced Nack-a-tish or if said fast, Nack-a-dish. No matter how many times I see the name, I can't get it in my head the right way to say the name. Around here, mashed potatoes are called creamed potatoes. A neighboring town is spelled Many but pronounced "manny" instead of "menny". Makes me afraid to say lots of things out loud because I'll probably show my ignorance to the locals!

It's called "the city of lights" because they light up the city streets in December and have a parade and fireworks every Saturday in December and on New Year's Eve. People come from all around - the women in Slidell told me that it is popular at Christmas time and that city is almost 270 miles away!

Natchitoches is the oldest permanent city in Louisiana, founded by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis in 1714. That explains the St. Denis tree in the American Cemetery (he planted it when a loved one died) and the street with that name. Natchitoches is a tribe of the Caddo Indians, just as the Adaes tribe is a part of the Caddo nation.

Many famous people were born here or at least visited here. Kate Chopin is a poet who wrote "The Awakening" in 1899 when she was 48. The poem was banned for years because of its content. I don't remember this poem but now I want to read it! Clementine Hunter was the first black artist to have her own show at the Delgado Museum, now the New Orleans Museum of Art. She painted using anything she could find for paints and surfaces on which to paint and displayed life in Cane River Country. She started life as a hired hand on the Melrose Plantation. (There was a big aristocratic society here and Plantation Row south of the city.) People famous in sports came from this area. Movies were made here because of set designers or producers or writers from here.

This is the city where Steel Magnolias was filmed - I visited the American Cemetery where Julia Roberts was buried. The cemetery got its name way before the movie based on its existence dating back to the 1700s - St. Denis is supposedly buried there. John Wayne starred in a movie called "The Horse Soldier" about the true story of the Civil War efforts in this area. "Man in the Moon" is a more recent movie filmed here and was written by a woman who lived here and wrote of her love life.