If you've seen the movie Steel Magnolias, you've at least heard of Natchitoches, and you've seen some of the town, as the 1989 flick was filmed in Natchitoches.
[OK, so that clip didn't show you any part of town, but it did include my favorite lines from the movie.]
This summer, Andy's dad will turn 80. In celebration of his milestone birthday, several Clark family members are gathering in Natchitoches. Grandpa Carlton spent a significant portion of his childhood there, living on his grandfather's farm from 1943-1951 (grades 1-8), before moving to San Franciso and graduating from Galileo High School.
While we had the name of the town as a destination, at first, there wasn't much more to go on in terms of planning our trip. Grandpa Carlton doesn't have any living relatives left in Natchitoches and hasn't been back since he left the summer following his 8th grade year of school. So, first we thought we'd investigate any tourist options.
Several months ago, I started asking some of my friends and colleagues from Louisiana about Natchitoches. For someone from Upstate New York, I seem to have collected a number of lovely acquaintances from Louisiana. Surely one of them had some recommendations for our trip.
I'm not sure about you, but the thought of heading to a small town in Northwest Louisiana (260 miles / 4+ hours from New Orleans) was admittedly little unnerving. I purposely avoided watching True Detective knowing this trip was ahead of us. And, while I was charmed by The Ya-Ya Series by Rebecca Wells, I saw Dead Man Walking, and I have heard other chilling stories (yes, from you, Shane). Imagine my surprise when I found out that not one of the five Louisianans I asked had even been to Natchitoches. What?!
Thankfully, one of those friends sent along some recommendations from one of her colleagues (Thank you Sharon and Stephen!). And, of course, Google, and the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau have been terrific resources.
And, with all the information we've come across, we've become very excited to visit Natchitoches. It is a place rich with history, both personal and societal. We've reached some truly helpful people in our search for more information about the farm, which I'll tell you more about later.
We're excited and looking forward to learning more about the Clark family history in Natchitoches and about a corner of our nation that reflects the ever-changing American population and society.
Did you know?
- Natchitoches is the oldest city in Louisiana, and the entire Louisiana Purchase territory, and celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2014.
- Natchitoches is a Caddo Indian word meaning "Chiquapin eaters".
- While it was originally French territory, it was at one time Spanish territory, before it became US territory.
- Natchitoches is just 15 miles from Robeline, Louisiana, near the site of Los Adaes, the capital of Spanish territory from 1729 to 1770.
- According to this website, "The 1860 U.S. Census Slave Schedules for Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana (NARA microfilm series M653, Roll 429) reportedly includes a total of 9,434 slaves. This transcription includes 41 slaveholders who held 50 or more slaves in Natchitoches Parish, accounting for 3,622 slaves, or 38% of the Parish total. The rest of the slaves in the Parish were held by a total of 580 slaveholders."
- According to this website, "The first Jew to settle in Natchitoches was Samuel Hyams, an English immigrant who had arrived in the early 1830s...In 1878, about 100 Jews lived in town. By 1937, only 45 Jews lived in Natchitoches...Today, 18,000 Louisianans call Natchitoches home...Yet fewer than ten Jewish families still live in Natchitoches."
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