What do alligators, gumbo, live jazz, a historic battlefield, Mardi Gras masks, and a shadowy pirate have in common? They represent a few aspects of the rich culture of the Mississippi River Delta region of Louisiana interpreted at the six separate sites of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Together these sites weave a story of how a remarkable place came to be over thousands of years.
Widely known for Bourbon Street revelry, live music, and Creole-inspired food, the Mississippi Delta region oozes history and beauty. The National Park Service describes it as "a world shaped by a dynamic, centuries-old relationship between humans and a still-evolving land," where a succession of peoples "has both altered and adapted to the environment as they interacted with other cultures-changing and being changed."
The story begins with the formation of new Delta lands along the Mississippi River about 2,500 years ago-lands dotted by marshes, bayous, channels, levees, barrier islands, and swamps. The river deposits sediment gathered from 40 percent of the United States. It's a fitting symbol of the Delta region, which blends a variety of cultures and people to forge an identity.
At the turn of the 18th century, European settlers and enslaved Africans joined American Indians who had inhabited the Delta. The settlers encountered earth mounds and ancient shell middens, distinct cultural aspects of the Indians, and added their own cultural flourishes. France and Spain as well as displaced French Acadians from Nova Scotia would add their own unique contributions to the diverse mix. The influence of France, the founder of the colony in 1699, loomed especially large, from its food and music to its language and religion.
Spain ruled the area from 1763 to 1800, when Spanish-speaking islanders and French-speaking free people of color from the Caribbean began arriving in the Delta. France regained control of the area for a few years before selling it to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
The purchase sparked an influx of Americans and immigrants to the area. The French-speaking residents started calling themselves "Creoles," a term meant to distinguish them from the outsiders and their strange native tongues and ways. Today, several groups in Louisiana call themselves "Creole," which characterizes the food, music, and customs of the French colonial period, as well.
Another group to add their flavor to the region were displaced French Acadians, who were forced from Nova Scotia by the British. They settled on the bayous and came to be known as "Cajuns." They were small farmers and craftspeople who created a distinct way of life, thriving on swampland, staying loyal to family, and preserving a dialect. Urban residents of New Orleans often laughed at the backcountry Cajuns, but today the Cajun culture is admired worldwide.
During the Battle of New Orleans (the final battle of the War of 1812), the area's diverse groups came together to support Gen. Andrew Jackson and drive back the British.
That victory saved the Louisiana Territory for westward expansion, sparked a national pride, and earned the United States respect abroad. The battle took place on land that is now Chalmette National Battlefield and Cemetery, one of the park's sites.
A considerable factor in the Battle of New Orleans was help that Gen. Jackson received from Jean Lafitte. Lafitte, the park's namesake, was the notorious leader of a contingent of smugglers and pirates (or "privateers," as Lafitte preferred to call them) that plundered ships and sold the goods, including slaves, on the black market. Although constantly threatened by U.S. authorities, Lafitte was tolerated by local citizens who benefited from the goods he provided. In exchange for a pardon, Lafitte promised to stop his smuggling activities along the Delta.
Today, Lafitte is a mysterious figure pushed to the margins of American history, considered heroic for his help to Jackson, villainous for his piracy in the Gulf of Mexico. Lafitte's adventures inspired books and movies, such as The Buccaneer, and a poem by Lord Byron: "He left a corsair's name to other times," Byron wrote, "linked one virtue to a thousand crimes."
