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Lafayette in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
 

Le Petit Bayou: Ferry

Le Petit Bayou: Le Traversier

 
 
Le Petit Bayou: Ferry Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, February 9, 2019
1. Le Petit Bayou: Ferry Marker
Inscription.
GUIDE ROPE FERRY:
Simple Technology for Traversing Bayous

South Louisiana features numerous rivers and bayous that flow from north to south, making east-west travel difficult in the pre-modern age. Ferries were essential for travel before the advent of bridges and highways. This ferry represents the method used for crossing rivers and bayous before the invention of steam or gas-powered engines. The basic technology requires the traveler to move the boat by arm strength. The guide rope also prevents the boat from being swept downstream by the current.
What is a Bayou?
Petit Bayou is the name designated for the crossing on this small branch of Bayou Vermilion. The term bayou is a derivation of the Choctaw word bok, meaning creek or small river. Bayou, a derivation of bayuk, was used in the regional Mobilian Indian trade language, and is applied to creek and small river names in the region stretching from Florida westward to eastern Texas, and northward up the Mississippi River Valley to Arkansas and Tennessee.

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LE TRAVERSIER:
Technologie simple pour traverser les bayous
Le sud de la Louisiane comporte de nombreux bayous et rivières qui coulent

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du nord au sud, ce qui rendait les trajets d'est en ouest difficiles avant l'ére moderne. Les traversiers étalent essentiels avant l'avénement des ponts et des autoroutes. Ce traversier représente Ia méthode utilisée pour la traversée des rivieres et des bayous avant l'invention des moteurs a vapeur ou à essence. La technologie de base oblige le voyageur de se déplacer en bateau par Ia force de ses bras. Les cordes de guidage empechent le bateau de se faire emporter par le courant.
Qu'est-ce qu'un bayou?
Le nom Petit Bayou désigne la traversée de cette petite branche du bayou Vermilion. Le mot bayou est dérivé du chactas bayouk, ce qui veut dire crique ou petite rivière. On utilisait le mot bayou dans le dialecte mobilien destiné au commerce par les Amérindiens et dans la région qui s'étend de la Floride jusqu'au Texas de l'est et au nord dans la vallée, du Mississipi jusqu'aux Arkansas et au Tennessee.

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Community or town names in the region reflect the importance of river and bayou crossings. Burr Ferry in Vernon Parish was an important crossing point on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. Breaux Bridge was so named because of the importance of the early bridge crossing of Bayou Teche built around 1799. The Atchafalaya Swamp presented one of the most formidable natural barriers to traveling east and

Le Petit Bayou: Ferry Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cajun Scrambler, February 9, 2019
2. Le Petit Bayou: Ferry Marker
west historically. The large swamp is approximately twenty-five miles wide and eighty miles long, and is a mixture of bayous and rivers, thick cypress forest and lakes. The Atchafalaya River takes its name from the Choctaw term for long river (atcha = river; falaia = long). The construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the late 1800s from New Orleans to Houston, helped revolutionize east-west travel in the area. In the 1920s, the building of U.S. highways 90 and 190 with modern bridges further improved travel on the east-west corridor.
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Les noms des communautés et des villages de la région reflètent l'importance des traversées des rivières et des bayous. Le traversier Burr dans la paroisse Vernon était une traversée importante sur la rivière Sabine entre la Louisiane et le Texas. Le Pont Breaux a reçu son nom à cause de l'importance d'un premier pont qui reliait les deux bords du bayou Téche vers 1799.
L'Atchafalaya présente une des plus formidables barrières naturelles quand on voyageait d'est en ouest-dans le passé. Cet énorrne marecage fait à peu prés 40 kilométres de large et 130 kilométres de long avec un mélange de bayous et de rivières, des cypriéres epaisses et des lacs. L'Atchafalaya prend son nom du mot chactas pour une longue rivière (atcha = rivière, falaïa =
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long). La construction du chemin de fer Southern Pacific à la fin du 19é siècle de la Nouvelle-Orléans jusqu'à Houston a révolutionisé les voyages d'est en ouest dans la région. Dans les années 1920, la construction des autoroutes 90 et 190 avec des pouts modernes ont davantage amélioré le corridor est-ouest.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels.
 
Location. 30° 12.934′ N, 91° 59.621′ W. Marker is in Lafayette, Louisiana, in Lafayette Parish. Marker can be reached from Fisher Road near Surrey Street (State Road 728-8). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Fisher Road, Lafayette LA 70508, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Presbytery (within shouting distance of this marker); Attakapas Chapel (within shouting distance of this marker); Broussard House (within shouting distance of this marker); Boucvalt House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Forge (within shouting distance of this marker); Buller House (within shouting distance of this marker); Acadian House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mouton Kitchen (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lafayette.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2019, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 382 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2019.

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Apr. 24, 2024