Lutcher, Louisiana/Oak Alley/St. James Landing, Louisiana

Lutcher, Louisiana/Oak Alley/St. James Landing, Louisiana. Mississippi River Walk. , A) Lutcher, Louisiana , Mile 147.6 AHP, Tobacco was never a very successful cash crop for early French settlers, with the notable exception of Pierre Channet, who lived near here. The “Perique tobacco” he developed is still grown only on a narrow ridge near Lutcher and is one of the world’s costliest tobaccos. The Black Perique is so strong it must cure for three years and is blended with milder tobacco to add its distinctive flavor., B) Oak Alley , Mile 152.5 AHP, A long double row of Oak Trees was planted here by an unknown settler and the river pilots named the spot after the trees they saw towering over the levee. The oaks were already impressive when J. T. Roman III built his plantation house here in 1836 and named it Oak Alley. The trees still stand, and their branches form a towering canopy 300 feet long leading up to the house, which is still standing today., C) St. James Landing, Louisiana , Mile 156.7 AHP, The St James church was founded in 1770 and served as a landmark until it was demolished in the 1930’s. This area is believed to be the original settlement of the Acadians, French colonist exiled from Nova Scotia by the British in the late 1700’s. By 1800, several thousand Acadians had settled in Louisiana. Their descendants, known as Cajuns, still speak a French dialect and preserve their unique culture in the mist of modern Louisiana., Photo credit: Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana Office of Tourism