Bayou Chene, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Bayou Chene was previously a small unincorporated community in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
, United States
. The community was located in the Atchafalaya Basin
.
. The settlers there ran a church, a school, a merchandise store and the post office, which were all located on the bayou. In the 1920s it had approximately 500 residents, most of them having come to the St. Martinville, Louisiana
community. They were swampers, lumberjacks, trappers, farmers, fishermen and moss pickers.
In the 1920s, oil drilling began in the area and Texaco
developed a field in the Lake Mongoulois region. War and disease had not been able to run the people off, but when the United States Army Corps of Engineers
decided to build a spillway to reroute some of the water from the Mississippi River
to the Atchafalaya River
, the government agency told the people they would have to leave.
, portrayed in the 2001 Tom Hanks
/Steven Spielberg
10-part World War II
miniseries Band of Brothers, was born in Bayou Chene.
St. Martin Parish, Louisiana
St. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The community was located in the Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north...
.
History
Bayou Chene was located about 40 miles north of Morgan CityMorgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a city in St. Martin and St. Mary parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census....
. The settlers there ran a church, a school, a merchandise store and the post office, which were all located on the bayou. In the 1920s it had approximately 500 residents, most of them having come to the St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
community. They were swampers, lumberjacks, trappers, farmers, fishermen and moss pickers.
In the 1920s, oil drilling began in the area and Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
developed a field in the Lake Mongoulois region. War and disease had not been able to run the people off, but when the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
decided to build a spillway to reroute some of the water from the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
, the government agency told the people they would have to leave.
Culture
U.S. Army Medic Eugene RoeEugene Roe
-External links:*****...
, portrayed in the 2001 Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
/Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
10-part World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
miniseries Band of Brothers, was born in Bayou Chene.