Ghost forests, alluring lights and the Rougarou
Slow-moving waters, exotic birds, buzzing insects, and underwater ripples reminds us that this is a wild place, as unpredictable as the shifting ground we stand upon.In these untamed wetlands - not quite solid land, not quite open water - what is familiar gives way to what might be. Could treasure be buried here? Could a half-human creature hide amid these remote swamplands?According to legend, the Rougarou - half man, half wolf - hunts the bayou. From the French loup (wolf) and garou (man turns into animal), this cunning, red-eyed monster stalks misbehaving children or Catholics who fail to observe Lenten fasting.Beware of the fifollet, ghostly orbs that glow in the distance. From the French words feu follet "foolish fire," the orbs might signify a spirit guarded by Jean Lafitte's buried treasure - or tricksy lights drawing careless wanderers deep into the swamp.As delta land sinks and sea levels rise, salt water flows further inland from the Gulf, destroying coastal cypress swamps. Acres of dead, skeletal trees called "ghost forests" stand as eerie evidence of the loss.Jean Lafitte, a French-American buccaneer, smuggled goods and slaves from the Gulf to New Orleans in the early 1800s. Moving stealthily amid the braided waterways, Lafitte evaded the authorities who sought him. Some say he still haunts the swampsHM Number | HM2A15 |
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Tags | |
Placed By | Houma Area Convention and Visitors Bureau |
Marker Condition | No reports yet |
Date Added | Monday, August 6th, 2018 at 7:01am PDT -07:00 |
UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 15R E 714224 N 3285135 |
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Decimal Degrees | 29.67781667, -90.78625000 |
Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 29° 40.669', W 90° 47.175' |
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 29° 40' 40.14" N, 90° 47' 10.5" W |
Driving Directions | Google Maps |
Area Code(s) | 985 |
Closest Postal Address | At or near 114 Tourist Dr, Gray LA 70359, US |
Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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