Swamp Tour

Machanc Swamp located in Freneir, LA

When one thinks about a work retreat the first thing that comes to mind is probably not a swamp tour. This past Friday, I found myself leaving the office at 2221 Filmore Avenue and driving a car full of coworkers to the Cajun Swamp Tours. We took a tour of the Machanc Swamp located in Frenier, Louisiana. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the gators, wildlife and the history of the swamp. He even told us the story of Julia Brown and the storm that hit the swamp in 1915. It goes as follows:

By 1915, much of the property around Frenier was owned by one woman, "Aunt" Julia Brown. A woman of color she may have been but she was wealthy and wise. She was also a witch, or a Voodoo priestess and many of her neighbors enjoyed passing by her home. Aunt Julia was a songwriter, you see, but the songs that she wrote and sang to herself were scarcely the stuff from which comfortable dreams were woven.

"One day I'm gonna die," she sang, "and I'm gonna take all of you with me." Or sometimes, "on the day I die, I'll take Frenier with me." Different tellings conjure different lyrics, and nobody seems to have bothered writing down the rest of the song. It doesn't matter either way because she was right. She did. 

The Great West Indies Storm hit the United States on September 29th, 1915. Modern equipment would allow us to know that i was a category three storm, with sustained winds near its center of 115mph. Down in New Orleans, the newspaper had been warning of its approach for a couple of days now, although the only way you'd know that would be if somebody aboard one of the passing trains dropped a copy off - Frenier had no newspaper of its own - it didn't even have a grocer's store. 

So there was a storm coming, but to be honest, more people were worried about Aunt Julia's song that paid any heed to a bit of wind. Well, she died breathing her last on the same day that the storm first came into view. But Frenier had a funeral to attend. Aunt Julia may have unnerved people, but they admired her as well and the whole town seemed to be pouring out to pay their final respects. But the storm wouldn't wait. 

The wind blew the windows of houses in and carried livestock, the living and anything else it could gather down the bayou. Frenier was floating down the bayou along with Aunt Julia Brown just as she had predicted. 

Grave site where victims of the 1915 storm are buried.

Creepy story, huh? But I was in for another surprise out on the swamp...I got to hold an alligator! I was so surprised at how smooth the skin was and how beautiful they are up close. It was a great ending to an awesome tour. 

Me holding a 2 year old female gator!

Lesson from the Journey: Alligators really like marshmallows.