Indian Bayou Treasures (2nd in a series) – a
cache by Xaloc
You are standing near the Bayou Queue de Tortue (French for
“tail of the turtle”). The Bayou Queue de Tortue, into which the
Indian Bayou flows, empties into the Mermentau River near Lake
Arthur, about 22 miles southwest of here. The Mermentau gets its
name from the corruption of the name of Nementou, an Attakapas
Native American chief from the area. The land upon which you are
now standing is part of an original claim of 1400 acres and was
first settled by Europeans about 1799, the original claimant
deriving his title from a deed of sale from another Attakapas chief
referred to as “Bernard”.
The Indian Bayou, flowing about 1 ½ miles to your south, empties
into the Bayou Queue de Tortue about 2 miles southwest of here.
Native Americans from the Attakapas tribe would have lived and
hunted all along these bayous. The Indian Bayou is aptly named, and
bears witness to the area’s history. Through its name it reminds us
to reflect a moment upon the past, to imagine a time not so long
ago when virgin forests of hickory and oak lined these bayous and
teemed with white-tailed deer, bobcat, fox, raccoon, and turtle.
Try to imagine a group of white-tailed deer grazing out in a
tall-grass prairie, suddenly bounding toward you to seek safety in
the forests along the bayou. If you are very, very lucky you might
actually see a deer. Amazingly, and in spite of the fact that only
very narrow strips of forest remain, a few deer still live along
these bayous.
For geocachers who are interested, there is a benchmark in the
form of a survey marker with a witness post very near here.
Cache is a regular ammo box. Original contents were a First to
Find pin, screwdrivers, DVD, wooden car, Louisiana post cards,
stone dolphin, toy car, key chain, hanging home decoration,
lightstick, Vermilion & Acadia parish info, and a geocoin.