| The Delta Queen is celebrating her 80th | | | | moving to southwest Louisiana. The name |
| birthday. I hope when I am celebrating | | | | Acadian got shortened to Cajun. Their |
| my 80th I will be as surrounded by | | | | bonds were close and their culture |
| music, loyal friends and fun. | | | | survives today. |
| This traditional paddlewheel steamboat | | | | We will be visiting several of the towns |
| has been cruising up and down the | | | | that still maintain the traditions. |
| Mississippi and its tributaries for | | | | Whether it's Cajun, zydeco, or swamp |
| decades, recapturing the days when | | | | pop, Cajuns like to dance. A Cajun band |
| hundreds of steamboats plied these | | | | played several afternoons and evenings |
| waters. In fact, dozens of steamboats | | | | on the boat, plus Walter Kross and the |
| were tied up, one after the other, all | | | | Riverboat Five played jazz and dance |
| along the docks in port cities. | | | | music to continue our taste from New |
| Delta Queen is a part of history, an | | | | Orleans. Unfortunately there were no |
| American treasure, making the steamboat | | | | dance hosts on board for dancing and no |
| days live again for those who still have | | | | instruction in Cajun dances. Shows each |
| the opportunity to cruise her. In fact | | | | night also contained some great ragtime, |
| the Delta Queen has been named a | | | | and the lounge pianist sang hilarious |
| National Historic Landmark and a member | | | | old vaudeville songs. |
| of the National Trust Historic Hotels of | | | | We were scheduled to go to Morgan City |
| America. And she has been inducted into | | | | first, but you need to be flexible on |
| the National Maritime Hall of Fame as a | | | | river cruises, and that night because of |
| vessel that made an outstanding | | | | fog a couple of barges got stuck on a |
| contribution to the maritime industry, | | | | sand bar and we could not get past them. |
| in fact the only vessel still operating | | | | So we went instead to the port of |
| that is in the Hall of Fame. She used to | | | | Iberia. There were shore tours past |
| cruise along the California coast, then | | | | sugar cane fields and old plantations to |
| in drab grey was a troop ship in World | | | | St. Martinsville and to Avery Island |
| War II, then guided by tugboats came | | | | where rock salt is mined and Tabasco |
| through the Panama Canal to her present | | | | sauce is made and thousands of snowy |
| cruises on the Mississippi River and its | | | | egrets come to nest. In St. Martinsville |
| tributaries. | | | | the Cultural Heritage Center has a mural |
| Our cruise was a week roundtrip from New | | | | depicting the 1765 arrival of the |
| Orleans so we arrived early enough to | | | | Acadians in Louisiana, a genealogy |
| wander the city, walked the French | | | | center, and exhibits on free people of |
| Quarter, bought a nice print of a jazz | | | | color in Louisiana who before the Civil |
| pianist at the French market, took the | | | | War were active in business, owned |
| trolley ($5 for the day for unlimited | | | | plantations, and indeed sometimes had |
| rides anywhere on any route), searched | | | | large numbers of slaves of their own. |
| for an internet center, and then since | | | | You could also visit Acadian Village |
| it was cold and windy, headed back to | | | | with authentic Acadian structures |
| the boat for the first of many hot | | | | including the home of senator and |
| chocolates always on hand along with | | | | Hadacol inventor Dudley LeBlanc. |
| chocolate chip cookies. | | | | The next day we cruised to Morgan City. |
| Walking around the Delta Queen is like a | | | | There were more sugar cane fields, and |
| walk through history … Victorian | | | | rice fields (which are later flooded for |
| furnishings, Tiffany-style lamps, some | | | | raising crayfish), and bayous and large |
| leaded glass windows, tin ceilings, | | | | cypress trees that were crucial to |
| mahogany trim everywhere, and rocking | | | | building houses and the railroad in the |
| chairs and a swing forward on deck 2. | | | | development of the area. We visited |
| Large prints of old riverboat scenes are | | | | beautiful Oaklawn Manor, built in 1837 |
| on many walls. The dining room which | | | | and now the plantation home of former |
| also serves as the show lounge has old | | | | Louisiana governor Mike Foster and |
| Siamese iron bark flooring, now | | | | featuring a large collection of John |
| honey-colored and smooth after being | | | | James Audubon carvings and prints. |
| cleaned of the grime when that level was | | | | Audubon spent many years in this area. |
| used for cargo. | | | | And we visited the Wedell-Williams |
| Since the boat has an all-wood | | | | Aviation Museum, with Wedell's famous |
| superstructure (the hull is steel clad) | | | | plane that broke the world speed record |
| there is no smoking allowed in cabins or | | | | in 1933. |
| in the interior public rooms. | | | | Next stop was the port at Krotz Springs, |
| It has an old steam calliope and the | | | | and our tour guide on the bus played a |
| ship's bell that sounded out landings | | | | guitar, sang songs, and told stories |
| for the steamboat that Mark Twain rode | | | | about his memories as a boy of sitting |
| downriver in 1883. The calliope at the | | | | in the bayou with his father, building a |
| stern, built in Cincinnati in 1897, is | | | | fire, their food cooking in a big black |
| played at departures from the river | | | | pot. Another guide talked of their |
| towns, usually by the band's piano | | | | family land and how they grew and |
| player, but occasionally by passengers, | | | | shipped sweet potatoes, a big crop in |
| and one night by the captain. Typical of | | | | this area. We visited the Academy of the |
| the casual family atmosphere on board, | | | | Sacred Heart and heard their stories |
| the captain also played the piano at the | | | | from Civil War days when soldiers were |
| party given for repeat cruisers. | | | | camped outside. And we visited the |
| The engine room, open to passengers, has | | | | Chretien Point Plantation built in 1831, |
| the original old steam engine that | | | | often used as a set for films, including |
| drives the big red paddlewheel. Parts | | | | Gone with the Wind. |
| are sometimes pirated off the engine of | | | | At the next stop, St. Francisville, were |
| sister ship Delta King, now serving as a | | | | many antebellum houses. One tour was of |
| restaurant in California. | | | | the Rosedown House, built in 1835, and |
| There is even reputed to be a ghost on | | | | The Myrtles, a West Indies style home, |
| board -- the ghost of Capt. Mary B. | | | | supposedly haunted. The other tour was |
| Greene, of the Greene family who owned | | | | of Greenwood Plantation, a grand old |
| the steam boat for decades after the | | | | home lovingly restored by owner Richard |
| boat was a troop ferry in California. | | | | Barnes who personally showed us through |
| She had both a Master's and a Pilot's | | | | the rooms it took him 16 years to |
| license. Knocking sounds sometimes are | | | | restore. Many movies were filmed here. |
| still heard in the cabin where she died | | | | This same tour went to the Louisiana |
| of a heart attack and it is said she | | | | State Penitentiary at Angola, a maximum |
| still walks the decks. | | | | security prison where prisoners farm |
| Delta Queen has accommodations for 174 | | | | their own produce on 18,000 acres, hold |
| passengers. Cabins are air-conditioned | | | | an annual "Wildest Rodeo of the South", |
| and have a private bath with shower. | | | | and participate in many educational and |
| Higher category staterooms also have a | | | | work programs, including an inmate band. |
| tub. Some cabins open only onto an | | | | There are 5,000 prisoners here, all with |
| outside deck; others open into the | | | | a 50 year sentence or longer. The |
| interior. | | | | longest escape time -- three hours. They |
| The staterooms have been lived in by | | | | sell t-shirts saying "Angola -- A Gated |
| many famous people including Presidents | | | | Community". |
| Carter, Truman, and Hoover, Lady Bird | | | | Our departures from the river towns |
| Johnson, Princess Margaret, the | | | | visited are accompanied by loud calliope |
| Vanderbilts, Errol Flynn, Helen Hayes, | | | | music. Every day a riverlorian talks |
| to name a few. | | | | about the river and steamboat days. One |
| The loyalty to the Delta Queen is one of | | | | day we could fly a kite from the top |
| the highest in the cruise industry. Most | | | | deck. |
| passengers on our cruise had been on | | | | In between it was just relaxing on the |
| Delta Queen cruises previously, some | | | | river, watching the shore go by. It was |
| booking a different itinerary every year | | | | too chilly for alligators so we did not |
| … lower Mississippi, upper | | | | have the opportunity to take a swamp |
| Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee … with | | | | boat trip to see alligators or birds in |
| the goal of experiencing them all. One | | | | the bayou. |
| man on our cruise, from Virginia Beach, | | | | The last day was spent in Baton Rouge. |
| had cruised on the paddlewheelers 81 | | | | We docked beside the Mississippi Queen |
| times. The frequent cruisers all said | | | | and passengers could visit back and |
| that they liked the fact that the boat | | | | forth. Shore tours included such things |
| was small and it was casual. One | | | | as a tour of the destroyer USS Kidd and |
| veteran cruiser, not on our cruise, has | | | | Memorial Museum, visits to historic |
| cruised with the company more than 100 | | | | homes and plantations, and to the old |
| times. | | | | capitol building to hear stories of |
| The Master, Capt. Gabriel Chengerry, | | | | Louisiana governor Huey Long, |
| began his career on board in 1968 as | | | | assassinated one day on his way to his |
| night watchman and has been Master since | | | | office. I chose the Cajun Heritage Tour |
| 1976. | | | | to a Fais-Do-Do dance party on the bayou |
| The Delta Queen has many theme cruises | | | | at the Cajun community of French |
| -- Civil War history, antebellum | | | | Settlement. We sampled Cajun appetizers |
| plantations and gardens, Mardi Gras, | | | | of alligator, crayfish, boudin, and |
| golf, quilts, fall foliage. Each of them | | | | jambalaya, and were taught some Cajun |
| is like a step back in time. | | | | dances (finally), then were given the |
| Our cruise was on Cajun heritage. There | | | | opportunity to spend the next half hour |
| were lectures on Cajun history and about | | | | dancing with the dance instructors. This |
| the history of the river and the river | | | | was one tour that I did not want to |
| towns we visited. Much of the US Cajun | | | | leave. |
| population is in the small towns from | | | | That night on our way back to New |
| the mouth of the Mississippi River west | | | | Orleans, there were bonfires and |
| to nearly Texas and north to about 300 | | | | fireworks along the river in our honor. |
| miles. | | | | The century-old tradition started so |
| Acadian (Cajun) culture has been in | | | | Santa Claus (Papa Noel) could find Cajun |
| Louisiana for almost 300 years. Acadians | | | | children at Christmas even though they |
| formerly lived in eastern Canada; then | | | | were back in the bayou. On Christmas Eve |
| when the English took control there | | | | there will be more than 100 such fires |
| after war with France, they made a deal | | | | all along the banks of the river. |
| to remain neutral in any future | | | | We had gone through many locks and under |
| conflicts if they would be left to live | | | | many bridges, steamed along on the |
| in peace. But a new governor in 1755 | | | | Mississippi River, the Atchafalaya |
| ordered them to swear allegiance to the | | | | River, several canals, and the |
| crown of England. When they refused and | | | | Intracoastal Waterway, for a total of |
| reaffirmed their desire to remain | | | | 518 miles. |
| neutral, the governor confiscated their | | | | If you go: Check for occasional special |
| lands and forced them to leave. Some | | | | offers such as 2-for-1 pricing, 50% off |
| returned to Europe, some moved to other | | | | second passenger, or free airfare, and |
| parts of Canada, some to areas in the | | | | past passengers (called Frequent |
| colonies later to be the United States. | | | | Floaters) often get a discount or a |
| Over the next decades thousands of | | | | cabin upgrade. |
| Acadians from all these areas began | | | | |