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