Plaquemine and Back p2

Continued from page one:

After crossing the bridge over Bayou Maringouin, the rails lay ahead. I started seeing old buildings, a signal that promises good history hunting lay ahead. This little town, nestled between two bayous, the other being Bayou Grosse Tete, has not been leveled to make way for "progress", preserving historic evidence. It amazes me that I did not shoot a main street scene, or if I did, it didn't work. That's it, the camera didn't work. I did shoot some shots of the aforementioned old buildings near the tracks. A warning, I may have been suffering from RR tunnel vision early on this ride. I don't remember if it subsided or not? Picture One.



If it has "Lone Star Feed" on it, it gets shot.

Oops, we need a map, one, so you'll know where you are, and second, I'll know where I was. I made up a map on the old software, then noticed something wrong, so I made up another one with more up to date data. It didn't answer the question that I'll get to later, but it did show how things have changed. It's priceless as it doesn't cost me anything, but beyond that, it's just another map.

Here's the old, then the newer. Gleam what you can from them, and later, when we get to the depot I'll present my interrogative observation. The yellow lines with dots are my tracks.



Now the newer, something's missing.



Maps will set you free. Now all I have to do is post the shots since you know where they were taken. The next ones are of the metal buildings. The place looked "oil field supply" in nature. The rails would be to your right, east. Orientation is very important to me on several levels.

As some of you know, I have a thing for roof vents. These are pretty neat. When in a panic for a special adjective, use neat. "Special" is another adjective that's pretty neat. I've seen this type before. Repeat sightings, for me, are a mellowing experience. Familiar objects are placed on an elevated shelf. I guess that goes without saying and maybe I shouldn't have said it at all. Done deals are done deals, let's move on.



Here's a second metal building, it is not as neat and said nothing to me besides "red" and is that toxic waste behind it?



I kept moving south and came to what I believe was a juke joint. Google "juke joint". Juke joints may not seem important to you, but they were to many. Mr. Martin had a juke joint his black clientele frequented, just a side note. Visit him on Irish Bend Road, Franklin La. He's 96, so maybe soon. Ask him to show you the "club".



Coming back up the tracks and crossing them I saw the old cafe/store.



You can see a little of the north side of the main street in it.
Below, you can see a little of the south side of the main street.
Now I know why I didn't shoot the main street. I've seen so many old main streets, my memory, even recent memory, melds them all together. Sorry I blamed you Mr.Camera.



I'm glad these pictures are speaking for themselves.

I've never been on a Railroad Drive. But I was now. I'd cross the main street and run the rails south.



A sign of lumbering times was ahead. Red Cypress comes to mind since Cindy had recently mentioned it.



That's shaved wood and sawdust. I should have gotten a sample. The fact that the pieces looked so "intact" makes me believe that it is Red Cypress, the only wood that will naturally stand up to Louisiana. *[email Cindy if you disagree]. Look, I've got a lot going on during these rides. Self preservation is a top shelf deal. Checking wood scraps lies beneath that. I was thinking "preservation" a lot here.



I saw this guy weed eating in his front yard. I parked the bike and approached him. He cut off the machine and frowned at me. Good start. I could see it in his eyes. "What you want white boy"?. I made nice and asked him where the old depot had been. His reply, "There ain't nothing there". I replied that I expected as much but could he tell me where it was. His aggravation was redlining. He told me it was by the tracks. My aggravation was redlining. I finally got him to say where. I thanked him graciously and there was no reply. Had I been part of a strained interracial moment or one more personal, an interruption in a weed eating dance. If the latter, I can relate, if the former, it's time to get over it, but his brand of attitude ain't helping. Further down the line, I stopped and asked some black guys picking up garbage where the next depot had been. They were so helpful and friendly I had visions of us all sharing Diet Dr.Peppers discussing the need and supply of valuable historic knowledge. Returning from where they sent me, I passed them with a big thumbs up. They waved back obviously enjoying our communal victory.

After my visit with Mr.Frownie, I rode straight back to the main street and there on the west side was the obvious location of the depot, gone 30 or 40 years ago, according to him as he sneered.



Out on the tracks was the home town sign.



I looked up the tracks past the tower. Mercy, there was the old depot side sidetrack.



I rode the bike across the field and shot back toward the depot location.



I am terrible at historic forensics, ask Al, he finds all the good stuff. But, I did notice a raised area next to the tracks. We report, you decide. BTW, I did not get off the bike for most of these shots. Such is the tool that I ride. Editorial: I say this was a foundation for something.




While we are looking as mystery stuff, here's one more:



This stuff was piled up at the tower. I should have dug around in it but I was feeling a little pressured by time and exposure.



The next shot shows a rail perpendicular to the others. Looking at the picture, do you see an exposed rail tie beneath it? Was there a cross track here?



We will leave Maringouin with this parting shot:



If I told you what I surmise, you'd ask me why I took the time? So I won't. OK, twist my arm, the rail and connectors have been cut together. Must be one hell of a saw.

That was the little hamlet of Maringouin. The first of many. There are 20 pages left. More later.
Oh, what had I noticed in comparing the two maps? In the old map it shows the sidetrack joining the main tract on the south end. In reality, the sidetrack joined the main track on the north end of their coexistence. What's the story? You decide. I just looked again. The present side track lay next to the main line rails. If you look at my tracks on the old map, you see that I was between 2 sets of tracks, an impossibility with today's layout. The old software also shows a road crossing the sidetrack, there was none. There had been, if Mother Garmin is correct, another arrangement prior this this one. I'll go with M.Garmin being wrong. That's the easy fix. But, with the addition of the road crossing the second side track, there's too much data for it to be a fluke.

You decide: After you figure it out, CLICK HERE TO GO TO PAGE 3

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