The OG in Opelousas aka Fast & Furious 2

Leaving the museum /park, I crossed 190 and headed for the Union Pacific tracks. History can be found around rivers, bayous and railroad tracks. Opelousas was founded in the early 1700's without the aid of direct water travel. This left me with only one sure source, the tracks.

The tracks have been here since 1882. That would be a giant leap forward from the founding, but they would have to do. I spent 6 hours yesterday trying to find where three of the rail depots had been. If I had tacked on another 160 years of history, research could have eaten my day. I was barely able to sneak the Saint's game in. Go Saints.

After crossing over 190, it was obvious that I was in a "mixed" neighborhood. Opelousas is a salt and pepper spill sometimes. If you made racial predominance a factor while wandering the inner city, you'd never get anywhere or see anything. Try to stay away from obvious pistol activity and it will go all right. Hitting the tanning salon prior to a run can't hurt. Don't go overboard or you might find yourself being watched in the salty areas, too. Why is life such a balancing act?

I was definitely on a pepper street. I saw a large church up ahead with a historical marker by its side. I stop at all historical markers, plus there was a young fella mowing the yard I knew could augment its information.



The young fella approached me wondering what I was doing.
I made the comment that Opelousas sure did have some history.
He replied that yes it did and that Rev. Boswell was his great
grandfather. This would be the first personal connection of the day.
There would be another. Never underestimate a potential source
of information.



Legend:
The 2 close to horizontal yellow lines at the bottom are
the east and west bound lanes of US 190. They are important.
You can see the museum and the 1st church which I just
mentioned. From there I'd move north and jag west to cross the
tracks. When crossing the tracks I saw this.



Sometimes I get a sense that I'm in the groove. I was overcome
with that warm and tingly feeling right about here. See the gravel
between the tracks and the "loading" platform. It is important, also.

I made the block. Do you say that where you live? I don't know
colloquialisms from generic English anymore. On the next corner
was this, an obvious neighborhood store / home of years gone by.
Opelousas is still a treasure to be discovered. Did I just say that?



I approached the old building from the north, got off the
bike and started jockeying for the right angle to get this
huge building in one shot. It was impossible.









There was an older fella sitting on the back steps of his house
nearby. I approached him and after introducing myself, I quickly
asked if he remembered a rail company called the "OG". That
was the local short name for the Opelousas, Gulf and Northeastern
Railroad, one that stretched from Melville on the Atchafalaya River
to Rayne and Crowley on the Old Spanish Trail, aka, US 90.

He said that sure he did and that it loaded potatoes right there at
that "potato shed". Not only had he identified the building's purpose,
he had put a location of the railroad in the inner city, a huge question
mark which Mark and I have contemplated.

Tingles were going into high gear.
I told him how much his information had added to my investigation.
I couldn't think of any more questions and I had a gold mine source
sitting there. I think I was too busy grinning. That's been my downfall
during previous opportunities of all kinds.

I crossed the tracks going south and realized that I was going too far
and turned west, then north as quickly as I could. I found myself on
US 167 headed across the tracks. I turned west at my first opportunity.
I rode a block and then turned south back toward the tracks. Upon
almost reaching them I came on this unexpected scene.



RR Stuff was everywhere.



Look Everett, a switch. The dumpster was full of ties.





I could have snagged a souvenir, but I didn't. There is
something about grandeur that makes one rise above
petty self fulfillment. I jerked my gaze from all the booty
and saw this.

Union Pacific truck with rail riding option.



I was at the center of the railroad world in present day
Opelousas. I started connecting the dots. This was railroad
property, obviously. There was a trailer house office on
the lot. The obvious could be assumed. I was at the
location of the Missouri Pacific Depot, probably the one that
now sits in the museum / park unless it's the T&P Depot
or the SP Depot. That question occupied the six hours of
research.

Across the street, still on the north side of the tracks was this
building, the back side of AS&S Inc. I'm sure they suffer with
those initials.



Between the UP property and the AS&S property was this.



That led to this proceeding west:



I think you are looking at the old "OG" rails.

I parked and took a shot back toward the UP property.



About this time I decided to do my train dance. That
usually summons, you guessed it, a train. Zooming way down
to US 167, I saw her coming up the hill.



The "hill" part of the last statement is important. Opelousas
sits on top of the escarpment which borders the Atchafalaya Basin.
It's down hill from here going east. The Mississippi roamed the Basin
a bunch during the past. I know the geologist out there appreciate
my exactness, so did my professors. Nevertheless, you can see the
relief lines range from 49 feet to 66 which is probably incorrect but
it says "up hill" anyway. This picture says it better.







I tried for a full frontal shot but couldn't click fast enough.
This sucker was moving. It either had 4 or 5 engines.



I shot down the alley toward N. Railroad Ave.



Was that stop sign for trains of the past or cars? The
tracks going to the right joined the old Southern Pacific tracks
which were headed to Washington and up La.29 to Cheneyville.
Further down, the Texas & Pacific crossed these rails headed to
Ville Platte and Bunkie. Suddenly I can hear the wheels of your
mind whirling, "Uh, they would have to cross, huh"?

Yes and I've been there. It is a magical place.

Before I left this magical place, I took one more shot which I
know will support my OG thesis, the one that says that those
unused tracks were the OG/T&P.



On this building you see rail loading doors with no visible rails.

I next went north and passed another historic Black church.



Soon, I was back on North Railroad Avenue, named so because
it followed the Southern Pacific through town.

As a final treat on this page, I'll leave you with an unofficial guess
at the locations of the Opelousas train depots. The source is below.



There is one little question. Below it says that the T&P was
on Landry and Lewis Streets. Lewis is US 190. I can't find
Landry so I'm guessing it was where I put the blue flag with
T&P Depot on it. That info came from the Federal Writer's
Project, 1943. It was the only source of this knowledge I could find
after 6 hours of looking, using every search phase I could think of.
There will be more to this ride later.
It's Later. CLICK HERE for page 3