{Solid ground gets narrow after Schriever. There's only one way in and one way out, the old route of US 90. Des Allemands is an outpost town built along the alluvial overflow of Bayou Des Allemands. It is a true marsh / bayou town fit for any movie or book background. I really like the place. Maybe it's time to let our guide take over. As I have said before, imagine a 1930's documentary or maybe one of those movies your teacher showed in school when she had no lesson plan. When I was teaching, I became proficient in the operation of projectors and slide machines. Actually, I had to have one of the kids set them up. And, the { }'s denote my words since this is his article. I find quotation marks mundane and I figured you could deal with a little spicing up in this one.}
{Hang on, his spiel gets energized}.
{Whoa, hoss, I have to add this little bit of CW history. Remember on Page 1 that I mentioned this. Sure you do. This is a reminder to the recollectionally challenged.}
"September 1862 The town of Des Allemandes is the scene of numerous skirmishes resulting in capture of an entire detachment of Union soldiers on September 4. A Union train with sixty men ambushed at the Boutte station by a Confederate force of Louisiana militia and volunteers on September 4. The train escapes to New Orleans. Fourteen Union soldiers are killed and twenty-two wounded in the skirmish. "
{Ah, I went looking all over Paradis for that historical marker. It was at Boutte. I guess I'm "challenged". But, I did remember there was one, so there.}
{OK Rosco, the floor is yours. Orange is US 90 (old) and green is the RR.}
Des Allemands.
Elevation 9 feet.
Population 400.*
New Orleans 33 miles.
To the small local settlement at Boutte the railroad proceeds along the natural embankment of the river and then follows a low ridge through the woodlands to Des Allemands, where Bayou des Allemands is crossed. This name is derived from a small settlement of Germans founded in colonial days, but the population now consists mostly of people of French origin living in primitive dwellings along the water's edge. For many years there was a sawmill here which cut cypress lumber from the adjoining swamp lands; now the supply of this material is practically exhausted, and the main resources are fishing, crabbing, and the trapping of muskrat and other fur-bearing animals.
{Primitive dwellings?, I hope that fella kept going before one of the dwellers caught him at the bar.}
In midsummer the water bodies in this region are spangled with a beautiful growth of the purple flowers of the water hyacinth. Bayou des Allemands empties into Barataria Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, which was at one time the headquarters of the pirate Jean Lafette.{sp} Formerly some of the district about Des Allemands was reclaimed for agriculture by ditching and pumping. Now the first signs of extensive cultivation begin near Raceland Junction,
{Once again, he can't spell the name of a historic fig your.}
{Click to enlarge. See, it's almost an ismus. Don't hear
that word much these daze. Spell check freaked out.
Our children know nothing but computer games.}
{The last ride report to New Orleans was done in email format.
It was sent to the 3 followers of this website. If you are one of
the 3, then you have seen some of the following, but not all.
Brace yourself (s).}
{This is what the engineer sees if he has to get down off
the engine and immolates my position.}
{If he walked over to the old US90 bridge, this would be his view.}
{If he fell down the fill, like I did, he'd see this.}
{If he looked at the below sea level underpass, this is what
he'd see.}
{If he looked at the street sign............}
{If he walked out to the old highway...........}
{He'd know he had left Ascension Parish and entered La.Fourche
and wondered what that "History Hunts" was and who the heck
is that "Steve" who deserved such a nice welcoming sign.}
{Then he'd look at the ugly new US 90 bridge and probably
think that it was ugly, too.}
{I'm going to cut Rosco short on this one. I have to make
up my mind how to approach the next set of towns. As I
have alluded, this route has been followed twice in the
very near past and written up in one form or another. I
have to get organized. The rest may be limited to a set of
links for the two new guys. Oh, speaking of. I know this
one included too many bridge pictures. That's because I,
and HH, are partially funded by the OFRRBPS. Unfamiliar?
It's the Old Flippin' Railroad Bridge Picture Society.
They send me 5 dollars a year and some brownies. The
brownies are the best part. They are really really far out good.
In fact I'm eating some right now, Groovy, ladies.}
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