Delta Farms, Louisiana facts for kids

Lawrence "Paca" Dufrene and Abel Theriot at Delta Farms, 1930s

Delta Farms is a special area in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. It's located just north of a town called Larose. This land was once a big swamp. But people built walls, called levees, around it to drain the water. This turned the swamp into useful farmland.

The Story of Delta Farms

Delta Farms was once a busy place. It had many important buildings. There was a school for children and a general store. People could also send mail from its post office. It even had a blacksmith shop and a hotel. Farmers used a cotton gin there too.

Building a Community

• 1904–1905: A group of investors from Cincinnati built levees. They drained about 3,200 acres of swamp land. This was done north of Larose.
• 1908–1909: People started building homes and other buildings. These were near the Harang Canal. This canal later became part of the Intracoastal Canal.
• 1911: The first baby was born in the new community. This showed that families were settling there.
• 1919: A magazine called Country Gentleman wrote about Delta Farms. Their article was named "Lifting Farms out of Water." It talked about how swamps could become farms.

Changes Over Time

• Late 1920s: Telephone service arrived in Delta Farms. This made it easier for people to communicate.
• 1939: The old hotel in Delta Farms was taken down. A new hotel, the Larose Hotel, was built instead. It was located at the intersection of East 2nd Street and Highway 308.
• 1930s to 1940s: Delta Farms slowly changed. Instead of growing crops, the land was used for raising cattle.

The Floods and New Beginnings

• 1961: Delta Farms experienced a big flood. The levees broke, and water rushed in. The cattle had to be moved to higher ground. They went across the Bayou Lafourche Bridge. The land was drained again. But only a few families came back to live there.
• 1971: The levee broke again, causing another major flood. A barge was sunk near the break. But it could not stop the water. By this time, the landowners were making money from oil and gas. So, they decided not to drain the land again.

Today, all of Delta Farms is flooded. It is now used as a popular spot for fishing and hunting. The area is now known as the Dixie Delta Canal.