Terrebonne County Louisiana Archives News.....Fifty Years Ago No. 21 July 23, 1892
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Savanna King savanna18king@gmail.com August 11, 2023, 1:03 am

The Thibodaux Sentinel July 23, 1892
A half century ago, it was deemed a great treat to make a visit to the sea 
shore, by way of Bayou Lafourche. Generally small parties would go down on 
luggers and sail around the bays, fishing and bathing, until they saw proper to 
come home.

Another method was by an excursion on a steamboat that would remain probably 48 
hours at the coast. 

In June 1842, the steamboat Harrison made one of these pleasure trips. The 
following persons were on board as passengers: Dr. Williams and family, Hon. 
H.C. Thibodaux and family, Mr. Robichaux and family, August Roger and family, 
Miss Toups, Miss Glavery, Miss Saul, Col. Charles Aubert, Judge McAllister, Mr. 
Darden, Thomas Riob, Bannon G. Thibodaux, Abner Robinson, Mr. Botts, S.S. 
Wheeler, Adolphe Knoblock, J.R. Wilson, Mr. Fisher, Charles Due, Wm. Fields, 
J.R. John Mills, G. Anderson, Dr. Deshiels, Mr. Whiting, Desire LeBlanc, Mr. 
Landry, Mr. E. Barras, Mr. Somers, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Perkins, Mr. Ballou, James 
Grenage, Valery Blanchard, Mr. Gueno, J.L. Cole. Of these pleasure seekers 
August Roger, now residing near Jeanerette is probably the only one living. The 
Editor of the Lafourche patriot went wild over the trip and wrote an account of 
it, two columns in length.

He says “there is a plan of a fort laid out at Field’s Mill on the East side, by 
the United States Government, just below the Barataria Canal.” He says again 
that “after you pass the mill the bayou widens more and more augmenting in 
splendor and magnificent.”

What has became of that wide and widening bayou? Alas it is just the reverse 
now.

The writer goes on to describe, “the number of alligators after you slide by the 
mill is really astonishing: the shore on either side was lined with them.”

The Editor was an innocent youth. He says “A gentleman invited five or six of 
them into a boat to catch red fish; they went; the gentleman steered; after they 
had left shore it seemed that the boat was not steered right, the pilot insisted 
that he was right, the waves became larger, until breaker after breaker dashed 
against and over the boat, it began to roll and fill and was almost sinking, 
when the pilot confessed he could not see, and did not know where he was 
drifting; all became confusion, some one took the rudder, the Editor seized a 
board and began to throw out the water, one rowed with all his might; but the 
boat did not advance an inch. Then they ascertain that they were fast on the 
back of a big fish, or on the ground. The Editor was happy that he had gotten 
ashore, and went to the steamer and amused the passengers by recounting their 
terrible adventure.

One of the company wrapped his line around his wrist, and cast it out for a Red 
fish and caught a shark, and if the line had not broken the lone fisherman would 
have had an “opportunity of beholding the riches and wonders of the vast deep.” 
“He was so frightened that he was pale for a long time,” which was wonderful for 
one who had the benefit of the sun along the sea coast. The Editor says he 
sailed along Timbalier Island and seen the graves of two persons who had been 
drowned a few days previous. They were a young man and woman engaged to be 
married. The woman in bathing fell into a deep hole, and, her lover in trying to 
rescue her drowned with her. At the mouth of Bayou Lafourche was a small tree 
“where three villains some five years since tied the murdered bodies a Dr. Bowen 
and another man belonging to a Texas schooner, that was anchored near by; they 
had fastened the bodies to the tree that they might not be discovered floating 
on the water.

The murderers were arrested brought to Thibodaux, one of them was hung, the 
other broke out of prison and escaped.

The last night a storm arose, a bell was rung to awaken the passengers, one man 
was so terrified that he put on five pair of pants, seized a plank and stood 
ready to jump overboard. Another was so frightened that he left his family in 
care of a servant and ran a mile on shore. The Editor does not give the name of 
those two heroes. The balance of the night was passed by those who were awake in 
tying the feet of those who slept the sleep of the innocent. The trip home was 
passed in shooting alligators and in laudable endeavors to tie the coat tails of 
each other to posts and dogs and catching each others’ necks in slip knots, and 
that was the way the good people of Lafourche enjoyed themselves 50 years ago. 

Captain Choat was master of the Harrison–”which went from Thibodaux to the mouth 
of the Bayou in less than one day.” 


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