tour natchitoches with barbara

Cane River Lake, Natchitoches

“The great fault which I find at this post is the river, which is very difficult during six months of the year. Not having water for navigation, this river from this post (Natchitoches, La.) to the big rapid (Alexandria, La.) which is thrity five leagues from here…can only be navigated with small indian pirogues, which are not good for transporting any merchandise.  But during high water, all the channels can be navigated with boats…but it is necessary to have Indian guides because the French do not know all the channels (which) are not navigable.”  (Kathleen M. Byrd in Colonial Natchitoches: Outpost of Empires, pps. 27-28).

Thus wrote Barbara’s Grandfather, Francois Guyon Des Pre Derbanne of nine generations ago. He was the new chief clerk (Paymaster and Keeper of the King’s Store House) at Fort St. Jean Baptiste under commission from King Louis XIV of France.

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste/ replica

What would surprise Derbanne most to see the river of which he wrote?

1. I would imagine he would be surprised that it is no longer a river but now Cane River Lake. It was once the main channel of the Red River(a false river in Louisiana).
2. He would likely be surprised at the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway system of locks and dams that make the river navigable and no indian guides are necessary just good river boat pilots.
3. I suppose he would be surprised that a great granddaughter, Barbara is a Natchitoches Tour Guide who delights in showing guests the wonders of French Creole Plantations along the lower Cane River.
4. Most of all, I think he would be pleased to know Tour Natchitoches with Barbara conducts tours of Fort St Jean Baptiste and tells them family stories that go back to his time at the post.

Cane River lake is just a part of the multiple channels of the Red River. Ribbons of bayous wound their way through lakes, intertwining then dividing, creating large and small islands in the narrow alluvial valley. (Byrd, Colonial Natchitoches: Outpost of Empires).

St. Denis/Red River

info@tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

bbaileyok8@aol.com

(318) 352-5469 or (318) 663-5468

Visit us on the Web: http://www.tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

Tags: guide, louisiana, natchitoches, rivers, tours

The New Year represents new beginnings and leaving behind some things from the old year.

No doubt all of us have some things from 2009  we would like to leave behind. Nothing is more useless than the “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve“ s of second guessing our past decisions.

So you did not Tour Natchitoches with Barbara in 2009. When you know better, you will do better. What really matters now is the “still can in 2010“. Let 2010 be the year you come to Explore the Magic of Natchitoches.

Plantation Store, Oakland

• Explore the magic of visiting the French Creole Plantations on the lower Cane River with Barbara as your Natchitoches, Louisiana Tour Guide. Melrose, Oakland and Magnolia Plantations await you in 2010. Lavish centuries old homes, mighty oaks in impressive oak allees  await your visit of discovery.
• Experience the charm of the historic  downtown district of the City of Natchitoches in a walking/driving tour.
  

  Washington Street, Natchitoches

• Exude in the adventure of stepping back almost three centuries into the French Colonial History of Natchitoches when Barbara guides you and your group to Fort St. Jean Baptiste,
  

  Historically Accurate Replica of Fort

• Excite your family or friends with an activity that is fun, educational and of enduring value when you Tour Natchitoches with Barbara.
• Expiate yourself from sameness, lameness and tameness as you walk and wander freely as Barbara, as your Natchitoches Tour Guide conducts you to the places of your choosing according to your interest and time schedule. Customized Tours are Barbara’s specialty.
• Expound your favorite lines from the movie “Steel Magnolias” as Barbara conducts you and your group to the filming sites of the movie. She will tell you the real stories behind the movie on your “Steel Magnolias Tour“.
  

  "Steel Magnolias" House/ Tour filming sites.

• Execute your plan for 2010. Do not see what you are really interests you? Don’t worry, Barbara will put together the Tour of your choosing. She will meet you bus and Step On. Your Tour of Natchitoches, Louisiana can begin at the place of your choosing and proceed to all of the places that interest you.
• Exactamente lo que busca si necesita una “Tour Guide” que habla el espanol. Total, el Presidio de los Espanoles (Los Adaes) quedaba cerca al  fort de los Frances.

Contact Information for Tour Natchitoches with Barbara

Telephone:                          (318) 352-5469 or (318) 663-5468

E-Mail:                                    info@tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

bbaileyok8@aol.com

Main Web Site:                  http://www.tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

THE FRENCH ARRIVED IN 1714. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN IN 2010

Tour Natchitoches with Barbara

Tags: french colonial history, french creole plantations, louisiana, natchitoches, tour guide, tours

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste/ replica

Fort St. Jean Baptiste occupies a unique place in the era of French Colonial History in the area of the settlement of Natchitoches, which  became the first permanent European colony in what was to become the Louisiana Purchase Territory.

Historically Accurate Replica of Fort

Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis, a French Canadian, en route to Mexico from Mobile, Alabama on a mission of trade in 1714, reached the area of the Red River where the Natchitoches Indians occupied a village. Some histories are suggesting that he may have arrived in the late Fall of 1713 but this is a debate likely to continue for some while.

St. Denis/Red River

St. Denis had two huts built within the Indian Village and left a small detachment there to guard the stores and trade with the Indians. From this small, inauspicious beginning developed the thriving and fascinating City of Natchitoches.

In 1716, Sieur Charles Claude Dutisne arrived in Natchitoches with a small detachment of colonial troops to build and garrison an outpost that would impede the encroachment of Spanish forces in the province of Texas across the border into French Louisiana. This outpost was named Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches.

Tour Natchitoches with Barbara has a special connection and interest in this French Colonial Fort. Barbara, along with numerous other Natchitoches residents is a descendant of Francois Derbanne, like St. Denis a French Canadian, who was under commission from King Louis XV of France as “The Keeper of the King’s Storehouse and Paymaster” to the garrison. With Barbara as your Natchitoches, Louisiana Tour Guide, you can go back into the cultural history of Natchitoches nine generations and hear the stories from the earliest day of the Fort. Barbara, has done extensive research into the history of Derbanne and the Fort and has copies of documents written in French that sound like the script from a John Wayne movie. There is adventure, humor, historical and cultural enlightenment in the stories you will hear from your Natchitoches Tour Guide, Barbara. You will learn and have fun at the same time when you come with your family, friends, or church group to Tour Natchitoches with Barbara

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste

Now you can see why we use as our “Tag Line”:

THE FRENCH ARRIVED IN 1714.  NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Contact Barbara:

Telephone:                      (318) 352-5469 or (318) 663-5468

E-mail:                                 info@tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

or

bbaileyok8@aol.com

Visit Main Website:   http://www.tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

Tags: forts, french colonial history, natchitoches, tours

Hi 5 Number 1

Five Great Tours

1. ¨Steel Magnolias¨ Filming Sites
2. Plantation Tours
3. Walking-Driving Tours
4. Photography Tours
5. Colonial Forts Tours

Hi 5 Number 2

Five Wonderful Friends

1. A friend who makes you laugh
2. A friend who listens to you
3. A friend who makes you feel, smart, skinny, pretty, etc..
4. A friend who has your back
5. A friend who saves you money. Get five friends to Tour Natchitoches with Barbara with you and it will only cost you $10.00 each for a two hour tour of Natchitoches. Anyone who refuses to share the cost is not really your friend. If you have five friends, you are indeed rich.

Hi 5 Number 3

Five Great Places to Eat in Natchitoches

Natchitoches Meat Pies

1. Merci Beaucoupe
2. Lasyones
3. The Mariner
4. Almost Home
5. La Farine

Hi Five Number 4

Five Great Places to Shop

Shopping Rue Front

1. Cane River Kitchen
2. Plantation Treasures
3. Kaffie Frederick
4. Georgia´s  Gift Shop
   
5. Dickens Company

Hi 5 Number 5

Five Reasons to Ask Barbara to be Your Natchitoches Tour Guide

1. Personalized, customized tours at reasonable rates
2. Depth of knowledge about the Colonial History of Natchitoches
3. A family history that goes back to 1714 and the first days of Natchitoches as a colonial outpost of France
4. She is a wonderful story teller whether it is the true story behind the movie ¨Steel Magnolias¨or a story about her grandfather Francois Derbonne who was at the French Fort St Jean Baptiste in 1716.
5. Barbara can give you access to historic homes not generally open to the public

TOUR NATCHITOCHES WITH BARBARA offers customized tours
to match your interests and time schedule, specializing in:

PLANTATION TOURS

“STEEL MAGNOLIAS” TOURS

FORT ST. JEAN BAPTISTE

TOURS OF HISTORIC DOWNTOWN NATCHITOCHES

You may pick and choose and mix and match to plan your day.
All day in town or all day in the country.
Combine a City Tour with a Plantation Tour.
Have lunch on the plantation grounds.
Have lunch in a local restaurant.
Tour in the morning, shop in the afternoon or vice versa.
Plan a Photography Tour

Step-on Bus Tours
Step-on Van Tours
Downtown Walking/Driving Tours
Escorted Tours

Tours in Spanish

Hours: 8:00 – 3:00 Seven days a week as available.

Tour Fee: $30.00 per hour for duration of tour.
Two hour minimun.
$25.00 + Planning Fee if guide is to make
arrangements for meals or entrance
into sites that are not usually open
to the public.

If transportation is needed please ask for
quote at 318-352-5469 or 318-663-5468.

or by e-mail:
info@tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

Possibilities Include:

MELROSE PLANTATION

OAKLAND PLANTATION

STEEL MAGNOLIAS FILMING SITES

FORT ST. JEAN BAPTISTE

HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS

Tags: natchitoches tours, tour guide

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste

You do not need a time machine to go back 300 years into the French colonial history of Natchitoches. All you need to do is schedule your journey back to colonial times at Fort St. Jean Baptist by contacting Tour Natchitoches with Barbara and then get yourself to Natchitoches. Both are easy to do.

The fort is a reconstruction based on historical records and is extremely authentic.The fort’s original location is unknown. Some researchers believe it may have stood where the Old American Cemetery is today.

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste is not meant to be a museum of 18th century artifacts. The goal of this  State Historic Site is to interact with visitors helping them to experience the culture of everyday life in French Colonial Natchitoches.

Outdoor Oven at Fort

For a number of years, Barbara has researched her family history and her roots in Natchitoches. The search has revolved around her (great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great) grandfather Francois Derbanne who served under commission from King Louis XV of France as “Paymaster and Keeper of the Store” at the fort. Barbara’s French Canadian forebear was a man of good reputation and adventuresome experiences. Movie director John Ford could have cast him right along side John Wayne. He and “The Duke” had a lot in common.

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste

If you like stories that are fun, insightful and will open windows of understanding to you about life 300 years ago in Natchitoches before it was a part of the United States, you will want to Tour Natchitoches with Barbara. Hear the stories, meet the people (many who are descendants of the original settlers) experience the cultural heritage, discover history where it happened, taste the food and basically, as the French in Louisiana say: “pass a good time“.

THE FRENCH CAME IN 1714. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Contact Information: telephone (318) 352-5469 or (318) 663-5468

E-mail        bbaileyok8@aol.com

Natchitoches Travel Back In Time

Tags: french colonial history, natchitoches, tours

Natchitoches Travel Back In Time

Tour Natchitoches with Barbara has a decided interest in colonial French history and forts, especially the two located in the Mobile and Natchitoches areas. Barbara’s grandfather of  nine generations ago, Francois Derbanne, served at both forts. As tour guide for you and your group, she will be delighted to introduce you to the historically accurate replica of Fort St. Jean Baptiste in Natchitoches and share with you her wonderful family stories of almost 300 years ago.

The Old Mobile Site was the location of the French settlement and the associated La Mobile Fort Louis de La Louisiane from 1702 until 1712. The site is located on the Mobile River. The settlement served as the capital of  French Louisiana from 1702 until 1711, when the capital was relocated to the site of present-day Mobile, Alabama. The settlement was founded and originally governed by Pierre Le Moyne d’ Iberville. Upon the death of d’Iberville (or Iberville), the settlement was governed by his younger brother, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The site was to the French what Jamestown, Virginia was to the English.

Drawing of Fort, 1704-1705

Local tradition has long associated the area of Twenty-seven Mile Bluff on the Mobile River with the location of the early French settlement of Mobile. But archaeological traces of this important historical site have only recently been discovered. The old town site is now the focus of a research project directed by archaeologists at the University of South Alabama.

French efforts at colonization of the Gulf coast began with the establishment of La Salle’s unsuccessful settlement on the Texas coast in 1685-1686. In 1699, Pierre Le Moyne d’lberville organized a second, and ultimately successful, attempt. After briefly occupying Forts La Boulaye and Maurepas (on the lower Mississippi River and on Biloxi Bay, respectively), the colony was moved to a location now called Twenty-seven Mile Bluff on the Mobile River in January 1702. Here the town of Mobile and a new fort — Fort Louis de la Louisiane — would serve as the capital of French Louisiana until late in 17 1 1 , when the settlement was relocated at the head of Mobile Bay, the present site of the city. During this critical period, Governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville consolidated French colonial control over the central Gulf coast while gaining influence among the numerous Indian societies inhabiting the vast area of the interior Southeast. French territorial claims extended east to the Appalachian Mountains, north to French-controlled Canada, and west to the Great Plains. But more importantly the French colony of Louisiana eventually grew to include sizable settlements in modern-day Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Illinois, and Missouri that played significant roles in later American history.

The first site of Mobile can be considered a French colonial counterpart to the English settlement at Jamestown. At both of these sites colonists from two different European societies first adapted to the new environment and unfamiliar native peoples of southeastern North America. They were “beachheads” to the New World. Archaeological research at the site of Old Mobile will reveal how French-American colonial frontier society developed and evolved during this initial period of exploration.

-Mobile Project Newsletter, Issue 1, Summer 1989

Louis Juchereau de St. Denis established the French settlement of Natchitoches in 1714. In 1716, Francois Derbanne was posted at the French Fort, St. Jean Baptiste, in Natchiotoches.

St. Denis/ Red River (National Heritage Area photo)

THE FRENCH CAME IN 1714. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Travel Back 300 years to a French Fort

For Information
and Booking
CONTACT US
318-352-5469
318-663-5468
or
e-mail: info@tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

Tags: colonial french forts, french colonial history, natchitoches tours

"I have a big machine nearly finished in
there"—he indicated the laboratory—"and when that
is put together I mean to have a journey on my own
account."You mean to say that that machine has
traveled into the future?" said Filby."Into the future
or the past—I don't, for certain, know which."

H. G. Wells in "The Time Machine", really captures our imaginations
with the possibility of time travel. If you could choose, would you
go forward to the future or back to the past? I would go back because of
my love for history.

Some of my choices would be:

• The years 1861-1865 (for the American Civil War).
• The years 1890-1907 (to Baker Street in London to visit Sherlock Holmes. Oh I know he is fictional but he is real to me!
• The years 1714-1730 in colonial Natchitoches. I would love to chat with Barbara’s grandfather (her great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather) at the French colonial fort St Jean Baptiste. (Guess I should learn French!)

• 

  Dial Up a Tour

  Actually, the years 2009-2010 are available to you to Tour Natchitoches with Barbara and go back in time and visit the sites and hear the stories of this French colonial city.

Give your self a  break from punching a
"time clock" and go back in time and revel
in the enchanting experiences of Natchitoches.

Contact Barbara today and schedule your tour.

TOUR NATCHITOCHES WITH BARBARA offers customized tours
to match your interests and time schedule, specializing in:

PLANTATION TOURS

“STEEL MAGNOLIAS” TOURS

FORT ST. JEAN BAPTISTE

TOURS OF HISTORIC DOWNTOWN NATCHITOCHES

You may pick and choose and mix and match to plan your day.
All day in town or all day in the country.
Combine a City Tour with a Plantation Tour.
Have lunch on the plantation grounds.
Have lunch in a local restaurant.
Tour in the morning, shop in the afternoon or vice versa.
Plan a Photography Tour

Step-on Bus Tours
Step-on Van Tours
Downtown Walking/Driving Tours
Escorted Tours

For Information
and Booking
CONTACT US
318-352-5469
318-663-5468
or
e-mail: info@tournatchitocheswithbarbara.com

THE FRENCH CAME IN 1714. NOW ITS YOUR TURN

Travel Back 300 years to a French Fort

Tags: french colonial history, natchitoches tours

Before  Europeans came to the Cane River area it was populated by the Adaes and the Natchitoches American Indian tribes of the Caddo nation.

Adae Indian Dance

When French-Canadian explorer Louis Juchereau de St. Denis paddled his way up the Red River as a part of a French expedition, it was the first significant contact between European explorers and the American Indians of the area. Many of the Natchitoches Indians later moved to St. Denis’ Fort along Lake Pontchartrain and established strong trade alliances with the French. (Cane River National Heritage Area).

St. Denis/ Red River (National Heritage Area photo)

St. Denis and his Natchitoches allies returned to the Cane River area in 1714. St. Denis encouraged the Natchitoches Indians to resettle on the Red River. Within their village, St. Denis constructed a storage house and a barrack. This event marks the founding of the City of Natchitoches in 1714.

In 1716, the French colonial government ordered the building of Ft. St. Jean Baptiste. They deployed a sergeant and six soldiers to the fort. Barbara’s grandfather (9 generations ago), Francois Derbanne was under commission from King Louis XV of France as “Keeper of the King’s Store House and Paymaster of the Militia“.

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste/ Historically accurate replica

Settlers were soon to follow and along with them they brought to the Cane River area the first documented African enslaved people.  According to the Cane River National Heritage Area, by 1722 enslaved Africans comprised a substantial percentage of the total population of Natchitoches “creating the foundation for the large African American community that has existed throughout the region’s history”.

Oakland Plantation, Bermuda

Ft. St. Jean Baptiste

Several years ago we toured Scotland and England with friends from Illinois. We must have seen most of the castles in both countries. It was fun and interesting. We wanted to know the story behind everyone of them Who lived there? What foes did they face? If Forts are your forte, Tour Natchitoches with Barbara. She would be delighted to guide your group tour and make your visit to Natchitoches an adventure of discovery. Barbara can make it happen for you. Here are some of your possibilities.

FORT ST. JEAN BAPTISTE (State Historic Site). The first permanent European settlement in the Louisiana Purchase Territory was established by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis in 1714. In 1716 the French built Ft. St. Jean Baptiste to act as a center for trade and as a buffer against Spanish incursion into French territory.  The historically accurate reconstruction of the fort features a unique double-thickness palisade and includes 12 structures and an outdoor oven.

Barbara’s grandfather from nine generations ago was Francois Derbonne. He was under commission from King Louis XV of France to serve at Ft. St. Jean Baptist as “Keeper of the King’s Storehouse and Paymaster of the Militia”. As a tour guide, you might well image, Barbara has stories to tell about this fort and for her they are family stories.

FORT JESUP NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK (State Historic Site)

If was hoped that the Louisiana Purchase Treaty of 1803 would define clearly the western boundary of Louisiana, which was also the western border of the country at that time. It failed to do so. The United States claimed eastern Texas and Spain claimed western Louisiana. The  dispute gave rise to the “Neutral Ground”. It was a “no man’s land where the laws of neither nation were enforced. Soldiers and settlers were kept out and rogues of various stripes were rife. When the territorial boundary was finally fixed at the Sabine River by the Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819, the United States built Fort Jesup in 1822. Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Taylor established  the garrison and was its commander. The garrison was originally called Cantonment Jesup in honor of Taylor’s good friend, Brigadier General Thomas Sidney Jesup. Taylor’s troops managed bring law and order in the Neutral Ground. Fort Jesup

LOS ADAES NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK (State Historic Site)

The Spanish founded this presidio in 1721 as a buffer to French expansion into Texas. Los Adaes played an important role to balance the power between these two European colonial empires. In time, Los Adaes came to represent the cooperation and the blending of cultures as the French, Spanish and American Indian people of the area came together. Los Adaes was closed by the Spanish in 1773. The site was never cleared nor cultivated and therefore it remains rich in archeological discoveries. Numerous artifacts are on display.

THE FRENCH CAME IN 1714. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Fort Jesup

Presidio Los Adaes (Fort)

Louisiana New France Map of New France. - Established 1682 - Split west to Spain 1764 - Split east to Great Britain 1764 - Returned from Spain 30 Nov. 1803 - Louisiana Purchase April 30, 1803 - Transfer to USA 10 March 1804 Historian/Interpreter Ft St. Jean Baptiste

Louisiana ( La Louisiane, by 1879, La Louisiane française) or French Louisiana was the nameof an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682-1763 and 1800-03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV of France, by French explorer Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle. It originally covered an expansive territory that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains.  The present-day State of Louisiana is named for  this historical region. It occupies only a small portion of the territory claimed by the French.

French exploration of the area began during the reign of Louis XIV of France, while French Louisiana was not greatly developed, due to a lack of human and financial resources. The French defeat, in the Seven Year’s War, ended with France being forced to cede the eastern part of the territory in 1763 to the victorious British, and the western part to Spain as compensation for that country’s loss of Florida. France regained sovereignty of the western territory in the secret Treaty of San Idelfonso of 1800. However, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to sell the territory to the United States in 1803, ending France’s presence in Louisiana. (note: colonial presence. The influence, language and culture of France is still quite evident in Louisiana.

Tour Natchitoches with Barbara offers you the opportunity to experience France’s continuing presence in a French Colonial City).

Part of this possession was later ceded to Britain in the Treaty of 1818. This section lies above the 49th parallel in a portion of what is now present day Alberta and Saskatchewan.. (Wikipedia)

The French Came in 1714. Now It’s Your Turn