MANAGEMENTPLAN

CANE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

MANAGEMENT PLAN

Cane River National Heritage Area Commission

Prepared by the National Park Service/Denver Service Center at the request of the Commission

AV ISION FOR C ANE R IVER

CANE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA WILL BE THE BEST PRESERVED AND INTERPRETED EXAMPLE OF THE RICH CONTINUUM OF LOUISIANA HISTORY FROM FRONTIER EXPLORATION THROUGH PLANTATION AGRICULTURE TO PRESENT DAY LIFESTYLES, TRADITIONS, AND CELEBRATIONS.

ITS RESIDENTS WILL ENJOY A QUALITY OF LIFE BASED ON RESPECT FOR PRIVACY AND TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLES AND ON A STRONG, HEALTHY ECONOMY COMPATIBLE WITH THE HISTORICAL CHARACTER OF THE REGION. ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF HERITAGE TOURISM WILL ASSIST IN THE LONG-TERM PRESERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF HERITAGE RESOURCES.

ALL OF THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH LOCAL, REGIONAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND RESIDENTS. HERITAGE AREA LANDOWNERS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT WILL PLAYA KEY ROLE, AS LAND USE DECISIONS WILL REMAIN, AS THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

SUMMARY

Cane River National Heritage Area is a place preservation and public use are analyzed in the where American Indian, French, Spanish, “Affected Environment” chapter of the African, and later American cultures came DMP/EA; (3) Visitor experience and together to create a way of life dependent on the interpretation objectives, themes, and actions in land and the river and each other. Today this plan will provide the foundation for a more colonial forts, Creole plantations, churches, detailed master interpretive plan to be prepared cemeteries, historic transportation routes and separately; (4) Recommendations for commercial centers provide a special view into coordinating actions by others are found in the this past. The people of Cane River carry on “Implementation through Partnerships” section traditions and rituals handed down through of the “Plan Implementation” chapter; and (5) generations that help keep the unique culture of An implementation program specific to the this region alive. selected action is detailed in Table 1: Implementation Program. On November 4, 1994, the United States Congress acknowledged the special qualities of The Management Plan guides the long-term this region by creating the Cane River National stewardship of the heritage area by setting forth Heritage Area and Commission and Cane River a balanced partnership program of preservation, Creole National Historical Park by Public Law education, and tourism. The overall goal is to (PL) 103-449 (see appendix A). The heritage area ensure that the qualities that make the heritage and park are located primarily in Natchitoches area a national treasure today will continue far Parish in northwestern Louisiana, about 150 into the future. To accomplish this, management miles northwest of Baton Rouge and 70 miles actions will follow three major paths: (1) southeast of Shreveport. developing and maintaining a well-organized and funded partnership in conservation, This Management Plan represents the culmina- preservation, and research that will help ensure tion of many years of combined effort by the the long-term integrity of heritage resources, Cane River National Heritage Area Commission, including traditions, landscapes, and structures, the National Park Service, state and local (2) fostering public support and appreciation for governments, and a very active and interested Cane River history and heritage area resources public to chart a plan of action for the future by providing quality educational and interpre- preservation and promotion of the Cane River tive services, and (3) providing support for and National Heritage Area. From the range of effectively marketing a full range of heritage management alternatives presented in the 2001 tourism opportunities that will help extend Draft Management Plan and Environmental visitors’ stays in the region and encourage repeat Assessment (DMP/EA), a modified alternative B visitation. was selected as the preferred approach to managing the heritage area. This selection was A major decision of the planning effort is to documented in the Finding of No Significant revise the heritage area boundary, enlarging it Impact (FONSI), signed on May 31, 2002, and is from the 1994 boundary that encompassed about presented in the following pages along with the 45,000 acres to about 116,000 acres – an increase implementation program. of about 71,000 acres. This action is consistent with the authority in the heritage area’s This plan, including supporting documentation establishing legislation that allows for the in the DMP/EA and the FONSI, addresses legislated boundary, which is identified as specific legislative requirements (PL 103-449, approximate, to be revised as part of the heritage sec. 403) in the following ways. (1) An initial area management plan. This decision is the inventory of historic properties and cultural result of considerable analysis and discussion landscapes are provided in appendix B; (2) and received positive public support through the Current land uses and how they affect future DMP/EA review process.

v SUMMARY

Resource preservation will focus on orient visitors to the region and provide an documenting and protecting the cultural overview of the area’s heritage, its resources, landscapes and traditions of the region. The places to visit, and upcoming events. commission will develop partnerships with preservation land trust and other nonprofit Interpretation of heritage area stories and organizations as well as local and state agencies resources will help bring the sites alive to the and universities to explore ways to protect public. The commission will help in this arena cultural landscapes, provide educational through developing a variety of tours, sponsor- programs for the local community, and conduct ing seminars on heritage area history and arts, research. Based on research, a priority list of and assisting local museums and interpretive cultural landscapes most in need of preservation centers in planning heritage area exhibits and assistance will be developed. Priorities will be programs. Also, the commission will pursue the based on the landscape’s level of cultural development of a system of pull-offs and significance and the type and level of threats to interpretive waysides along the Cane River. the integrity of that landscape. The heritage area commission will support the The heritage area will provide preservation development and availability of recreational assistance (technical information, financial or in- opportunities that will complement the rural and kind support, etc.) to those properties that are historical character of the heritage area. The listed, or eligible for listing, on the National emphasis will be on increasing opportunities for Register of Historic Places as funding and staff visitors to see the river and access the river’s are available. All assistance will meet the edge. This might include riverside trails, preservation standards set by the secretary of the picnicking, and interpretive waysides and more interior. opportunities for nonmotorized boating.

The heritage area commission and partners will The heritage area commission will work strive to achieve visitor experience goals by proactively with state and local agencies and developing a comprehensive marketing strategy others to maintain the rural character of the and information system. The marketing strategy road system while improving access to the area. will (1) identify and target key audiences and (2) The primary route to access the heritage area, facilitate the preparation and distribution of especially for buses and recreational vehicles information that will encourage visitors to come (RVs), will be LA 1. The commission will pursue and assist them in planning a visit. The visitor the widening of those roads that connect LA 1 information and wayfinding system will help with the river roads. The rural roads that visitors locate and identify heritage sites and connect major heritage area sites and follow the activities. This system will include a directional Cane River (such as LA 494 and LA 119) will be and informational sign program; use of an recommended as an alternative scenic route. official logo on signs, banners, and publications; coordinating site brochures; and developing Successful implementation of this plan requires content for a hospitality-training program for the long-term partnership of local, state, and front-line service providers. federal agencies, local landowners, businesses, and organizations. The state of Louisiana has The commission will assist Cane River Creole taken a major step toward partnering by National Historical Park in the planning, designating the heritage area as an official state development, and funding of a joint regional heritage area. Many other partners have also visitor center and headquarters in the stepped forward to participate, as reflected in Natchitoches/Cane River region. The the implementation program table, which commission/management entity will have a include about 65 projects and 45 different presence in that facility, and other partners may partners. also share space there. This center will help

vi

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE LEGACY OF CANE RIVER 3 OVERVIEW 4 The Place 4 What Is a National Heritage Area? 4 Creation of Cane River National Heritage Area and Commission 7 The Commission / Managing Entity 7 A Partnership Mandate 7 The National Park Service Relationship 8 HERITAGE TOURISM 9

THE PLAN AND ITS FOUNDATIONS

BACKGROUND 13 Planning History 14 Heritage Area Purposes 14 THE PLAN 15 Concept 15 Protection and Management through Partnerships 15 The Heritage Area Boundary 15 Resource Preservation 16 Cultural Landscape Protection 16 Conserving Cultural Traditions 23 Natural Resource Protection 23 Research Needs 23 Technical and Financial Assistance 23 Visitor Experience 23 Marketing 24 Visitor Information and Wayfinding 25 Visitor Facilities 25 Interpretation 26 Volunteer Services 27 Recreation 27 Transportation, Circulation, and Links 27 Site Additions to the Heritage Area 28 Funding 28 Staffing Estimates 28 Costs 33

PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS 37 The Local Government Role 37 The Role of Local Schools 38 The Role of the Private Sector 39

vii CONTENTS

The State Government Role 40 The Federal Government Role 42 Implementation Program 46 Introduction 46 List of Current Heritage Area Partners 46 List of Potential Partners 47

APPENDIXES AND GLOSSARY

Appendix A: Legislation 61 Appendix B: Inventory of Important Properties and Cultural Landscapes, Natchitoches Parish and Vicinity 69 Appendix C: Future Plans and Studies Needed 73 Appendix D: Interpretive Themes 76

Glossary 78

Selected References 80

Preparers and Consultants 84

MAPS

Regional Context 5 The Plan 17 Revised Boundary 19 Cultural Landscape Areas 21 Access and Circulation Routes 29 Natchitoches 31

TABLES

1. Implementation Program 48

viii I NTRODUCTION

THE LEGACY OF CANE RIVER

A dark ribbon of water winds lazily through fertile farmlands, its path lined with red soil, lush stands of river cane, and majestic live oak and pecan trees. The waterway meanders from town to town, and plantations, homes, and churches mark life’s stopping points along its banks. Cane River, an oxbow lake that once was the primary channel of the mighty Red River, defines the region today, just as it has for centuries. The stories of Cane River’s people are brimming with the contrasts that comprise our nation’s history – conquest and colonialism, militarism and peace, wealth and poverty, slavery and freedom.

The landscape of Cane River has been the focal point for American Indian settlements, colonial forts, and Creole plantations. The river itself was a major trade thoroughfare, one that was crossed by overland trade routes. It was at this crossroads that the Natchitoches band of Caddo Indians dwelled. The prospect of trade and alliance with American Indians brought European colonial powers to the area, and this region soon became the intersection between French and Spanish realms in the New World. The French first came to the region in 1714, establishing Fort Saint Jean Baptiste shortly thereafter. In response the Spanish built the presidio known as Los Adaes, 15 miles to the west. Settlement spread from these early outposts, and the town of Natchitoches grew up around Fort Saint Jean Baptiste to become the most prosperous town in the region.

As countries came together in this place, so did cultures. American Indians were joined by European settlers, who imported large numbers of enslaved Africans to farm the land. The interaction of these groups led to the development of a distinctive Creole culture, a culture that cut across racial categories and drew from many traditions but remained grounded in French colonialism and Catholicism.

A thriving agricultural economy had developed along the banks of the river by the time the region was joined to the United States in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches, the oldest permanent European settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, was the region’s commercial center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as Côte Joyeuse (‘Joyous Coast’) and Isle Brevelle, large and small plantations produced indigo, tobacco, and later cotton.

The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation and cultural change for the residents of the Cane River region. Tenant farming and sharecropping replaced slavery, exchanging one labor-intensive system for another. After World War II, mechanized farming permanently supplanted the old agricultural practices that depended on human labor in the fields. As a result, many people migrated to urban centers, leaving the fields behind.

This is the complex past that is etched indelibly on the landscape, in the architecture, and in the myriad cultural traditions that have been passed down through generations. In 1994 Congress established the Cane River National Heritage Area in recognition of the history and culture of this unique region. The heritage area is a nationally significant cultural landscape, a place in which the river and the people who have dwelt along its banks through time come together in a history that contributes to the American experience.

3

OVERVIEW

THE PLACE WHAT IS A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA? Cane River National Heritage Area is in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, about 150 miles Heritage areas are a relatively new phenomenon in northwest of Baton Rouge and 70 miles the United States, and many Americans have little southeast of Shreveport (see Regional Context to no idea what they are or why they exist. A map). The Natchitoches National Historic national heritage area is a place designated by the Landmark District, an area of historic homes, United States Congress, where natural, cultural, churches, and commercial structures, covers historic, and recreational resources combine to more than 30 blocks in downtown Natchitoches form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape. along Cane River. Heritage areas are representative of the national experience through the physical features that The core of this heritage area begins just south remain and the traditions that have evolved in the of the city and follows the meanders of Cane areas. Continued use of the national heritage areas River along LA 494 and 119 south and east to the by people whose traditions helped to shape the Natchitoches-Rapides Parish boundary (see landscapes enhances their significance. Heritage Area Boundary under “The Plan” section). Most of the acreage within the heritage The designation of a national heritage area is area is privately owned land and will remain recognition of a community's efforts to identify private. Local, state, and federal agencies own a natural and cultural resources that define its sense small percentage. As part of this plan, the of place and its stories. Designation recognizes boundary of the core area has been revised from nationally distinctive landscapes and the role of the 1994 Boundary Concept map. these landscapes in defining the collective American cultural landscape. Designation also Among the sites that are open to the public are provides important recognition of local Cane River Creole National Historical Park (two community-based efforts to preserve this units that include portions of the Oakland and distinctive character. Magnolia Plantations), and privately owned sites such as the Magnolia, Melrose, and Beau Fort Although Congress establishes national heritage Plantations and the Kate Chopin House. Several areas, a commission, nonprofit group, or other other plantation homes, local churches, and organization comprised primarily of local citizens other sites are available for intermittent tours or usually manages them. Most national heritage visits. Also included in the heritage area are three areas receive some funding and technical state historic sites – a reconstruction of the assistance from the National Park Service original French fort, Fort St. Jean Baptiste, in (Department of the Interior). Currently, there are Natchitoches; the Spanish fort and mission site 23 national heritage areas, and Congress is of Los Adaes near Robeline; and an American considering several more for establishment. fort, Fort Jesup, in Sabine Parish. Individual Although each one is distinctly different, their historic buildings and sites in the Natchitoches growing number is a reflection of a continuing National Historic Landmark District could effort by communities to find ways to protect become designated heritage area sites through and promote their resources and obtain national cooperative agreements. recognition with a minimum of federal government involvement.

Many state heritage areas have also been created, including the Atchafalaya Trace

4

Overview

Heritage Area in southwest Louisiana. In 2001 Service, the state of Louisiana, the city and the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution parish of Natchitoches, and the public; (2) declaring Cane River National Heritage Area a develop cooperative agreements with property state heritage area also. This designation helps owners, preservation groups, universities, to establish the state of Louisiana as a key tourism groups, and others; and (3) consult partner in the future of the Cane River region. with the National Park Service on the preparation of a general management plan for the Cane River Creole National Historical CREATION OF CANE RIVER Park. NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AND COMMISSION The commission members were appointed by the secretary of the interior and are, therefore, Before the establishment of the Cane River representatives of the secretary and the federal National Heritage Area, there had been a long government. As a federal entity, the commis- history of community interest in and commit- sion has authority to hire people, administer ment to heritage preservation and tourism in grant programs, develop loan programs, and the Natchitoches area. This local commitment set priorities, but it has no zoning or land-use and pride was an important factor behind powers and no power of eminent domain. All Congress passing Public Law 103-449 (16 USC of the commissioners volunteer their time. 410cc) on November 2, 1994, which created the Officially, their appointments last three years, Cane River National Heritage Area, the Cane after which they can be re-appointed or River National Heritage Area Commission, replaced. and Cane River Creole National Historical Park (see appendix A). Based on the legislation, the commission will remain the managing entity for the Cane River Public Law 103-449 provides specific guidance National Heritage Area until early August 2005 regarding the role of the heritage area in the or until approximately August 2010 if the region. The heritage area shall governor and the secretary of the interior grant an extension. However, before its termination, • complement the national historical park the commission will recommend to the • provide a culturally sensitive approach to governor of Louisiana and secretary of interior preserving the region’s heritage what type of entity or entities should assume the responsibilities for managing the heritage • assist in the preservation and enhancement area. A possible proposal could be the of the cultural landscape and traditions of introduction of legislation that would make the the region commission permanent rather than create • provide a framework for residents within another management entity. the area to assist in preservation and

education

• minimize the need for federal land acquisition A PARTNERSHIP MANDATE

The United States Congress, in creating the

Cane River National Heritage Area, recognized THE COMMISSION / the Cane River region’s significance and the MANAGING ENTITY need to provide a mechanism for its preservation, enhancement, and interpreta- The 19-member Cane River National Heritage tion. Congress felt that extensive land Area Commission is the management entity acquisition and administration by a single that currently guides heritage area activities. federal agency would be impractical, costly, The commission is directed by the legislation and counter to the objective of preserving the to (1) prepare the heritage area’s management area’s cultural diversity and character. Instead, plan in consultation with the National Park Congress knew that partnerships would be the

7 INTRODUCTION key to preserving and enhancing the heritage are nationally significant for present and future area. By bringing together the vision, expertise, generations. Heritage areas are one way in which and resources of the state of Louisiana, the Park Service can carry out this mission, by including Northwestern State University; the assisting the voluntary efforts of citizens to city and parish governments of Natchitoches; protect a local cultural landscape. Through the the National Park Service and other federal conservation of discrete, intact cultural agencies; as well as the many area businesses landscapes, the National Park Service seeks to and civic organizations, great strides could be preserve, in partnership with the local citizenry, made toward the long-term protection and a portion of the patchwork of American promotion of the region. landscapes, which helps to define the nationally significant American identity. The partnership approach generates opportunities for creative input on the desired On a day-to-day basis, the National Park Service future of a community from a broad range of and Cane River National Heritage Area are constituents and their diverse perspectives. closely tied. The National Park Service provides Participation in a collaborative exercise of idea the heritage area with funding, legal guidance, sharing and planning fosters a spirit of technical assistance, and some administrative cooperation capable of uniting the many voices services. Most importantly, Cane River Creole of a community into pursuit of a common cause. National Historical Park, a unit of the national The participants are able to continually refresh park system, and the heritage area are bound their own perspective on the sense of place that together by legislation to assist one another in they seek to preserve. This ensures the the preservation and interpretation of the Cane availability of a greater number of tools for River region. The park assists the heritage area meeting the heritage area goals. Association with by coordinating a comprehensive research the National Park Service makes available program on the complex history of the Cane significant technical expertise to assist with all River region. Both the park and heritage area stages of this process, from the identification of enter into cooperative agreements with owners important resources to planning for of heritage area sites for historic preservation preservation, interpretation and the education of and interpretation purposes. Eventually, the future generations. National Park Service will construct an interpretive visitor center complex in the region to serve the needs of the park, heritage area, and THE NATIONAL PARK potentially other Cane River area partners. And SERVICE RELATIONSHIP finally, the heritage area complements Cane River Creole National Historical Park by The National Park Service, when created in 1916, providing a dynamic context of living cultures was identified as the federal agency responsible and historic landscapes that set the stage for the for preserving natural and historic resources that exceptional stories of the Cane River to unfold.

8

HERITAGE TOURISM

Travel and tourism is big business in America. Heritage tourism offers many economic and In 1998 this industry accounted for more than social benefits to local communities that work $500 billion in the U.S. economy, directly to take advantage of this market. supported more than 7 million jobs, and indirectly supported another 9.2 million jobs • Heritage tourism can help to diversify the (National Trust 1999). In a survey conducted local economy by helping create and by the Travel Industry Association of America expand local businesses such as lodging, during August 1998, the association discovered restaurants, and retail stores. that 31% (62.6 million) of the 199.8 million U.S. • Increased tourist expenditures for meals, adult travelers included visits to a historic site lodging, and gifts can be the return on as part of their trips. investing in historic preservation that enables property owners to restore and “Traveling to historic and cultural attractions maintain the historic fabric of a to learn about the past in an enjoyable way” is community. how the National Trust for Historic Preserva- • Property owners who restore and tion describes heritage tourism. The adaptively reuse historic properties may development of heritage tourism as a distinct realize some property tax savings under market niche has been increasing in the 1990s. Louisiana's Historic Preservation Program, To discover information about this market the which seeks to encourage historic Travel Industry Association of America preservation and restoration. In addition, completed its first nationwide study of the local preservation efforts fostered by a cultural and historic travel market in August community's heritage tourism industry will 1997. This study was based on a monthly often result in increased property values survey of 20,000 households from all across that benefit individual property owners the country. Over an entire year, 240,000 and the community. households were contacted. The results • Preservation of a community's unique identified heritage travelers as a group as character is one of the more important side having some interesting characteristics. benefits of heritage tourism. Heritage tourism can help build community pride • Heritage travelers spend, on average, $615 per and improve the quality of life in a trip compared to $425 for all U.S. travelers. community. • Heritage travelers stay an average of 4.7 • Heritage tourism is also popular with nights away from home compared to 3.3 people and local communities because it is nights for all U.S. travelers. a relatively clean and sustainable industry. • Heritage travelers are more likely to make There are no belching smokestacks, shopping a part of their trip (45% compared dangerous chemicals, or other hazardous to 33% of the U.S. travelers). materials associated with tourism. • Heritage travelers are more likely to stay in a hotel, motel, or bed-and-breakfast (56% However, a successful heritage tourism pro- compared to 42% of the U.S. travelers). gram does not just happen. It requires the hard • Heritage travelers are twice as likely to take a work and cooperation of many individuals and group tour than the average traveler (7% the community as a whole. Associated with verses 3%). increased visitation are increased demands • Heritage travelers are slightly older than upon the local infrastructure. Improvements in other U.S. travelers and are more likely to roads, water supplies, and public services like have a post-graduate degree. police, fire, and emergency medical services all • June, July, and August are the most popular have to keep pace for the local tourism months for cultural or historic travel. industry to thrive. And above all, the local community must meet the challenge to protect

9 INTRODUCTION and preserve the cultural and historic environ- • Then, making the sites come alive creates the ment in the face of increased use by visitors. type of experiences that attract visitors. • Equally important is finding the right fit The National Heritage Trust for Historic between the community or region and Preservation has identified the following five tourism. Attracting tourists and providing for principles that make for a successful and their needs should be a positive aspect for sustainable heritage tourism program: both the visitor and the community. • Finally, collaboration between affected and • Focusing on the authenticity and quality of interested parties and agencies is necessary to the experience is what attracts visitors and provide for a successful and sustainable encourages them to make repeat visits. heritage tourism industry. If these five • Preserving and protecting resources provides principles are followed then the twin benefits the required base upon which to build a of heritage preservation and economic successful heritage tourism industry. improvement can be sustained through heritage tourism.

10 T HE P LAN AND I TS F OUNDATIONS

BACKGROUND

PLANNING HISTORY National Heritage Area in October 2001. This draft plan presented three planning The Cane River National Heritage Area approaches (alternatives A, B, C) for public Commission embarked upon a comprehensive consideration and received 30 days of public planning effort in late 1996. The commission review, including two public meetings and a wanted a visionary as well as a practical plan briefing for state agencies. that would set the foundation upon which this new heritage area would be developed. Following release of the draft plan, the community was very familiar with its proposals Planning for the heritage area has been a and many of the public’s concerns were collaborative effort of the Cane River National addressed in the draft plan. As a result, Heritage Area Commission, the National Park comments on the plan and attendance at the Service, the state of Louisiana, the city and last meetings were light. Comments were parish of Natchitoches, other heritage area focused on particular actions in one or more of partners, and the general public. the alternatives. One person voiced support for keeping most heritage area traffic on LA 1, and The planning effort took on many faces. another thought that camping facilities were Cultural landscapes of the heritage area were not needed in the Isle Brevelle/Cane River documented. Interviews with local residents Area. A couple other attendees voiced concern provided information about important ethno- about increasing public access on the river and graphic features of the region. The commission the potential for erosion of the riverbanks. At members held several planning workshops and the meeting with state agencies, the state throughout the planning effort were responsi- historic preservation office representative ble for representing the interests of their voiced support for alternative B. A representa- nominating organizations or agencies. Public tive of the Department of Transportation and meetings with Cane River communities and Development suggested future opportunities local agencies and organizations generated for state assistance and partnership on heritage many ideas and planning issues (refer to the area projects. Draft Management Plan and Environmental Assessment). Also, the planning team provided After reviewing public comments and briefings to state agencies in Baton Rouge. consulting with the commission, the National Park Service issued a Finding of No Significant Public involvement opportunities during the Impact (FONSI) on the Draft Management life of this planning effort were extensive, and Plan and Environmental Assessment. The meetings were well attended by heritage area FONSI included the agency decision to select a and Natchitoches residents. The effort slightly modified version of alternative B. This received much public interest and support. decision provides long-term general guidance There were eight meetings held at local for a management program that emphasizes churches and meeting halls at which the public partnerships and balances heritage asked questions and provided comments about preservation, education, and tourism goals. planning for the heritage area. Meeting The purpose in modifying alternative B by attendance ranged from about 10 to 70 people, including some elements of alternative C was depending on the location. to place a more realistic emphasis on heritage tourism and the role of economic development Analysis of resource information, public in achieving heritage preservation goals. The concerns, and planning concepts gathered plan presented in the next section is that during this process resulted in the publication selected alternative, with the modifications just of the Draft Management Plan and described, as well as other pertinent Environmental Assessment for Cane River components of the draft plan.

13 THE PLAN AND ITS FOUNDATIONS

This plan provides the commission and any planning and management priorities. The future management entity with comprehensive commission developed the following purpose guidance for managing the heritage area while statements for the heritage area. remaining general enough to provide flexibility as conditions change. This plan is an important The purposes of the Cane River National document for not only the commission, but Heritage Area are to also for all those who seek to become involved with the heritage area, such as partners, • Preserve, interpret, and enhance the participating sites, and potential funding cultural landscapes (including sources. Although the objective is for this plan archeological sites, natural features, and to be applicable for many years to come, structures) and conserve and interpret changing conditions may eventually require re- living cultures (including traditions, examination and revision of this plan for it to language, cuisine, religion, and festivals) remain useful. of the region.

The final step of planning for the heritage area • Interpret the frontier interactions was to develop an implementation program for between the American Indians, French, the selected alternative as directed in Public and Spanish, as exemplified by Los Adaes Law 103-449. Both the selected plan and and Fort St. Jean Baptiste and later the implementation program are presented in this American presence at Fort Jesup. document. The implementation program represents the result of numerous meetings • Interpret the unique plantation life that and discussions between the commission and developed in the Cane River area with the heritage area partners and provides an influence of free and enslaved Blacks and immediate guide for future heritage area Creoles of French, Spanish, African, and actions to preserve resources, conserve American Indian descent. traditions, and promote heritage tourism in the Cane River region. • Attract more tourists and bring economic benefits to all by promoting the heritage area to a local, regional, and national HERITAGE AREA PURPOSES audience.

One of the most important steps in the plan- For more information on purpose and ning process was clarifying the purposes of the significance of the heritage area, refer to Public heritage area. Purpose statements reflect the Law 103-449 and the Draft Management Plan reasons why Congress set the national heritage and Environmental Assessment. area aside and are closely tied to the legislation. They helped establish the foundation for

14

THE PLAN

CONCEPT programs must fully involve the local communities and landowners.” The management plan strives to guide the long-term stewardship of heritage area Early in planning, the commission identified resources by setting forth a balanced some of the key entities with which partner- partnership program of preservation, ships would be pursued to help implement the education, and tourism. The overall goal is to management plan proposals. These entities ensure that the qualities that make Cane River and the type of partnership assistance they National Heritage Area a national treasure might provide are discussed in the today will continue far into the future. To “Implementation through Partnerships” accomplish this, management actions will section. follow three major paths: (1) developing and maintaining a well-organized and funded Methods of accomplishing this partnership partnership in conservation, preservation, and will include the following objectives: research that will help ensure the long-term integrity of heritage resources, including • Continued representation on the traditions, landscapes, and structures; (2) commission/management entity of a cross- fostering public support and appreciation for section of active members of Cane River Cane River history and heritage area resources area communities and organizations who by providing quality educational and interpre- support the goals of the heritage area. tive services; and (3) providing support for and effectively marketing a full range of heritage • Active communication by the commission/ tourism opportunities that will help extend management entity of heritage area visitors’ stays in the region and encourage interests and activities with elected repeat visitation. For a graphic overview of the officials, the general public, landowners, plan, see The Plan map. and local and state agencies, organizations, and businesses to promote understanding, support, and partnership and to develop PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT cooperative solutions to achieve heritage THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS area goals.

Critical to both the initial and long-term • The development of a professional support success of the heritage area will be the staff that will provide major assistance to management entity’s ability to develop strong the commission in (1) locating funding partnerships and cooperative agreements with sources such as grants and donations, (2) landowners and the various community, developing and monitoring cooperative parish, and state organizations that are active agreements with property owners, (3) pro- in the preservation and promotion of heritage viding technical assistance to property area resources. The establishing legislation owners, (4) representing the commission emphasizes that the heritage area will be and heritage area in a variety of public and managed with a minimum of federal govern- professional forums, and (5) providing ment involvement. It further states that the ongoing coordination with partners on heritage area “is to be undertaken in heritage area projects. partnership with the state of Louisiana, the city of Natchitoches, local communities and settlements of the Cane River area, THE HERITAGE AREA BOUNDARY preservation organizations and private landowners, with full recognition that The heritage area boundary from the Boundary Concept map developed as part of

15 THE PLAN AND ITS FOUNDATIONS the establishing legislation was revised (see Cultural Landscape Protection Revised Boundary map). The revised boundary enlarges the heritage area from the 1994 Although much attention has been and will boundary that encompassed about 45,000 continue to focus on the protection of specific acres to about 116,000 acres – an increase of structures and artifacts, a major priority is the about 71,000 acres. This action is consistent documentation and protection of the heritage with the authority in the heritage area’s area’s cultural landscapes and traditions. establishing legislation that allows for the “Cultural Landscape Inventory and legislated boundary, which is identified as Assessment” (NPS 1997) identifies potentially approximate, to be revised as part of the significant landscapes within Natchitoches heritage area management plan. This decision Parish and provides an initial guide for is the result of considerable analysis and prioritizing future cultural landscape research discussion and received positive public review and protection efforts. Much of this through the draft plan and environmental inventory’s findings is discussed in the Draft assessment. Some advantages of expanding the Management Plan and Environmental heritage area boundary are as follows: Assessment. Other sources of information include oral histories and ethnographic • The revision aligns the boundary with major reports, which will further assist in identifying physical features that are easily identified on significant cultural resources and traditions the ground. The features include the Red associated with the area. (See Cultural River levee to the east, Interstate 49 to the Landscape Areas map.) west, the parish line to the south, and Water Well Road to the north (see the map). This The commission will develop partnerships resolves the problem of the arbitrary “1 mile with preservation, land trust, and other on either side of the river” designation, nonprofit organizations as well as local and which was difficult to see on the ground and state agencies to explore ways to protect cut through the middle of many properties. cultural landscapes and other natural and cultural resources, and in some cases improve • The expansion helps protect more of the public access to resources, especially the Cane significant cultural landscapes of the Cane River. Although the commission is prohibited River area identified in “The Cane River from acquiring property, these partnerships Creole [sic] National Heritage Area: Cultural might result in conservation easements, leases, Landscape Inventory and Assessment” (NPS fee-simple acquisition, or other methods that 1997) help ensure protection and enhanced visitor opportunities. Protection efforts will always • Landowners included in the heritage area involve the landowner and require landowner will have better access to financial and permission. technical assistance for resource preservation. All participation in heritage Based on research, a priority list of cultural area preservation actions will be voluntary. landscapes most in need of preservation Landowners will not be subject to new assistance will be developed. Priorities will be regulations. based on the landscape’s level of cultural significance and the type and level of threats to the integrity of that landscape. The RESOURCE PRESERVATION commission will then work in partnership with land trust organizations and local agencies to The Cane River National Heritage Area protect these landscapes and to develop a set Commission will work with landowners, of protocols to follow when addressing communities, institutions, and government landscape preservation issues. offices to document and protect the important natural, cultural, scenic, and recreational resources of the heritage area.

16

The Plan

Protection approaches may include conserva- Research Needs tion easements, particularly for lands along Cane River; the use of tax incentives to pre- There is an ongoing need for research on a serve landscapes (cultural and natural); or variety of subjects, primarily within the areas of more stringent zoning for lands with cultural archeology, history, and ethnography. The and natural values. heritage area commission will oversee a research program and will set priorities and In addition, the commission will work in part- periodically re-evaluate priorities in nership to develop educational programs and coordination with the research programs of curricula for area residents, especially for land- other partners, especially Cane River Creole owners and local primary and secondary National Historical Park. (See table 1 and school students, to meet the following appendix C.) objectives:

• Foster an awareness and appreciation of Technical and Financial Assistance the significant resource values of the heritage area. The heritage area will provide preservation • Develop an ethic that supports the assistance (technical information, financial or protection of the area’s heritage resources, in-kind support, etc.) to those properties that including cultural landscapes. are listed, or eligible for listing, on the National • Provide practical information on how to Register of Historic Places as funding and staff protect resource values and make sensitive are available. All assistance will meet the improvements to them. preservation standards set by the secretary of the interior. In this regard, the process of nominating properties in the heritage area to Conserving Cultural Traditions the national register will be encouraged. In addition, those properties already on the To document and help conserve the area’s national register will be reexamined to cultural traditions and lifeways, research determine if their cultural landscape projects and educational programs, including documentation is adequate. This process will an oral history program, will be pursued in be undertaken in consultation with the cooperation with partners. Also, the heritage Louisiana historic preservation office. area staff will help sponsor those cultural events that substantially support the goals of The commission, in developing priorities for the heritage area. The heritage area staff will preservation assistance, will consider the develop guidelines that organizations will be wishes of the various communities within the required to follow to receive heritage area heritage area. Certain areas in the heritage area, support. such as Isle Brevelle and Cloutierville, will be evaluated using criteria for national historic landmark districts, and if they are found Natural Resource Protection suitable, national historic landmark designation will be sought. An active liaison will be maintained with the natural resource agencies and organizations that have interest in or responsibility for VISITOR EXPERIENCE protecting natural resources in the heritage area. The purpose of such a liaison will be to Visitor experience goals were established to maintain awareness of natural resource issues help the commission and partners define within the heritage area, obtain assistance in actions that should be taken to ensure that interpreting the natural environment, and find visitors will have the opportunity to have ways to help heritage area residents protect specific experiences while visiting the region. and enhance their natural resource assets. The term “visitor” is a broad term relating to

23 THE PLAN AND ITS FOUNDATIONS the public at large and may include people of • experience views of the heritage area’s local, national, and international origin. cultural landscapes from a variety of Because of recent advancements in technology, perspectives, including from the roadway the term visitor can be applied to those who and river and from Kisatchie National visit the heritage area in person or through Forest advanced technologies such as the Internet. Although each visitor may visit the heritage • experience local traditions through visiting area in different ways, the visitor experience local public places, events, and festivals goals help establish the desired range of opportunities that the visitor might have. Marketing Visitors to the heritage area and vicinity will A comprehensive marketing strategy will be • have the opportunity to plan their trip developed that will (1) identify and target key based on the abundance of information audiences and (2) facilitate the preparation and available on the heritage area distribution of information that will encourage visitors to come and assist them in planning a • be able to easily locate the heritage area visit. and navigate to and through its landscapes and sites • The heritage area commission will work with the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission • be able to obtain convenient quality and other groups to ensure that brochures lodging, food services, and shopping in the and other media about the Natchitoches/ area Cane River region include up-to-date information about the heritage area. • feel welcome, want to extend their stay, and recommend visiting the heritage area • Heritage area brochures will be available at to others heritage area sites and visitor facilities as well as at tourist centers throughout the state. • gain a fundamental understanding and These brochures will help provide a compre- appreciation of the area’s significance hensive overview of the area’s significance, through information and programs that sites, and visitor opportunities. are based on the heritage area’s themes and stories • General information on the heritage area and its opportunities will be distributed through • gain a greater appreciation and the Internet, information centers at airports understanding of the various cultural and highways, and through informational groups in the heritage area and their mailers prepared in cooperation with the unique stories and contributions tourist commission.

• experience a variety of programs that • The heritage area commission will work in would appeal to people with diverse partnership with the appropriate agencies interests, ages, backgrounds, learning and organizations to develop information styles, and abilities. Ensure that these packages that will be customized to the age programs are consistent, complimentary, and interests of various targeted groups (such and compatible among the Cane River as schools, senior citizens, singles, and special Creole National Historical Park, the state interest groups) and for conferences and historic sites, and other historic properties cultural events.

24 The Plan

• The heritage area will serve as a clearing- Area Chamber of Commerce, the Louisiana house to coordinate and standardize the Technical College, and others. The purpose literature about historic properties in the will be to help ensure high quality hospitality heritage area. to visitors by training frontline service providers, such as restaurant workers, gas • The commission will encourage heritage- station attendants, and lodging workers. The area-related product sales that carry the training will help them understand the area’s heritage area logo or “brand.” Products with history and the opportunities available to this logo will meet criteria that ensure quality visitors and enable them to answer standard and authenticity. This may be accomplished visitor questions. The training can be done through cooperation with an existing through a variety of media, and successful nonprofit organization or a future friends completion can be recognized by group. certification.

Visitor Information and Wayfinding Visitor Facilities

A system of information and services will be Cane River Creole National Historical Park developed to help visitors locate and identify will proceed in obtaining funding for and heritage sites and activities. developing a joint regional visitor center and headquarters in the Natchitoches / Cane River • A directional and informational sign program region, outside the Natchitoches National will be developed. Signs will be placed at key Historic Landmark District. The Cane River locations to welcome visitors and direct them National Heritage Area Commission will to sites and facilities. Sign development and participate in its planning, development and placement will be coordinated with federal, funding and will have a presence in that state, and local agencies and organizations to facility. Consistent with the partnership prevent duplication and clutter and to ensure approach, the facility may also be shared by accuracy. other entities that have a role in providing visitor services and/or have public stewardship • The commission will develop an official logo responsibilities for natural and cultural or symbol for the heritage area. The logo will resources of the Cane River region. Such provide a quickly recognizable image on entities may include the U.S. Forest Service signs, banners, and publications that will (Kisatchie National Forest), the U.S. Fish and guide visitors in identifying heritage area Wildlife Service (Red River National Wildlife resources and events. Refuge), the state of Louisiana (state historic sites, state museum), the chamber of • The commission will help coordinate commerce, and the tourist commission. heritage area site brochures in order to provide a consistent message about the This center will provide a regional information heritage area. facility that will orient visitors to the region and provide an overview of the area’s heritage, • The feasibility of developing a repeating its resources, the ongoing efforts to protect radio broadcast message for tourists entering and preserve those resources, places to visit, or traveling through the area to help them and upcoming events and activities. Visitors locate and learn about the area’s attractions will have access to basic services and a variety and special events will be analyzed. of interpretive opportunities through audiovisual programs, interpretive exhibits, • The commission will develop the content for and demonstrations. A visit to a facility like this hospitality training that can be conducted by will likely take 15 to 60 minutes. Planning for the tourist commission, Northwestern State this center and its services will remain flexible University of Louisiana, the Natchitoches to accommodate potential partnerships. The

25 THE PLAN AND ITS FOUNDATIONS facility’s program will likely require the actions. For example, this new interpretive following spaces and services: plan will refine and expand upon the commission’s interpretive themes, present a • an area for orienting visitors to the Cane unified approach to telling the region’s stories, River region help coordinate the efforts of the heritage area • an area equipped for interpretive sites, and address media needs, including demonstrations personal services. • an assembly and staging area for tours • a place for viewing audiovisual materials The following are the general interpretation • housing and security for temporary exhibits program actions of this management plan. • facilities to provide for visitor needs, such as restrooms, telephones, water fountains, and • Different tours will be offered using a first aid variety of methods and formats, such as • office space for heritage area and park staff general tours with different timeframes; and possibly others theme- or subject-specific multisite tours, such as “the frontier experience,” “planta- Visitor orientation services will also be needed tion lifeways,” or “the Red River Campaign at other locations in the region due to the size of the Civil War”; and tours using different of the heritage area and the different points at transportation modes, such as walking, which visitors will enter the area. These bicycle, car, boat, and bus tours. outlying orientation services will help ensure that most visitors will have some access to • The feasibility of packaging separate tours heritage area information. This orientation can for “cluster” areas within the heritage area be accomplished through the use of existing will be explored. For example, an inter- visitor service facilities in the region and pretive tour can potentially be developed through the development of new facilities. As for the Badin-Roque House, St. Augustine partnerships evolve, a variety of opportunities Catholic Church, and Melrose Plantation, to accomplish this secondary level of and another can be developed for the Kate orientation services will be identified. Chopin House, Cloutierville, and Mag- nolia Plantation. Another tour can include Oakland Plantation, Beau Fort Plantation, Interpretation and St. Charles Church.

As noted earlier, making the sites come alive • Seminars on heritage area history and arts creates the type of experiences that attract will be sponsored for children, teachers, visitors. It also is key to building a constituency students, and adults. that understands and supports the heritage area. Interpretation and education are the • The heritage area will work in partnership avenues by which the heritage area commis- with local museums and interpretive sion will strive to achieve this. Early in the centers to develop exhibits and programs planning process the commission identified on heritage area topics. broad interpretive themes that would be the basis of interpretive information and programs • The joint regional visitor center will developed for the public. These themes are include interpretive services about the presented in appendix D. heritage area, emphasizing the major

interpretive themes and stories, through a The Cane River National Heritage Area variety of media and programs (see Commission recently funded the development “Visitor Facilities,” below). of the master interpretive plan for the heritage area. This interpretive plan will provide more • The commission will pursue development detailed guidance for an interpretive program of a system of pull-offs and interpretive that is consistent with the management plan waysides, primarily along Cane River, to

26 The Plan

provide safe and relaxing opportunities for • The primary route to access the heritage area, visitors to see the scenery and learn about especially for buses and recreational vehicles the area’s history between major stops. (RVs), will be LA 1 (see Access and Circulation Routes map). The commission • The commission will work with federal will pursue the widening of those roads that and state land management agencies to connect LA 1 with the river roads (specifically interpret the region’s natural environment, LA 119 at Natchez, LA 494 at Cypress, LA 493 especially the complex Red River Valley at Montrose, and LA 478) to ensure that ecosystem and the significant influence it oversize vehicles can pass safely. has had on the cultural development of the Cane River region. • The rural roads that connect major heritage area sites and follow the Cane River (such as LA 494 and LA 119) will be recommended as Volunteer Services an alternative scenic route for visitors who have more time to spend in the area. The The commission will work with other agencies heritage area commission will encourage and organizations that rely on volunteer improvements to the surface of these services to develop a coordinated volunteer roadways, such as repairing asphalt and program. The program will strive to increase improving road shoulders, but not widening. the number of volunteers, pool volunteer resources, and organize the assignment of • The heritage area partnership will develop volunteers to where they are most needed strategies to manage traffic and parking (special events, festivals, school programs, during festivals, special events, and heavy etc.). The state historic sites and national visitation periods to help make visits more historical park units will be key participants. pleasant for visitors and to reduce impacts on residents and resources.

Recreation • The commission will work with the parish to encourage designation of bicycle routes on The heritage area commission will support the existing roads. development and availability of recreational opportunities that will complement the rural • The heritage area commission will work and historical character of the heritage area. cooperatively with the private sector and The emphasis will be on increasing other partners to develop a shuttle service opportunities for visitors to view the river and that can provide transportation for visitors access the river’s edge. This may include between places such as the joint visitor riverside trails, picnicking, and interpretive facility, the historic district, heritage area waysides and more opportunities for non- sites, transportation nodes, and lodging sites. motorized boating. Scenic byway designation, If such an operation can eventually be bicycle trails or routes, and other types of trails funded, the route and shuttle stops would be will also be supported. determined at that time.

• To help market the heritage area as a scenic TRANSPORTATION, rural driving experience, an investigation will CIRCULATION, AND LINKS be made into the feasibility of designating a route through the heritage area as an official The heritage area commission will work scenic byway. proactively with state and local agencies and others to maintain the rural character of the • The commission will work with local road system while improving access to the agencies and landowners to pursue develop- area. ment of pull-offs and accompanying wayside exhibits primarily along the Cane River.

27 THE PLAN AND ITS FOUNDATIONS

Developing pull-offs will help accomplish support staff that will be the primary several objectives. They will serve as places implementers of the management plan. for slow-moving cars to pull off and allow • Obtain funding that can provide seed faster traffic to pass, which will help alleviate money to seek out other funding sources, the pressure to widen the traditionally such as donations and grants. narrow rural roadways. Pull-offs will also • Enable the heritage area to begin tackling make the heritage area more accessible to critically needed projects to protect visitors by providing additional sites where resources and demonstrate commitment to visitors can become oriented to the area, see other partners and funding sources. the resources, and learn about their history. • Pursue other potential funding sources They also will be potential places for picnic such as state, regional, and local agencies, tables and public access to the river. private foundations, and philanthropic groups. • Maintain the amount of funding available SITE ADDITIONS TO for the commission’s ongoing grants THE HERITAGE AREA program. Grants to individuals and organizations are available in the Sites in the Natchitoches National Historic categories of research, historic Landmark District (see Natchitoches map) can preservation, and development. be included in the heritage area through cooperative agreements. Sites outside of the heritage area and historic district that want to STAFFING ESTIMATES be included will have to pursue federal legislation. Sites seeking inclusion into the The following staffing plan will provide the heritage area will need to meet the first commission with the basic administrative criterion and at least one of the last three support necessary to ensure that the proposals criteria: in this plan can be pursued and implemented. Contracted services or other staff positions • The property is or will be made open to the (including term positions) may be considered public for a minimum of 12 days a year. as the program matures, more funding sources • The property is listed on or is eligible for are found, and specific needs arise. For listing on the National Register of Historic example, professional support in planning and Places. landscape architecture may be needed to help • The property represents one or more of the implement parts of the plan, and additional heritage area interpretive themes. staff may be needed to assist in staffing the • The property has an important ethnographic joint visitor center. association with one of the heritage area cultural groups. • executive director • administrative assistant • management assistant FUNDING • program manager – grants • program manager – projects The commission’s goal is to obtain federal • interns (two) funding on a level comparable to the funding currently being provided by Congress to other The executive director will (1) report directly national heritage areas. Funding objectives to the commission, (2) represent the commis- include the following: sion in various public capacities, (3) provide the key leadership in implementing the • Obtain adequate base funding to enable heritage area management plan, and (4) the hiring and retention of a professional supervise other heritage area staff. The

28

The Plan management team will form the core of the Plan and Environmental Assessment. They were financial and technical assistance program and general costs used to compare the alternatives. will consist of individuals who will have Please refer to the draft plan for more responsibility for grant writing, grants information about those estimates. For future administration, heritage preservation, and planning and budgetary purposes, the outreach programs. commission/managing entity and other lead partners will develop more detailed cost estimates that will better reflect the specific COSTS requirements of implementing this plan.

Cost estimates were developed for the planning alternatives in the Draft Management

33 P LAN I MPLEMENTATION

IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

Many agencies and organizations are, or currently or which they have the potential to have expressed interest in, working with the in the future: heritage area commission to further the goals of the heritage area. Most groups remain cautious in making commitments Cane River Waterway Commission until the extent of the commission’s and National Park Service’s commitment is The commission, appointed by the state, has understood. The following is a discussion an important role to play in the overall about partnership roles based on the current management of the upper Cane River. Their understanding of the resources and partnership will be important in helping expertise available through these various maintain good water quality, promoting agencies and organizations. For more river friendly activities and sports, specific partnership projects that are part of protecting natural and cultural landscape the implementation program, see table 1. values along the riverbanks; and helping provide more public access to the river, including accompanying support facilities THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ROLE such as docks and parking.

The long-term protection or loss of the visible heritage of the Cane River National City of Natchitoches Heritage Area will be affected by the land use decisions made by local government. The mayor’s office is very supportive of Ultimately, local government can and must finding ways to promote the special qualities be one of the primary partners in protecting of the area and the opportunities available to and enhancing the heritage area. Local the visiting public. The city does and will government can make great strides in play an important role in helping promote helping protect the area’s heritage while the area through various media. The city also enhancing economic opportunities. Local plays an important role in supporting planning and land management initiatives, preservation activities, and this support will when sensitively combined with economic continue. The city may be a key player in incentives, can help ensure a quality helping identify appropriate sites for a future environment for its residents and visitors. regional visitor center and in helping to Some of the areas in which local government provide services to that facility. Since the can assist include helping maintain scenic heritage area office was established at the and cultural landscapes; providing outdoor Roque House in 1999, the city has provided recreation opportunities; working with utility services. Given the concentration of other agencies to achieve shared goals in tourism activities in the historic landmark areas of land use planning, tourism, and district and the many special events held in transportation; and keeping the heritage town, the city can play an important role in area commission informed of local issues improving traffic management and public that are important to the future of the transportation opportunities in the region. heritage area. Also, the commission can help The city and heritage area commission will find resources for local governments to help work to coordinate planning for recreational achieve mutual goals. trails in the heritage area and the city (historic landmark district recreational trails Some of the most immediately important project). local agencies are listed below with the types of partnership assistance they participate in

37 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

Natchitoches Area traffic flow through the area, and helping Chamber of Commerce improve traffic regulation and parking during special events. The chamber will have the ongoing role of promoting the area to potential businesses and assisting local businesses to become Natchitoches Parish Planning established and successful. and Zoning Commission

The planning commission will be a key Natchitoches Historic agency in helping conduct project reviews. District Commission They also can be key in helping develop strategies to protect natural and cultural The historic district commission is helping resources and landscapes in the heritage oversee the protection of the historic area to help ensure that the “heritage area” landmark district and the many resources status can be retained for the long term. integrally linked to the themes and stories of Such strategies may include tax incentives, the Cane River National Heritage Area. The land use zoning, and design and suitability two commissions are working together to guidelines. blend preservation values with ongoing community events. The historic district commission may have a role in helping to Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission locate tourist facilities, developing historic landmark district tours, and supporting The tourist commission has always played a efforts to improve traffic conditions, key role in helping to promote and market including alternative transportation. The tourism activities, with more than $80,000 historic district commission will be annually going toward promotions. They instrumental in efforts to regulate the tour will continue to have this role, and the industry in Natchitoches. heritage area site personnel and commission will work with them to help collect, coordi- nate, and distribute information about heri- Natchitoches Parish Police Jury tage area sites and activities. The tourist commission could participate in a joint The police jury will be a major player in the regional visitor center. The commission heritage area partnership due to its role of could assist in developing and promoting overseeing the management of the parish. tours and alternative transportation systems; The police jury may be key in helping to help explore the establishment of a scenic identify a future site for a regional visitor byway in the area; and support the develop- center and provide services to that facility. ment of additional regional bike and walking The police jury will be important in trails. conducting project reviews. They can be key supporters and implementers of strategies to protect natural and cultural resources and THE ROLE OF LOCAL SCHOOLS landscapes in the heritage area to help ensure the “heritage area” status can be Schools ultimately play a huge role in retained for a long term. Such strategies helping preserve a region’s heritage over the might include tax incentives, land use long term, because children who understand zoning, and design and suitability guidelines. their history, choices, and responsibilities The police jury also could play a key role in are irreplaceable assets to their community. addressing various transportation and access Local schools will be a forum of heritage issues, such as improving public access to area activities, and teachers, principals, and Cane River, supporting establishment of a university administrators and faculty are all scenic byway, developing additional bike important players. Heritage, environmental, routes, helping improve road conditions and

38 Implementation through Partnerships and outdoor education programs and ƒ helping develop design and suitability activities are among the obvious potential guidelines for the heritage area areas of cooperation; others include ƒ providing technical assistance programs to develop student skills in oral history programs, archival and historic One of the educational programs sponsored preservation, and environmental problem by Northwestern State University is the solving. Other areas of cooperation could annual Folk Festival, which is centered on include ethnic celebrations and festivals; local cultures. In addition, Northwestern community clean-up projects; river State University provides space on campus recreation events; and other volunteer for the Louisiana Creole Heritage Center programs such as the junior rangers. and the NPS National Center for Preserva- tion Technology and Training. The uni- School organizations that the commission versity has given the heritage area matching will strive to coordinate activities with will funds, staff, and equipment for several major be the following: archeological and ethnographic projects, including an archeological study at Fort Jesup and the publication of an ethno- The Natchitoches Parish School Board graphic study, “We Know Who We Are” (Gregory and Moran 1996). The Cane River The heritage area commission and the National Heritage Area master interpretive school board will work toward establishing plan is being conducted in cooperation with cooperative agreements to develop educa- the university. tional and research projects, programs, and seminars about the heritage area. Schools and the heritage area commission could THE ROLE OF THE collaborate on developing informational/ PRIVATE SECTOR curriculum packages on heritage area history and resources. The private sector is everything from busi- ness and industry to nonprofit organizations such as historic preservation, conservation, Northwestern State and civic groups. Without private-sector University of Louisiana (NSU) investment in heritage area projects, it is unlikely that the goals and objectives of the The park and heritage area will continue to heritage area can ever be fully met. benefit from the assistance of local universi- ties. The proximity of Northwestern State University and its affiliated scholars The Business Community provides a much-needed source for scho- larly research and assistance on heritage area The business sector can be instrumental in subjects such as anthropology, archeology, helping revitalize its community. Business history, historic preservation, curation, people know that good schools, effective tourism, recreation, and natural resource planning, good transportation, and a management. Through cooperative agree- beautiful and healthy environment are ments between the heritage area and uni- important for attracting quality businesses versities such as Northwestern State Uni- and good-paying jobs. Natchitoches versity, the following efforts will be possible: businesses can enter into partnerships with other businesses, organizations, and agen- ƒ developing a coordinated research cies to help achieve mutual goals. They can program help develop an effective tourism strategy ƒ conducting an oral history program and sponsor alternative transportation ƒ helping develop and conduct modes, such as shuttles, tour boats, and educational programs and seminars bicycle routes; provide frontline hospitality

39 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION services to the visiting public; and cooperate Some of the largest trusts are national in in helping stimulate commercial center their scope and are involved in many other activity. Architecture and engineering firms associated conservation activities, such as can provide expertise in preservation, creating forums for education, providing communications, planning, design, and technical assistance, and working to construction. influence public policy. Already the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been significantly involved in conducting Historic Preservation Organizations educational forums in Natchitoches on heritage area preservation. Examples of The strongest partners that the heritage area other trusts that could provide a source of currently has are the local preservation assistance include the Louisiana Chapter of groups – the Association for the The Nature Conservancy, the American Preservation of Historic Natchitoches, the Farmland Trust, the Conservation Fund, Natchitoches Historic Foundation, Inc., and and the Trust for Public Lands. Museum Contents, Inc. These groups have helped or are helping to restore and preserve a variety of resources, including the Other Organizations Kate Chopin House, Melrose Plantation, Magnolia Plantation, and several sites in the Many other types of community clubs and historic landmark district. These groups also organizations can contribute significantly to will participate in preserving local heritage the multiple objectives of heritage area by helping sponsor educational seminars on management. These groups can bring heritage area topics, supporting efforts to energy, commitment, imagination, funding, improve traffic conditions and parking, and expertise to a variety of projects. especially during special events, and helping Recently the Ben D. Johnson Educational package tours and activities. Also, the St. Foundation provided matching funds, Augustine Historical Society is involved in a space, and technical assistance for an oral project restoring the Badin-Roque House, history project. The Friends of the Old and the Service League of Natchitoches has Courthouse Museum donated matching donated more than 1,000 hours of volunteer funds, staff, and space for two educational time to restoration projects. children’s programs. Some other organiza- tions are the Black Heritage Committee, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Land Trusts Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, Inc., and the Louisiana Chapter of the American Land trusts are nonprofit conservation Society of Landscape Architects. organizations that assist in protecting land. They do this either by acquisition of the land through gift or purchase or by acceptance of THE STATE GOVERNMENT ROLE a conservation easement on the land. Land trusts work closely with willing landowners The state of Louisiana will play a major role to help them develop a voluntary plan for in the success of the heritage area. In the conserving their land. A land trust’s flexi- Second Extraordinary Session of 2001, the bility and techniques can be tailored to the state legislature passed a resolution desig- needs of private landowners with conserva- nating Cane River National Heritage Area as tion interests. Land trusts also provide a a state heritage area. This designation is an nonpolitical alternative to government important opportunity to expand on and agencies. Conserving open spaces through a deepen the current partnership. land trust may also provide substantial tax benefits for the contributor. Most land Also, there are three state historic sites in the trusts are locally founded and operate on a heritage area and a state museum site in the local or regional level.

40 Implementation through Partnerships historic landmark district. The state also Louisiana State Museum, Department oversees various programs and funding of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism sources that could contribute to the accomplishment of various heritage area The museum exists to preserve, present, and objectives. promote the state’s cultural heritage. It does this primarily through exhibitions and special events. The state museum purchased Louisiana Division of Archaeology, Office the Old Courthouse Museum in Natchi- of Cultural Development, Department of toches in 1998. The museum’s partnership Culture, Recreation and Tourism role will be providing occasional educational and interpretive opportunities that highlight This office provides technical assistance themes and stories associated with the Cane with recording and protecting sites on River National Heritage Area. Since 2000, private or state property through the the heritage area has partnered with the regional archeology program. To protect museum on two children’s programs that resources, this office implements state and focus on the culture and history of the Cane federal environmental laws and guidelines River region. The museum is also a potential and has a very active role in providing partner in the regional visitor center. project guidance and review of plans that affect the character and integrity of archeological resources within the heritage Louisiana State Parks and Historic Sites, area. In addition, this office is a source of Department of Culture, Recreation and educational materials for teachers. Tourism

Fort Jesup, Fort St. Jean Baptiste, and Los Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Adaes are state historic sites and are also Cultural Development, Department of designated heritage area sites. These sites Culture, Recreation and Tourism have established programs for resource protection and visitor services. They will The Louisiana Division of the Arts was play an important partnership role by created in 1977 to support established and helping provide quality interpretive emerging nonprofit arts institutions, to assist programs and events for the public about individual artists, and to stimulate public important heritage area themes. For participation in the arts. Each year it awards example, the state has committed funding about $5 million in grants to support activi- for major expansion of Los Adaes inter- ties that affect every parish in Louisiana. pretive facilities and for a new visitor center These public funds are provided by the at Ft. St. Jean Baptiste. These historic sites Louisiana legislature and the National will participate in providing information and Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). orientation to the heritage area, and in The two principal grants programs of the providing information and program division are the Louisiana Decentralized exchanges with other heritage area sites; Arts Funding Program and the Statewide they could also participate in the regional Arts Grants Program. In addition to its role visitor center. Their staff will participate in a as a grant maker, the Louisiana Division of coordinated volunteer program for the the Arts serves as a trainer, clearinghouse, heritage area and be a potential source of and advocate for the arts and folk traditions technical assistance to other heritage area of Louisiana. The division recently gave sites. funds to the heritage area for a heritage area history workshop and heritage demonstra- tions of storytelling, folkways, and other local art forms.

41 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

Division of Historic Preservation, Office and Development. The heritage area of Cultural Development, Department of commission will coordinate with this Culture, Recreation and Tourism department regarding road signs, road improvements, safety issues, and wayside This office is also known as the state historic pull-offs. This department also oversees the preservation office. It does and will continue Transportation Enhancement Program, to play an important role in planning for and which includes the funds allocated to the protecting historic resources in the heritage state through the TEA-21 program. The area. The office prepares and revises TEA-21 program could be an important nominations of properties to the National source of project funding. See the discussion Register of Historic Places, and recently has about the TEA-21 program under the completed the nominations of the two Cane Federal Highway Administration. Finally, River Creole National Historical Park units this office is responsible for the construction to the national historic landmark program. and maintenance of state rest areas along To protect resources, this office implements interstate highways. A new rest area is being state and federal environmental laws and planned within the heritage area, where LA guidelines, including the Secretary of the 478 intersects I-49. The heritage area, the Interior’s Guidelines for Historic Preserva- park, and the city of Natchitoches are tion, and has a very active role in providing cooperating with state Department of project guidance and review of plans that Transportation and Development in the affect the character and integrity of historic planning process. The heritage area and the properties within the heritage area. This park will have an informational presence in office also provides technical assistance and the new facility. incentive programs of grants and tax benefits to help owners protect historic buildings. Finally, it oversees the Louisiana Louisiana Department of Main Street Program, which is very active in Wildlife and Fisheries the Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District. This department conducts biological research and oversees statewide manage- ment of wildlife and wildlife habitat, Louisiana Department of including fisheries. It is responsible for Environmental Quality enforcing state laws to protect fish and wildlife resources and boating safety This department works to ensure that regulations, as well as federal regulations Louisiana citizens have a clean and healthy pertaining to migratory birds and environment. The department provides endangered species. It also has a role of environmental assistance and oversees providing educational opportunities and permit applications, conducts inspections of technical advice about the conservation of permitted activities, monitors air and water wildlife resources and outdoor recreation quality, and is involved with the remediation skills. of contamination in the environment. This agency must be consulted when actions are planned or taken that can impact the quality THE FEDERAL of the environment. GOVERNMENT ROLE

Federal legislation created the national Louisiana Department of heritage area and a federal management Transportation and Development entity, the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission, to oversee the initial Most of the roads in the heritage area are planning for and establishment of the area. state roads, which are maintained by the The secretary of the interior remains Louisiana Department of Transportation

42 Implementation through Partnerships responsible for appointing (renewing or repair, etc.) plans. Also, the commission may replacing) members of the commission until be able to obtain the center’s assistance in the commission is terminated. The federal future efforts to develop education pro- government is a source of funds and grams for landowners and others about resources that can be used to help leverage preserving cultural landscapes and other public and private investment in the structures. heritage area. In addition, the federal government provides professional expertise and oversight regarding compliance with Historic American Buildings Survey/ federal laws, regulations, guidelines, and Historic American Engineering policies. Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey, National Park Service

Cane River Creole National Historical The Historic American Buildings Survey/ Park, National Park Service Historic American Engineering Record/ Historic American Landscapes Survey The most important federally owned and (HABS/HAER/HALS) are programs that managed part of the heritage area is Cane document important architectural, River Creole National Historical Park, a unit engineering, and industrial sites and signifi- of the national park system. The superin- cant landscapes throughout the United tendent of the park represents the director States and its territories. A complete set of of the National Park Service and is a voting HABS/HAER/HALS documentation con- member of the heritage area commission. sists of measured drawings, large-format The park will be a major player in working photographs, and written history. This with the heritage area to (1) develop and staff documentation plays a key role in accom- a regional visitor center, (2) coordinate a plishing the mission of creating an archive of comprehensive research program on the American architecture, engineering, and history of the Cane River region, (3) enter into landscape architecture, and in better under- cooperative agreements with owners of standing what historic resources tell us heritage area sites for historic preservation about America's diverse ethnic and cultural and interpretation, (4) provide technical and heritage. HABS/HAER/HALS collections financial assistance for preservation and are archived at the Library of Congress, education projects, (5) help disseminate where they are made available to the public. information about the area to the public, and (6) help ensure that federal actions being undertaken with the heritage area comply Historic Landscape Initiative, with applicable laws and guidelines. National Park Service

The Historic Landscape Initiative provides The National Center for guidance to accomplish sound preservation Preservation Technology and of a variety of landscapes, from parks and Training, National Park Service gardens to rural villages and agricultural landscapes. In partnership with federal and This facility, on the campus of Northwestern state agencies, professional organizations, State University of Louisiana in and colleges and universities, the Historic Natchitoches, has a mandate to provide Landscape Initiative develops and historic preservation technical assistance disseminates guidelines for significant and training on a nationwide scale. The historic landscape preservation; produces commission currently has and will continue innovative tools to raise the awareness of the to have occasional opportunities to draw on general public; organizes and conducts the expertise of this center’s staff and training symposia and workshops; and resources for assistance in developing and provides technical assistance for significant reviewing preservation (rehabilitation, properties and districts.

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National Historic Landmarks Other key federal agencies include the Program, National Park Service following:

The National Park Service also oversees the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. National Historic Landmarks Program, a Department of Transportation. This program that identifies and designates for agency administers section 4f of the protection buildings, structures, sites, and Transportation Act, which protects federally objects of national significance. Through designated recreation or historical lands this program the National Park Service can under certain circumstances from federal assist landowners of landmark properties highway project impacts and administers and landowners can obtain income tax funds for grants for highway and bikeway incentives and federal grants. projects. Probably the most significant program administered by the Federal Highway Administration that has the The Rivers and Trails potential to help the heritage area is the Conservation Assistance Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Program, National Park Service Century (TEA-21). This program apportions transportation funds to the states that can be The Rivers and Trails Conservation used for a wide variety of projects, including Assistance Program is part of the external road and bridge improvements; the national technical assistance arm of the National scenic byways program; pedestrian and Park Service. Assistance from this program is bicycle trail development or improvement; available to state and local governments, assistance in funding alternative transit nonprofit organizations, and citizen groups. systems and alternative fuel vehicles; scenic Types of assistance can range from helping and historic restoration (including the communities address problems of environ- acquisition of scenic easements or historic mental degradation and loss of community sites or the rehabilitation of historic railroad character to the enhancement of recrea- facilities); scenic or historic highway tional programs and the development of programs (including the provision of tourist trails. and welcome center facilities); signs; and more. Louisiana’s apportionment of the approximately $216 billion national program Other Federal Agencies (for 1998–2003) is approximately $416 million. The federal legislation establishing the heritage area requires any federal agency U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. conducting or supporting activities directly Department of Interior. The Fish and affecting the heritage area to (1) consult with Wildlife Service collects data and produces the secretary of the interior and the com- studies in coordination with federal devel- mission with respect to implementing their opment programs, often involving the Corps proposed actions, and (2) to the maximum of Engineers; oversees the endangered extent practicable, coordinate such activities species program; and administers various with the commission to minimize potential programs for the protection of wildlife impacts on the resources of the heritage habitat. This agency also is a source of area. technical assistance to landowners and the community, as is the Louisiana Department The congressional direction also requires of Wildlife and Fisheries. that the commission take affirmative action to determine the effect of federal activities The possible location of a unit of the Red on the heritage area. As the representative of River National Wildlife Refuge in or the secretary, the National Park Service will adjacent to the heritage area would open key assist in this compliance process. partnership opportunities for the enhanced management of wildlife and native habitat,

44 Implementation through Partnerships as well as for environmental education and information and technical assistance to local interpretive programs for the local districts. community and the visiting public. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Department of Defense. The Vicksburg Agriculture. This agency manages the District of the Corps of Engineers has been Kisatchie National Forest, which is adjacent involved with flood protection projects in to the heritage area. The agency strives to the heritage area and can give local com- wisely manage the natural and cultural munities technical assistance on waterway resources of the forest and provide visitors projects. The corps also oversees the Clean with quality interpretive and outdoor Water Act’s section 404 permitting process recreational opportunities. Its partnership for actions that involve discharges of could fall into several areas, including dredged or fill material in waters of the sharing visitor facility space; providing United States. Also, the Corps of Engineers technical assistance; helping distribute is in the process of constructing a new information about the heritage area to the visitor center on the bluffs above the Red public; providing programs about the area’s River at Grand Ecore. This facility could natural history (longleaf pine bioregion) and contribute to educational and interpretive cultural history (life and lumbering in the programming concerning the ecology of the Kisatchie hills); and providing additional Red River region. camping facilities. Environmental Protection Agency. This Natural Resource Conservation Service agency sets standards for clean air and water (formerly Soil Conservation Service), U.S. programs that are managed by the states. It Department of Agriculture. This agency also manages priorities and funding to states administers several programs to help for the Superfund cleanup program and landowners conserve, improve, and sustain assists in funding for water pollution natural resources and the environment. It cleanup. provides environmental education

45

IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION • Museum Contents, Inc. • Natchitoches Historic Foundation (NHF) The implementation program below is an action guide that the commission/managing Natchitoches Parish entity and heritage area partners will be • Natchitoches Parish Library (NPL) following in the future to help make the • Natchitoches Parish Police Jury (NPPJ) management plan a reality. It represents the • Natchitoches Parish School Board culmination of many discussions and (School Board) meetings among the commission, its staff, and • Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Department heritage area partners. As a strategy it is (Sheriff) subject to change, but it provides the best • Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission guide at this point in time for future (NPTC) implementation steps. As these implementation steps are accomplished, new National Park Service (NPS) projects will be identified. • Cane River Creole National Historical Park (CARI) This program is the final step in completing • Historic American Buildings Survey the commission’s legislative requirements (HABS) (Public Law 103-449) for preparing their • Historic American Engineering Record management plan. The implementation (HAER) program is based on the approved plan • Historic American Landscapes Survey presented in the previous chapter. (HALS) • Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and The partners and potential partners that will Preserve (JELA) or may play a role in accomplishing the • National Center for Preservation actions in the implementation program are Technology and Training (NCPTT) listed below. The acronyms/short titles shown • New Orleans Jazz National Historical on this list are used in the following table for Park (JAZZ) the purpose of saving space. An alphabetical • Southeast Regional Office (SERO) list is also given at the end of table 1. Native American Tribe/Group • Adai Caddo Indian Community – not a LIST OF CURRENT federal or state recognized group HERITAGE AREA PARTNERS • Caddo Nation – federally recognized tribe

Cane River National Heritage Area (CRNHA) Northwestern State University of Louisiana • Cane River National Heritage Area (NSU) Commission (CRNHAC) • Cammie G. Henry Research Center/ Watson Library (NSU-Cammie Henry City of Natchitoches (City) Center) • Economic Development Commission • Department of Social Sciences (EDC) • Anthropology and History (NSU- • Main Street Program (Main Street) DSS) • Natchitoches Historic District • Cultural Resource Office (NSU- Commission (HDC) CRO) • Hospitality Management (NSU- Historic Preservation Organizations Hospitality) • Association for the Preservation of • Louisiana Creole Heritage Center (Creole Historic Natchitoches (APHN) Center)

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State of Louisiana • Louisiana Technical College, • Department of Culture, Recreation, and Natchitoches Campus Tourism (DOCRT) • Magnolia Plantation House • Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area • Natchitoches Area Chamber of (ATCH) Commerce (Chamber) • Division of Archaeology • Natchitoches Genealogical and Historical • Division of Historic Preservation Association (NGHA) (LAHP) • Natchitoches Louisiana Purchase • LA State Museum (Old Courthouse Committee Museum) • St. Augustine Historical Society (St. • LA State Parks (Ft. St. Jean Baptiste, Augustine) Los Adaes, Ft. Jesup State Historic • Service League of Natchitoches (Service Sites) League) • Department of Transportation and • Trust for Public Land (TPL) Development (DOTD) • University College London

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery LIST OF POTENTIAL PARTNERS (USFWS-Hatchery) American Society for Landscape Architecture Other Organizations/Universities: (ASLA) • American Cemetery Association Colonial Trails Association • Beau Fort Historic Site Community of Flora • Ben D. Johnson Educational Foundation Friends groups (for CRNHAC and other local (Ben D. Johnson) organizations) • Black Heritage Committee Joyous Coast, LLC • Deep South Regional Humanities Kisatchie National Forest/U.S. Forest Service Center/Tulane University (Tulane) (USFS) • Foundation for the Preservation of the Louisiana Preservation Alliance Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, Inc. Red River National Wildlife Refuge/U.S. Fish (C. Dormon) and Wildlife Service (USFWS-Red River) • Friends in Support of the Hatchery St. Matthew School Community Association, (FISH) Inc. • Friends of the Old Courthouse Museum The Louisiana School • Historic District Business Association The Wilderness Society (HDBA) Weaver Brothers Land & Timber Company • Historic District Development Other universities to be defined at a later date Commission (HDDC) • Louisiana Regional Folklife Program (LA Folklife)

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Table 1. Implementation Program

A. CULTURAL LANDSCAPE PROTECTION

Objective: To bring together the expertise of key organizations, agencies, and individuals to develop a multi- layered strategy for effecting the long-term protection of heritage area landscapes.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Develop criteria for landscape protection priorities. CRNHA (lead), APHN, CARI , City, 2002-2003 HDC, NHF, NPPJ, St. Augustine 2. Create a working map of cultural landscapes that CRNHA (lead), APHN, CARI, City, 2001-2003 reflects priority levels and status of protection. HABS, HALS, HDC, NHF, St. Augustine Potential Partners: USFS, USFWS-Red River 3. Examine parish zoning system and establish special CRNHA and NPPJ Planning and 2001-2004 zoning in sensitive areas. Zoning Commission (co-leads), CARI, City, landowners 4. Work with existing land trusts for acquisition and CRNHA and TPL (co-leads), ATCH Began 2001 easements. Additional Notes: Other trusts may be identified Potential Partner: USFWS-Red River Continuing, as part of implementation. Due to the nature of long-term effort estate planning, tax credits, etc., this activity likely will continue in perpetuity. 5. Develop a statewide land trust. ATCH and CRNHA (co-leads/partners) 2002-2004 Additional Notes: Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area would represent the state. 6. Set-up or identify a land-holding organization. CRNHA (lead), CARI, and all organi- 2002-2003 zations that are potential management entities. 7. Coordinate information/education/assistance CARI, CRNHA, and USFWS (co-leads), Begin 2003 opportunities for landowners to help them manage ATCH, landowners Continuing, their cultural landscape. long-term effort Potential Partners: USFS 8. Continue to carry out historic preservation Lead/partners are determined by the Continuing, projects in cooperation with other organizations, needs of projects long-term effort institutions, and individuals. Pursue funding for historic preservation.

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B. RESEARCH

Objective: To bring together the expertise of organizations and educational institutions in order to identify research needs, coordinate a research program under the direction of the heritage area, and facilitate ongoing research in the heritage area. Research in the heritage area will focus on Cane River culture and the built environment, targeting such disciplines as archaeology, history, ethnography, and architecture. The heritage area will partner with organizations and educational institutions to periodically re-evaluate research priorities, and to provide technical and financial assistance to research initiatives.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Evaluate research needs and priorities, and develop CRNHA (lead), *American Cemetery 2002-2003 criteria for technical and financial assistance through Association, APHN, Ben D. Johnson, Black a one-day seminar. Heritage Committee, Adai Caddo, Caddo Nation, CARI, C. Dormon, HABS, HALS, LA Folklife, NCPTT, NGHA, NPL, NSU- (Cammie Henry Center, CRO, DSS, Creole Center), St. Augustine, University College London, Tulane, and other area universities 2. Provide financial assistance to research projects CRNHA (lead), all organizations beginning Began 1999 through the grants program. with asterisk above, community members Additional Notes: Criteria for the competitive that assist with grant evaluation process, Continuing, grants program were developed from priorities set eligible applicants long-term in the heritage area planning process. The pro- effort gram requires that research results be shared with the public in the manner most appropriate to each project. Current and projected projects that the commission has or will provide technical or financial assistance are listed below: a. Archeological investigation at Fort Jesup NSU-CRO (lead), CARI, CRNHA 2000-2002 b. Cane River African Diaspora Archeological NSU-CRO, University College London 2001-2004 Project (co-leads), CARI, Creole Center, CRNHA c. Powered parachute aerial reconnaissance NSU-CRO (lead), CRNHA, NCPTT 2001-2003 survey d. Creole genealogy (Cane River Genealogy Creole Center (lead), CRNHA 2000-2002 Research Guide, Creole Surnames Project) e. French Document Translation Project NGHA (lead), CRNHA, NSU-Cammie 2002-2004 Henry Center f. Natchitoches Cemeteries Projects American Cemetery Association, CARI, 2002-2005 Additional Notes: These projects include map- City, CRNHA, NCPTT, NSU-CRO ping, conditions assessment, and historic compilations concerning select Natchitoches cemeteries. g. African American Oral History Project Ben D. Johnson, Black Heritage 2000-2003 Committee, and CARI (co-leads), CRNHA, NSU-DSS h. Caddo Oral History Project Caddo Nation (lead), CRNHA 2002-2003 i. Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) CRNHA and HABS (co-leads), local 2001-2003 Cane River Documentation Project landowners, NCPTT j. Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) CRNHA and HABS (co-leads), landowners 2002-2003 Cane River GIS Documentation Project k. Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS) C. Dormon and HALS (co-leads), CRNHA 2003-2004 Briarwood Documentation Project Potential Partners: ASLA, The Wilderness Society, USFS l. Documentation assistance for St. Augustine St. Augustine (lead), CRNHA, two local 2002-2003 Historical Society landowners

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C. TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Objective: To develop strategies for providing technical and financial assistance to organizations and individuals for projects that align with the objectives and goals put forth in heritage area legislation and planning documents. The CRNHAC grants program will be the major vehicle for financial assistance for historic preservation, research, and development projects in the heritage area. Historic preservation and land conservation are the primary areas in which the Commission will offer technical assistance.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Award grants for research, historic preservation CRNHA (lead) Began 1999 and restoration, and development projects that Continuing, contribute to the goals set forth in heritage area long-term effort legislation and planning documents. 2. Manage grants program and facilitate compliance CRNHA (lead) 2002 with federal regulations for historic preservation (permanent projects. staff position) Additional Notes: This will be the responsibility of one staff member. 3. Serve as a liaison to the LA Division of Historic CRNHAC (liaison) LAHP (lead), Begin 2003 Preservation regarding the documentation and APHN, CARI, City, HDC, landowners, preservation of properties in the Cane River region. NHF, St. Augustine Continuing, The details of the liaison relationship will be outlined long-term effort in a memorandum of understanding to be drafted in fall 2002. The relationship will include, but not be limited to, technical assistance regarding: • National Register nominations • cultural landscape documentation for National Register properties • state and federal tax credits for historic preservation • compliance with Section 106 and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) regarding grants and other historic preservation projects • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation supported by the Cane River National Heritage Area • coordination and distribution to interested landowners of existing information on historic preservation • referrals to the state office concerning all of the above Additional Notes: The activities of the Cane River National Heritage Area will not supplant the activities of the LA Division of Historic Preservation. Instead, the liaison relationship will allow the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission to complement the LA Division of Historic Preservation’s work by helping connect local property owners to the services available through the state office. 4. Develop a resource guide on the basics of CRNHA (lead), CARI, HDC, NCPTT, 2003-2004 preservation, including preservation resources NGHA, NPL, NSU-Cammie Henry available in Natchitoches area libraries and the Center National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.

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5. Facilitate technical assistance by serving as a liaison CARI and NCPTT (co-leads), CRNHA Began 1999 between NPS and the local community. Continuing, Additional Notes: Technical assistance may be long-term effort available through Cane River Creole National Historical Park and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. 6. Provide technical assistance to landowners CRNHA (lead) Begin 2003 interested in conservation and easements. Continuing, long-term effort 7. Serve as facilitators/coordinators for people CRNHA (facilitator), local, state, and Begin 2003 seeking information on water safety, erosion control, federal organizations and agencies and tourism in the region. Continuing, Additional Notes: The staff will not be the long-term effort primary information providers or developers of such information, but will work with appropriate local, state, and federal organizations/government to collect and coordinate information on these and other relevant topics. 7. Discuss the technical assistance opportunities CRNHA (lead), NPS-SERO 2003 available through the NPS Southeast Regional Office. Additional Notes: Executive Director will meet with the Regional Director of the NPS Southeast Regional Office, the NPS Deputy Regional Director, and Executive Directors of the other national heritage areas in the Southeast Region for the discussions. D. CONSERVING CULTURAL TRADTIONS

Objective: To bring together the knowledge and expertise of local and regional specialists to explore strategies that contribute to conservation of cultural traditions of the Cane River region. This includes identifying how the different entities can contribute toward achieving these strategies.

ACTIONS PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Provide technical and financial support to research (See “Research”) activities that contribute to knowledge of living traditions, including oral history and ethnography. 2. Serve as a partner in the National Center for NCPTT (lead), ATCH, CRNHA, Began 2000 Preservation Technology and Training heritage DOCRT, Louisiana educators, Continuing, education initiative. long-term effort 3. Contribute to the development of the Caddo FISH and USFWS (co-leads), Adai 2001-2003 Indian exhibit at the Natchitoches National Fish Caddo, Caddo Nation, CRNHA Hatchery. 4. Develop criteria for providing technical and CRNHA 2003 financial support of and participation in cultural events. Additional Notes: Cultural events could include festivals and exhibitions, and programs such as the NSU Folklife Festival, Cane River Creole National Historical Park’s Feast or Famine, and the Creole Heritage Day celebration, among others. 5. Continue participation in children’s programming Friends of the Old Courthouse Museum Began 2001 at the Old Courthouse Museum (a branch of the and Old Courthouse Museum (co- Continuing, Louisiana State Museum) leads), CRNHA long-term effort

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E. MARKETING

Objective: To bring together the expertise of key organizations, agencies, and individuals to develop a multi-layered strategy for marketing the heritage tourism opportunities of the Cane River region. This includes identifying how the different entities can contribute toward achieving these strategies.

ACTIONS PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Develop a well-linked, integrated Web site system CRNHA (lead), City, DOCRT, NPTC 2001-2003 among heritage area partners. 2. Coordinate with NPS sites in Louisiana to increase CARI, CRNHA, JAZZ, JELA, New Began 2001 exposure. Orleans Jazz Commission, (co- Additional Notes: The three national parks and leads/partners) Continuing, one national heritage area have combined efforts long-term effort to develop new marketing tools – a new brochure, a rack card, and a trimester newsletter. The entities will meet quarterly. Future projects may include a marketing video; a shared staff position for marketing, and hiring a marketing consultant. 3. Coordinate with other agencies and organizations CRNHA (lead), APHN, City (including Began 2000 to include heritage area info in the development and EDC, HDC, and Main Street), Creole Continuing, distribution of marketing materials. Center, DOCRT, HDDC, NPTC, long-term effort Additional Notes: The groups listed at right Service League, other local represent groups that are responsible for organizations that develop or distribute developing, distributing, or funding materials that tourist information include tourist and retirement information. 4. Develop additional heritage area brochures. CRNHA and NPTC (co-leads), APHN, Began 2000 Additional Notes: As the need for additional City (including EDC, HDC, and Main brochures is identified, the heritage area will work Street), Creole Center, DOCRT, HDBA, Continuing, with appropriate partners to develop more HDDC, Natchitoches LA Purchase long-term effort brochures and tourist information. Three Committee, and other local organiza- projects are already underway. tions that develop or distribute tourist 1. Map and brochure featuring information on information the heritage area and the Natchitoches National Historic Landmark District. 2. A series of two-sided rack cards will be developed to provide tourist information on various aspects of Cane River culture, history, and events. 3. Laminated map and tourist information sheet will be developed to provide front-line tourist employees easily accessible information to answer tourist inquiries. 5. Coordinate heritage area site brochures APHN, organizations/ institutions Began 2002 Additional Notes: As sites within the heritage area responsible for heritage tourism sites, move to reprint brochures, the Cane River and Service League (co-leads/partners) Continuing, National Heritage Area Commission is working long-term effort with the managing organization for each site to coordinate logistical, factual, and interpretive content and use of the heritage area logo. The master interpretive plan will help to guide this process. 6. Explore development of a marketing strategy. CRNHA, City, NPTC 2003 or 2004

52 Implementation Program

F. VISITOR INFORMATION AND WAYFINDING

Objective: To improve the ability of visitors to the area to obtain information, become oriented, and find their way to desired destinations. Bring together the expertise of key organizations, agencies, and individuals to prioritize regional needs and strategize cooperative approaches to meeting these needs.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Develop two continuing education courses CRNHA (lead), CARI, Chamber, City Begin 2002 focusing on hospitality and docent training. (EDC and Main Street), Creole Center, heritage area sites open to the public, Continuing, LA Technical College, NPTC, NSU- long-term effort DSS 2. Participate with several other local organizations in Chamber (lead), City, CRNHA. NPTC 2002 a program called “First Impressions.” Additional Notes: LSU Agricultural Extension Office coordinates “First Impressions.” This program will result in a report that outlines tourists’ perceptions of the community, and will help identify training needs that the heritage area can address. The Cane River National Heritage Area Commission, the City of Natchitoches, the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission, and the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce will share the cost of the program. 3. Improve directional and informational signs. CRNHA (lead), Chamber, City (EDC, 2003 Additional Notes: The Cane River National Main Street), DOTD, HDBA, HDDC, Heritage Area Commission has contracted with heritage area sites, NPPJ, NPTC, Sheriff the Society for Environmental Design Education Program to begin a sign initiative in the heritage area. The contractor will assist the Commission to: a. Establish a series of initiatives based around established wayfinding and interpretive goals. b. Create sample request for proposals and request for qualifications. c. Develop an approval process for the Department of Transportation and Development. d. Create a summary for design guidelines book and slide presentation on the development of complete guidelines. 4. Develop an information card with map and (see Marketing #4 above) 2002 information that frontline service providers can share easily with visitors 5. Develop additional heritage area brochures (see Marketing #4 above) 6. Coordinate site brochures (see Marketing #5 above) 7. Establish visitor contact facility in Derry (see Visitor Facilities #2 below)

53 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

G. INTERPRETATION

Objective: Bring together the expertise of key organizations, agencies, and individuals to map out strategies to implement the recently completed Interpretation Plan for the Heritage Area. This includes identifying how the different entities can contribute toward achieving these strategies.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Distribute final interpretive plan to public sites CRNHA (lead), *APHN (Kate Chopin 2002 managers, historians and anthropologists, nonprofit House and Melrose), Beau Fort Historic organizations, and state and federal agencies that have Site, Black Heritage Committee, CARI, heritage area sites. Where possible, encourage/ Chamber, City (Main Street), C. Dor- facilitate adoption of interpretive plan guidelines and mon, Creole Center, LA (Old Court- suggestions. house Museum, State Parks), LA Folk- life, Magnolia Plantation House, NPTC, NSU (Cammie Henry Center, DSS) 2. Convene the interpretive committee, comprised of CRNHA (lead), see names following Continuing, people concerned with interpretation in the heritage asterisk above long-term effort area, and meet periodically to list major projects and priorities and identify strategies for accomplishing them. 3. Develop new exhibit for the Kate Chopin House APHN and CRNHA (co-leads), NSU- 2002-2004 based on recommendations from the master (Cammie Henry Center, Old interpretive plan. This exhibit will serve as a model Courthouse Museum) for other house museums that are open to the public. 4. Explore possibilities of grants/internships to CRNHA (lead), heritage area sites Begin 2003 extend hours of privately owned historic sites that are Continuing open to the public. long-term effort H. VISITOR FACILITIES

Objective: To strategize approaches to developing conveniently located quality visitor service facilities in and around the heritage area. Bring together potential partners to explore possibilities and timeframes.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Plan for the joint regional visitor center. CARI and CRNHA (co-leads/partners), 2003 – begin site Creole Center selection Potential partners: USFS, USFWS-Red River 2. Establish and maintain a Derry visitor contact Creole Center and CRNHA (leads), 2002 facility (I-49 Exit 119) CARI, Sheriff 3. Establish information presence in state DOTD rest DOTD (lead), CARI, City, CRNHA 2002-2004 area at Water Well Road (I-49 Exit 132) 4. Rehabilitate the Texas and Pacific Railway Depot CRNHA (lead), Ben D. Johnson, Black 2002-2007 as an African American heritage museum and a Heritage Committee, CARI, City transportation hub. Additional Notes: The facility will serve as the point of debarkation for coach tour services and an intermodal transportation hub for local tourist transportation. As a major point of debarkation, the depot will be a visitor contact facility. 5. Work with partners to identify other partners and CRNHA (lead), Ben D. Johnson, Black After the visitor places for visitor contact. Heritage Committee, CARI, City, contact facilities Creole Center, DOCRT, DOTD, NPTC, listed above are Sheriff established 6. Coordinate planning for recreational trails in the City (lead), CRNHA 2003-2007 heritage area and city.

54 Implementation Program

I. VOLUNTEER SERVICES

Objective: To improve mutual assistance between the various agencies and organizations that rely on the use of visitor service/heritage preservation volunteers. Strategize approaches to maximizing the use of area volunteers.

Action Partners Time Frame 1. Establish a “friends group” to allow for broader CARI, CRNHAC 2003 community participation in heritage area activities. This group of volunteers will help to coordinate volunteer activities with the heritage area and other existing volunteer organizations. 2. Expand staff to accommodate running a volunteer CRNHAC 2003-2006 program. J. TRANSPORTATION

Objective: To strategize approaches to improving transportation options for visitors to the area and the quality of their experience as they move through the area.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Develop scenic/interpretive pull-offs on the roads CRNHA (lead), DOTD, landowners 2003-2006 adjacent to Cane River. and historic sites along the river roads, NPPJ, Sheriff 2. Rehabilitate the Texas and Pacific Railway Depot (see Visitor Facilities #4 above) as an African American heritage museum and a transportation hub. 3. Work with the city to establish a transportation City, CRNHA, HDDC 2006-2008 shuttle concession service to provide visitors with transportation that links heritage area and historic district sites. 4. Pursue a scenic byway designation for the roads CRNHA (lead), DOTD, landowners 2002-2007 along Cane River. and historic sites along the river roads, NPPJ K. NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION

Objective: To examine the current and/or future role of area agencies in the protection and interpretation of the region’s natural resources and how information/environmental education can be made available to residents and visitors.

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Develop educational materials concerning the FISH (lead), CRNHAC, USFWS 2002-2003 ecosystem of Cane River Lake. 2. Develop information/education/assistance CRNHAC, NPS, USFWS (co-leads), Begin 2003 – opportunities for the public concerning natural ATCH continuing, resources to help them manage their cultural long-term effort landscape Potential partner: USFS 3. HALS Briarwood Documentation Project (see “Research” # 2k above)

55 PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

L. OTHER ACTIONS

ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME 1. Form a State Working Group for the heritage area, CRNHA (lead), DOCRT, DOTD, other Begin 2003 composed of top leadership from key state agencies, state agencies whose activities impact such as those currently represented on Atchafalaya’s heritage area goals Advisory Board Additional Notes: The group’s main task would be to develop (within legislative and statutory boundaries) a deliberately coordinated “boundary crossing” approach for the state’s role in imple- menting the management plan’s strategies. The nature of the working relationship between these state agencies will vary according to the project or initiatives being undertaken. The Cane River National Heritage Area Commission will cooperate with Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area to develop such a working group. 2. Periodically meet to evaluate progress made in CRNHA (lead), all other interested Every 2 years implementing the management plan. partners Additional Notes: The commission/management entity will examine its ongoing projects and current needs and opportunities. Based on this evaluation, the commission may designate new implementation priorities consistent with the heritage area’s establishing legislation and planning documents.

56 Implementation Program

Acronyms for Table 1. Implementation Program

Adai Caddo – Adai Caddo Indian Community APHN – Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches ASLA – American Society for Landscape Architecture ATCH – Atchafalaya Trace Heritage Area CARI – Cane River Creole National Historical Park Chamber – Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce City – City of Natchitoches C. Dormon – Foundation for the Preservation of the Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, Inc. Creole Center – NSU Louisiana Creole Heritage Center CRNHA – Cane River National Heritage Area CRNHAC – Cane River National Heritage Area Commission Ben D. Johnson - Ben D. Johnson Educational Foundation DOCRT – State Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism DOTD – State Department of Transportation and Development EDC – City Economic Development Commission FISH – Friends in Support of the Hatchery HABS - Historic American Buildings Survey HALS - Historic American Landscapes Survey HDBA – Historic District Business Association HDC – Natchitoches Historic District Commission HDDC – Historic District Development Commission JAZZ - New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park JELA - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve LA Folklife – Louisiana Regional Folklife Program LAHP – Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Office of Cultural Development, Division of Historic Preservation Main Street – City Main Street Program NHF – Natchitoches Historic Foundation NCPTT – NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training NGHA - Natchitoches Genealogical and Historical Association NPL – Natchitoches Parish Library NPPJ - Natchitoches Parish Police Jury NPTC - Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission NPS – National Park Service NPS-SERO – National Park Service Southeast Regional Office NSU – Northwestern State University of Louisiana NSU-Cammie Henry Center – Cammie G. Henry Research Center/Watson Library NSU-CRO – NSU Cultural Resource Office NSU-DSS – NSU Department of Social Sciences Old Courthouse Museum – LA State Museum Service League – Service League of Natchitoches Sheriff – Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Department St. Augustine - St. Augustine Historical Society State Parks – Louisiana State Parks (Ft. St. Jean Baptiste, Los Adaes, Ft. Jesup State Historic Sites) TPL - Trust for Public Land Tulane – Deep South Regional Humanities Center/Tulane University USFS – U.S. Forest Service USFWS- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

57 A PPENDIXES AND G LOSSARY

APPENDIX B: INVENTORY OF IMPORTANT PROPERTIES AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES, NATCHITOCHES PARISH AND VICINITY

The following inventory of resources is based on completed a survey of structures in available information about important Natchitoches Parish that were 50 years old or properties and cultural landscapes in more. This lengthy survey listed a number of Natchitoches Parish that are associated with the structures but did not document their eligibility heritage of the Cane River region. The primary for listing on the National Register of Historic data sources are the National Register of Places. This survey needs to be updated and, for Historic Places; the “Cane River Creole [sic] those sites eligible for inclusion on the National National Heritage Area: Cultural Landscape Register of Historic Places, nomination forms Inventory and Assessment (NPS 1997)”; the need to be completed. Also, many of the National Historic Trail Feasibility Study and properties currently listed on the National Environmental Assessment: El Camino Real de los Register need further evaluation and Tejas, Texas, Louisiana (NPS 1998c); and the documentation of their cultural landscape Natchitoches National Historic Landmark component. Further, there may be a number of District nomination. This is the best available archeological remains in the heritage area, data at this point in time. Additional work is particularly of early tobacco and indigo necessary to develop a complete inventory. In plantations. Full surveys have not been 1992, the Division of Historic Preservation of the completed. Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office

Table B-1. National Register of Historic Places Sites

SITE LOCATION Alumni Center (former president’s home), College Avenue, Natchitoches Northwestern State University Badin-Roque House 1996 Highway 484, Natchez Beau Fort Plantation (Narcisse Prud’homme 4078 Highway 494, Natchez Plantation) Cane River Creole National Historical Park 4386 Highway 494, Natchez Oakland Plantation (Jean Pierre Emmanuel Prud’homme Plantation)* Magnolia Plantation Unit* 5487 Highway 119, Natchez Carnahan Store 372 Highway 495, Cloutierville Caspiana Plantation Store 1300 Texas Street, Natchitoches Cedar Bend Plantation LA 119, Natchez Cherokee Plantation 3110 Highway 494, Natchitoches Chopin, Kate, House*(Alexis Cloutier House, 243 Highway 485, Cloutierville Bayou Folk Museum) Church of St. Anne 4310 Highway 485, Robeline City Hotel Junction of LA 120 and Rains Avenue, Marthaville Ft. Jesup* 32 Geoghagan Road, Many Jones House LA 484 along Cane River, Melrose Keegan House 225 Williams Avenue, Natchitoches Keegan House 143 Chapin Loop, Robeline Los Adaes* 6354 Highway 485, Robeline Los Adaes (Boundary Increase)* 0.5 mile north of LA 6 north of Robeline Madame Aubin Roque House 1 Rue Beau Port

69 APPENDIXES AND GLOSSARY

SITE LOCATION Melrose Plantation* LA 119 off LA 493, Melrose Natchitoches Historic District * Roughly bounded by 2nd, 4th, Jefferson, and Pavie Streets and Williams and College Avenue, Natchitoches Natchitoches Historic District (Boundary Natchitoches Increase)* Normal Hill Historic District Northwestern State University campus, Natchitoches Oaklawn Plantation 2966 Highway 494, Natchitoches Robieau Plantation (Carrol Jones House/Refuge LA 484 along Cane River Lake, Melrose Plantation vicinity Robeline Methodist Church Texas Street, LA 6, Robeline Stoker House LA 6 near Fort Jesup (Sabine Parish) Texas and Pacific Railroad Depot Sixth/Seventh Street, Natchitoches Women’s Gymnasium, Northwestern State College Avenue, Natchitoches University *National Historic Landmark

CULTURAL LANDSCAPES Briarwood Nature Preserve Adai Caddo Indian Community (in the vicinity The cultural landscape inventory prepared by of the Spanish Lake Lowlands) the National Park Service in 1997 identified and Campti (railroad town) evaluated significant properties and landscapes Drake Salt Works (outside the parish) within Natchitoches Parish that contribute to Flora (railroad town) the comprehensive understanding of the Fort Jesup heritage of the Cane River region. This inventory Kisatchie National Forest (including Melrose is only a first step and does not provide the overlook) detailed analysis, mapping, and recommended Los Adaes treatments that should be conducted Marco area subsequently in cultural landscape reports. The Natchitoches National Historic Landmark seven distinct cultural landscape areas District inventoried are defined by physiographic and/or Robeline (railroad town) historic property lines. They are listed below and illustrated on the Cultural Landscape Areas map. The inventory further identified 13 properties along the Cane River that have the most intact Cane River Corridor (Cane River Lake and cultural landscape resources that help illustrate lower Cane River) the plantation era. They are as follows: Cloutierville Area Isle Brevelle Community Badin-Roque House Little River Community Beau Fort Plantation (Narcisse Prud’homme Old Spanish Lake Lowlands Plantation) Old River Community Cherokee Plantation (Sompayarac Plantation) Red River Agricultural Lands Kate Chopin House (Alexis Cloutier House) Little Eva Plantation (Chopin Plantation) Other important landscapes of a smaller scale Magnolia Plantation (including Magnolia Unit, that were also listed (but not mapped) in this Cane River Creole National Historical Park) inventory were those associated with the Melrose Plantation following resources:

70 Appendix B: Inventory of Important Properties and Cultural Landscapes, Natchitoches Parish and Vicinity

Oakland-Atahoe Plantation (Jean Pierre transportation crossroads as well as the Emmanuel Prud’homme Plantation) commercial and political center of the parish. It (Oakland Unit, Cane River Creole National contains historic town homes, stores, churches, Historical Park) and other public buildings that served the needs Oaklawn Plantation (Achille Prud’homme of the plantations. Currently, the following Plantation) structures are listed as contributing to St. Charles Church significance of the historic landmark district. St. Augustine Church The boundaries of the district could be amended St. Augustine Church on Little River in the future to include additional resources. St. Mary’s Baptist Church on Little River 115 Amulet Street The cultural landscape inventory mentioned 120 Amulet Street, Chamard House many other associated structures that are not on 121 Amulet Street the national register but contribute to the 131 Amulet Street historic character of the heritage area. Some of 314 Amulet Street these are as follows: 145 Church Street, Bishop Martin’s Residence, St. Joseph’s College, Catholic Rectory Lambre Cotton Gin 210 College Avenue Rachal House 216 College Avenue St. Matthews Baptist Church and School 115 Cypress Avenue 118 Cypress Avenue 127 Cypress Avenue EL CAMINO REAL DE LOS TEJAS AND 133 Cypress Avenue THE OLD SAN ANTONIO ROAD 136 Cypress Avenue 139 Cypress Avenue Congress directed the National Park Service to 145 Cypress Avenue undertake the National Historic Trail Feasibility 146 Cypress Avenue Study and Environmental Assessment: El Camino 149 Cypress Avenue Real de los Tejas, Texas, Louisiana that was 150 Cypress Avenue completed in 1998. This study determined that 165 Cypress Avenue the El Camino Real de los Tejas and the Old San 169 Cypress Avenue Antonio Road were suitable and feasible to be 225 Demeziere Street designated as national historic trails, if so 310 Demeziere Street authorized by Congress. Both of these routes 321 Demeziere Street terminated in the vicinity of Natchitoches, 512 Front Street thereby contributing to the area’s importance as 524 Front Street a transportation crossroads. For the most part, 550 Front Street, DeBlieux Building both routes follow LA 6 and pass through or 558 – 560 Front Street, Opera House near Fort Jesup, Los Adaes, and into the city of 582 Front Street Natchitoches. 600-602 Front Street 608 Front Street 612 Front Street NATCHITOCHES NATIONAL 616 Front Street HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT 624 Front Street 626 Front Street The historic city of Natchitoches has been 720 Front Street, Prud'homme Building designated the Natchitoches National Historic 732 Front Street, Blanchard Building Landmark District. This district contains over 744 Front Street, Cloutier Townhouses 100 buildings and places of interest situated 758 Front Street, Kaffie-Fredericks Hardware along and near the banks of the Cane River. This 780 Front Street town played a significant role in the Cane River 130 Horn Street story. The district was an important 142 Jefferson Street

71 APPENDIXES AND GLOSSARY

146 Jefferson Street, Dranguet House 434 Second Street, Chaplin House 150 Jefferson Street 533 Second Street 170 Jefferson Street, Nelken House 550 Second Street, Cunningham Law Offices 200 Jefferson Street, Steamboat House 600 Second Street, Old Courthouse 230 Jefferson Street 605 Second Street, Immaculate Conception 240 Jefferson Street, Soldini House Catholic Church 300 Jefferson Street 613 Second Street 310 Jefferson Street, Lemee House 617-619 Second Street 320 Jefferson Street, Taylor House 622 Second Street 332 Jefferson Street, Rusca House 630 Second Street 358 Jefferson Street, Levy House 801 Second Street 366 Jefferson Street 824 Second Street 416 Jefferson Street 840 Second Street 424 Jefferson Street, Tante Huppe’ House 846 Second Street 436 Jefferson Street, Prud'homme-Rouquier 852 Second Street House 119 Sidney Street 448 Jefferson Street, Kaffie House 202 Sidney Street 318 Nelken Street 203 Sidney Street 116 Pine Street 211 Sidney Street 125 Pine Street, Greene House 215 Sidney Street 200 Pine Street 812 Third Street 201 Pine Street 825 Third Street 207 Pine Street, Plauche House 833 Third Street 202 Poete Street 301 Touline Street 208 Poete Street 307 Touline Street 225 Poete Street, Laureate House 315 Touline Street 329 Poete Street 116 Trudeau Street 220 Ragan Street 137 Trudeau Street 129-133 St. Denis Street 804 Washington Street, Sompayrac Building 141 St. Denis Street 843 Washington Street 240 St. Denis Street 869 Washington Street 313 Second Street 874 Washington Street, Unter House 317 Second Street 901 Washington Street 321 Second Street 902 Washington Street, Magnolias 329 Second Street 907 Washington Street 336 Second Street 917 Washington Street 339 Second Street 927 Washington Street, Tauzin House 422 Second Street 983 Washington Street 428 Second Street

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APPENDIX C: FUTURE PLANS AND STUDIES NEEDED

The development of a management plan is the Cultural Affiliation Study first planning step for Cane River National Heritage Area; it sets the overall vision and This study would examine the heritage area’s direction for the heritage area and identifies relationship to those people that lived in it future planning needs. To implement aspects historically. This study would help define the of this management plan, more research and association of the American Indian groups information will be necessary to support with the heritage area. efforts to preserve cultural landscapes and resources, conserve living cultures and tradi- tions, and ensure that accurate information is Ethnographic Landscape Study and used in interpretive and educational program- Ethnographic Resource Inventory ming. Some research has been completed or is underway by federal, state, and local agencies This would be a field study to identify and as well as the private sector. Part of the goal of describe the names, locations, distributions, the heritage area is to continue to foster and meanings of ethnographic landscape cooperation and partnerships with academic features. It could be combined with the institutions and individual scholars to help cultural landscape studies or the ethnographic accomplish this research. overview and assessment. Community members would be involved in site visits and The following studies, which are not listed in ethnographic interviews. This study would priority order, will probably be needed at some assist in the identification of cultural time in the future to fully implement this landscapes and the management of these management plan and achieve the legislative landscapes. mandate for this area. This list is not necessarily comprehensive, and other studies may be needed that are not shown here. Traditional Use Study

This study would identify groups traditionally ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH associated with heritage area resources. This field study would be conducted by a profes- Ethnographic Overview and Assessment sional cultural anthropologist and would involve community members in site visits and This basic document emphasizes the review interviews. Oral history would be one and analysis of accessible archival and technique that could be used in this study. documentary data on the heritage area’s ethnographic resources and the groups that traditionally define such cultural and natural HISTORICAL RESEARCH features as significant to their ethnic heritage and cultural viability. A professional cultural Oral Histories anthropologist would conduct site visits, limited interviews, and discussions with An oral history program could capture a great traditionally associated people to supplement deal of information about the lives and tradi- and assess the documentary evidence and tions of people who lived in the region during identify gaps in the available data. the early 1900s. This is a very time-dependent area of research.

73 APPENDIXES AND GLOSSARY

Cultural Landscape Report 11,800 years of this period in the heritage area. Geomorphic changes in the Cane River area This is the primary guide to treatment and use could easily have buried early prehistoric sites of a cultural landscape. The report documents under several meters of alluvium. If so, these and evaluates landscape evolution, including early sites are protected from most current features, materials, and qualities that make a land modification activities, but any deep landscape culturally significant, and it makes disturbance of alluvial deposits should be treatment recommendations. It could be an monitored for these early archeological interdisciplinary study that would identify remains. There is a need for intensive survey in both ethnographic and technological values of the Old River and Little River drainages the landscape. because these natural levees are not buried by as much alluvium as other areas. The mounds at Melrose Plantation also need to be tested. Other Historical Research

As gaps in information regarding the history of Historic American Indian Settlements the area or specific sites are identified, additional research may be needed and may An early historic trading post was in Natchi- take the form of historic resource reports, toches, and several American Indian settle- historic structure reports, etc. This ments were in the Natchitoches vicinity. documentation may be needed to develop a Burials have been recovered from several of sensitive protection strategy for a structure or these sites, but little is known about the villages landscape, to prepare nominations of sites to and campsites. Efforts should be made to the National Register of Historic Places, to identify all of the archeological sites associated develop accurate and informative interpretive with these Natchitoches groups. Once located, programs and tours, etc. efforts should be made to test the sites for structural remains to augment the burial data. The 19th century Natchitoches Indian village ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCH needs to be found and tested. The sites and the locations of structures associated with trading, In addition to the above research needs, there such as the “American Factory,” need to be is a substantial research gap in regard to found and tested. These may be outside of the archeological resources in the heritage area. heritage area, but they are important to With the exception of the historic site excava- understanding the history of the area. tions at the Badin-Roque house and the more recent excavations at Oakland and Magnolia Plantations, little archeological investigation Early French Settlement has been conducted in the Cane River National Heritage Area. The completion of archeo- Archeological sites related to the early French logical research would provide much needed Colonial inhabitants of Natchitoches and the knowledge in regard to the heritage area’s surrounding area (the ranches and farms) need cultural resources and enhance the visitor to be tested. Published information on these experience with a wider range of opportunities sites is sparse. for appreciating the heritage area. The following projects would help to meet this deficiency. Early Indigo and Tobacco Plantations

Early maps show several indigo plantations in Prehistoric Archeology the heritage area. Very little is known about these plantations. Although there are no Of the 12,000 or so years of human occupation aboveground remains of these early in Louisiana, little is known about the first agricultural industries, good archival

74 Appendix C: Future Plans and Studies Needed information is available, and archeological Postbellum Cotton Plantations investigations should be done to locate these sites. Only one site, the Marie Therese Coin- After the Civil War, plantation stores Coin house, has been tested at all, and this site developed and the industrial/processing has been tested very little. complexes changed. Large plantation store sites exist along Cane River, but there has been little archeological investigation with the Cotton Plantations and Upland Sites exception of the store at Magnolia Plantation. Also, the postbellum sawmills at Montrose and Cotton was an important cash crop during Cypress had a big impact on the region, but most of the antebellum period. In the heritage little is known about the industrial archeology area large cotton plantations predominated of the sawmill towns and the mills themselves. along Cane River. There is a growing amount There is considerable documentation available of archeological information about these to facilitate this archeological research. plantations, especially at Oakland and Magnolia Plantations (Cane River Creole National Historical Park). There is less Other Archeological Research information available about the smaller farms and plantations. The following topics deserve more research:

Also important to understanding the area, but 1. The history and archeology of the Creole not directly within the heritage area itself, are houses. the remains of log houses, barns, smokehouses, 2. Forts Jesup, Claiborne, Selden, and Salubrity saltworks, and other features of the poorer – these earliest of the American western upland farmers of the area. “Peckwood” forts have been badly treated and almost sawmills, syrup mills, pottery kilns, and other totally neglected. More work in the vicinity “folk” industrial sites in the upland area should of Los Adaes would also be important. be investigated, as well as the large and small 3. Boat wrecks in the Red and Cane Rivers farms and plantations in the valley. should be identified and recorded. At least two sites are known. 4. The city of Natchitoches needs a systematic archeological survey to identify the location of the more important archeological parts of the city.

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APPENDIX D: INTERPRETIVE THEMES

Each heritage area site has stories to tell that tie CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION into the different chapters of the region’s history. Collectively, these stories tell a Despite the seeming isolation of the people in compelling story of a delicate and evolving the Cane River region, they were not immune relationship between different cultures and the to national political or economic issues and landscape. It is a personal story, a family story, could not avoid involvement in the Civil War a community story, and a national story. and the subsequent destruction or deny the Woven through these stories are the themes changes that would result from the war. that link the essential related elements of each story. Themes become the broad unifying concepts about the area and form the founda- CANE RIVER CULTURE tion of interpretative programs and media. Themes provide guidance to the various The Cane River region has served as a cultural organizations and agencies within the heritage crossroads for four distinct groups (American area about the resources that best illustrate Indian, French, Spanish, and African) as well as these themes and are necessary to ensure that other peoples. Their interaction resulted in a visitors gain a full understanding and appreci- diverse Creole culture, which is characterized ation for the vast history of the area, the by strong religious and family bonds, cross- culture of the people, and their relationship cultural lifeways, distinctive architecture, and with the landscape. an intimate relationship with the landscape.

The following interpretive themes were developed by the commission, with some THE RIVER revisions to reflect public comment. These themes are not intended to be a compre- A diversity of cultures have thrived within the hensive listing of the many individual stories or changing dynamics of the Cane River region’s potential interpretive or educational program natural environment and acclimated to the titles. changing course of the Red River. This theme would take in the entire area’s ecosystem and the interrelated natural and human THE FRONTIER components as well as the forested uplands, diverse land/ water patterns and the ways of As the oldest permanent European settlement life they support. within the Louisiana Purchase territory, the people and community of Natchitoches repre- sent the history of the frontier. Not only was ARCHITECTURE the area frontier to the French and Spanish, but also later to Americans moving west. The The Cane River region has numerous excellent frontier had a very different meaning to the examples of vernacular architecture influenced Choctaw, Caddo, Coushatta, Apalachee, by French, Spanish, African, and American Chitimacha, Tunica-Biloxi, and Houma Indian cultures. A large number of historic Indians and their story, as well as that of structures have been maintained in or restored European and United States settlement, needs to their original condition. In the present, the to be told. cultural integrity of architecture in the region remains intact. Many historic structures are occupied by descendants of the people that originally constructed or owned them, demonstrating up to 10 generations of cultural

76 Appendix D: Interpretive Themes continuity for heritage and traditions along PLANTATION SYSTEM Cane River. The prominence of the plantation culture and the significance at first of tobacco and indigo LEGENDS AND STORIES and later the cotton economy in the Cane River region is reflected in the abundant The unique culture of the Creole people and collection and preservation of many preserved the history of the Cane River area are reflected historic plantation landscapes, structures and in many legends and stories. artifacts, as well as the historic agricultural land use of the region.

ISLE BREVELLE COMMUNITY RECREATION Marie Therese Coin-Coin and her family and descendants portray the unique social and The natural environment of the Cane River economic history of the Isle Brevelle Creole Region provided, and continues to offer, a community. diversity of recreational and sporting activities, which have become characteristic forms of pleasure and subsistence for the community.

77

GLOSSARY

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation – An determine whether the proposed action (1) independent federal agency with statutory constitutes a major action adversely affecting authority to: review and comment on federal the quality of the human environment, thereby actions affecting properties listed on or eligible requiring the preparation of an environmental for listing on the National Register of Historic impact statement, or (2) does not constitute Places; advise the president and Congress on such an action, resulting in a “Finding of No historic preservation matters; and recommend Significant Impact” being issued. measures to coordinate activities of federal, state, and local agencies. Its members include Ethnographic Resources – A site, structure, cabinet-level representatives from federal object, landscape, or natural resource feature agencies and presidential appointees from assigned legendary, religious, subsistence, or outside the federal government. other significance in the cultural system of a group traditionally associated with it. Cultural Landscapes – A geographic area (including both cultural and natural resources Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) – A and the wildlife or domestic animals therein) public document that briefly presents the associated with a historic event, activity, or reasons why an action will not have a major person or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic adverse impact on the human environment, values. and therefore will not require preparation of an environmental impact statement. Cultural Resource – An aspect of a cultural system that is valued by or significantly Historic District – A geographically definable representative of a culture or that contains area, urban or rural, possessing a significant significant information about a culture. A concentration, link, or continuity of sites, cultural resource might be a tangible entity or a landscapes, structures, or objects, united by cultural practice. Tangible cultural resources past events or aesthetically by plan or physical are categorized as districts, sites, buildings, developments. A district may also be structures, and objects for the National composed of individual elements separated Register of Historic Places and as archeological geographically but linked by association or resources, cultural landscapes, structures, history. museum objects, and ethnographic resources. Historic Site — The site of a significant event, Fee Simple Ownership – A category of prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, landownership in which one person or agency or structure or landscape whether extant or owns all the rights associated with a parcel of vanished, where the site itself has historical, land, in contrast to less-than-fee ownership. cultural, or archeological value apart from the value of any existing structure or landscape. Easement — A right afforded a property owner to make limited use of another property National Historic Landmark (NHL) – These are owner’s real property. The landowner is districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects reserved all rights and privileges that do not found to possess national significance in interfere with or abridge this right. The illustrating or representing the prehistory and easement may be permanent or occasional. history of the United States. National historic landmarks are designated by the secretary of Environmental Assessment (EA) – A concise the interior. Other than inclusion in the public document prepared by a federal agency national park system, landmark designation is to satisfy the requirements of the National the federal government’s only official Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. designation of national significance of a The document contains sufficient analysis to historic property.

78 Glossary

National Register of Historic Places – The historic materials and features rather than comprehensive list of districts, sites, buildings, extensive replacement and new work. structures, and objects of national, regional, state, and local significance in American Rehabilitation – The act or process of returning history, architecture, archeology, engineering, a property to use by repair or alteration; and culture kept by the National Park Service preserves portions or features that are under the authority of the National Historic significant to historical, architectural, and Preservation Act of 1966. cultural values.

Orientation Facility – A place where visitors Visitor Center – This structure would include generally start a visit by getting general the functions of an orientation facility and information about the heritage area, including adds educational devices such as exhibits, what there is to do and see and where things programs, and other media that would are. interpret the heritage area’s significance. This building could contain administrative Preservation – The act or process of applying functions. measures to sustain the form, integrity, and material of a building or structure, landscape, Viewshed – The area that can be seen from a or object. Work may include preliminary particular location, including near or distant measures to protect and stabilize the property, views. but generally focuses upon the ongoing preservation maintenance and repair of

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SELECTED REFERENCES

American Demographics Gregory, H. F. and Joseph Moran 1996 "Heritage Tourism is Hot." 1996 “We Know Who We Are: An September. Retrieved April 5, 1999, Ethnographic Overview of the Creole from Internet site Prepared for the National Park Service. Copy available from NPS Berger, Barnard & Thomas, Inc. Denver Service Center, Denver, CO. 1990 “Summary Report for Zoning & Land Use Analysis for the Parish of Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, Natchitoches Police Jury in and Tourism Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.” n.d. “Louisiana Office of Tourism.” Retrieved April 5, 1999, from Internet BRW, Inc. site Creole National Historical Park and Cane River National Heritage Area.” n.d. “Louisiana's Scenic Byways.” Denver, CO. Retrieved April 5, 1999, from Internet site South n.d. "Center Co-Sponsors First Regional 1983 “Louisiana’s Comprehensive Heritage Tourism Conference." Archaeological Plan.” by Steven D. Retrieved April 5, 1999, from Internet Smith, Philip B. Rivet, Kathleen M. site

80 Selected References

Mills, Gary 1998a "Cultural Resource Management 1977 The Forgotten People: Cane River’s Guideline." (Prepared in 1997, Creoles of Color. Baton Rouge and released on June 11, 1998, Director's London: Louisiana State University Order Number 28). Washington, D.C. Press 1998b “Historic Resources Documentation, N&A Inc., Consulting Engineers, Land Cane River National Historical Park” Surveyors by List of Classified Structures Team. 1996 Natchitoches City/Parish Master Plan Southeast Support Office, Atlanta, 2020. Natchitoches, LA. GA.

Natchitoches Tourist Commission 1998c National Historic Trail Feasibility n.d. “Where is Natchitoches?”. Retrieved Study and Environmental Assessment: January 19, 1999, from Internet site El Camino Real de los Tejas, Texas/ . Denver, CO. n.d. Annual Guestbook Records. 1998d "Rapid Ethnographic Assessment National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Report: Planning for Oakland n.d. “Publications.” Retrieved April 5, [Plantation], Cane River Creole 1999, from Internet site Muriel Crespi, Sherri Lawson Clark, Allison H, Pena, and Lawrence F. Van n.d. Partners in Tourism: Culture and Horn. National Center for Cultural Commerce "Outlook for 1999 Resource Stewardship and Cultural Tourism News," winter 1999. Partnerships. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 7, 1999, from Internet site Historical Park, General Management Plan and Environmental Impact National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Statement. Denver Service Center, Interior Denver, CO. n.d. “Cane River Creole National Historical Park and Heritage Area.” 2001a Draft Management Plan and Retrieved January 19, 1999, from Environmental Assessment, Cane River Internet site . Service Center, Denver, CO.

1993 Special Resource Study, Environmental 2001b Final Cane River Creole National Assessment, Cane River, Louisiana. Historical Park, General Management Denver Service Center, Denver, CO. Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. Denver Service Center, 1994 "Cultural Resource Management Denver, CO. Guideline, NPS-28." Release Number 4, July. Washington, D.C. 2002 “Finding of No Significant Impact, Cane River National Heritage Area 1997 “Cane River Creole [sic] National Management Plan/Environmental Heritage Area: Cultural Landscape Assessment.” Southeast Regional Inventory and Assessment,” by Lucy Office, Atlanta, GA. Lawliss, Cari Goetcheus, and David Hasty. Southeast Support Office.

81 SELECTED REFERENCES

National Trust for Historic Preservation South Carolina n.d. “Regional Heritage Areas.” Retrieved 1997 "South Carolina Developing Heritage April 8, 1999, from Internet search of Corridor." Reprinted from the database, site . from Internet site Area: What Now?” Washington, D.C. Stokes, Samuel N., Elizabeth Watson, and 1999 “Heritage Tourism.” Fax sent to Shelley S. Mastran Richard Lichtkoppler of the National 1997 Saving America’s Countryside. 2nd ed. Park Service on April 5, 1999. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. North Carolina n.d. "Heritage Tourism for North Texas Historical Commission, Heritage Carolina and the South." Retrieved Tourism Division April 5, 1999, from Internet site n.d. “What We Do.” Retrieved April 5, . thc.state.tx.us/rihp.html>

Northwestern State University, Small Business Travel Industry Association of America Development Center 1997 “A Profile of Travelers Who n.d. Natchitoches Parish Profile. Prepared Participate in Historic and Cultural in cooperation with the Central Activities.” Louisiana Regional Economic Development Alliance. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis Parish Planning Commission n.d. Regional Economic Information 1994 “Zoning Regulations: Ordinance System, “Bearfacts Natchitoches, Number 6-91, Amended October Louisiana 1995–96.” Retrieved 1994,” by the Natchitoches Parish January 13, 1999, from Internet site Police Jury. Natchitoches, LA. . Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau n.d. Regional Economic Information 1997 "Heritage Tourism." Retrieved April System, “Bearfacts, Louisiana 1995– 5, 1999, from Internet site 96.” Retrieved January 13, 1999, from Internet site . Resource Conservation Service), U.S. Department of Agriculture n.d. Regional Economic Information 1985 Final Environmental Impact System, “Total Personal Income by Statement: Kisatchie National Forest, Type and Earnings by Industry, Land and Resource Management Plan. Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana 1996.” Southern Region. Retrieved January 14, 1999, from Internet site .

82 Selected References n.d. Regional Economic Information U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service System, “Total Personal Income by 1986 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Type and Earnings by Industry, Report on Cane River Basin Study, by United States 1996.” Retrieved Charles A. McCabe. Region IV, January 14, 1999, from Internet site Ecological Services, Vicksburg, MS. . U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior 1969–95 Regional Economic Information 1995 “Water Resources Data, Louisiana System 1969-95, Economics and Water Year 1995.” Prepared in Statistics Administration. cooperation with Louisiana Department of Transportation and 1969–95 Regional Economic Information Development and with other state System 1969-95, on CD ROM and federal agencies. [machine readable data files] August 1997. Utah Division of State History, Preservation Office U.S. Department of Transportation n.d. "Utah Heritage Tourism Toolkit.” 1995 Linking the Delta Region with the Retrieved April 8, 1999, from Internet Nation and the World. FHWA site Lanham, MD. Vermont Heritage Network n.d. "What Is Heritage Tourism?" Retrieved April 5, 1999, from Internet site

83

PREPARERS AND CONSULTANTS

PREPARERS Washington, D.C. Systems Office Miki Crespi, Chief Ethnographer Cane River National Heritage Area Commission Members State of Louisiana Cane River Waterway Commission Commission Staff Cane River Waterworks, District No. 2 Nancy Morgan, Executive Director Department of Agriculture and Forestry Department of Culture, Recreation and National Park Service, Denver Service Center Tourism, Office of Cultural Development Christy Fischer, Editor Division of Archaeology Bruce McCraney, Landscape Architect Division of the Arts Mary McVeigh, Planner Division of Historic Preservation John Paige, Historian Department of Culture, Recreation and Philip Thys, Visual Information Specialist Tourism, Office of Tourism Ann Van Huizen, Job Captain Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, State Parks and Historic Sites Cane River National Historical Park Fort Jesup State Historic Site Laura Gates, Superintendent Ft. St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site Los Adaes State Historic Site Department of Environmental Quality CONSULTANTS Department of Transportation and Development BRW/Dames & Moore Transportation Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Consultants Governor’s Office Lewis Grimm, Transportation Planner Levee and Drainage District Louisiana Natural Heritage Program City of Natchitoches Community Development Natchitoches Parish Mayor’s Office Administrator Natchitoches Historic District Commission Assessor’s Office Farm Bureau Irving Burton Associates Planning Department David Hesker, graphic artist Police Jury Port Commission National Park Service Tourist Commission

Denver Service Center Northwestern State University John Marsh, Project Manager Department of Social Sciences, Anthropology and History Harpers Ferry Center, WVA Sharon Brown, Interpretive Planner U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tom Tankersley, former Interpretive Planner Ecological Services Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Red River National Wildlife Refuge Preserve Allison Pena, Anthropologist U.S. Forest Service Kisatchie National Forest Southeast Regional Office Lucy Lawliss, Historical Landscape Architect

84 Preparers and Consultants

Others Natchitoches Historic Foundation, Inc. Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches Sportsman’s Association Natchitoches Natural Resource Conservation Service Black Heritage Committee Red River Waterway Commission Concerned Citizens of Cloutierville St. Augustine Historical Society Los Adaes/Robeline Community Museum Contents, Inc.

85 PREPARERS AND CONSULTANTS

Cover and divider page artwork by Philip Thys, National Park Service, Denver Service Center

Cover: The Cane River

Divider Pages Introduction – African House at Melrose Plantation The Plan and Its Foundations – Kate Chopin House Plan Implementation – St. Augustine Catholic Church Appendixes and Glossary – Oakland Plantation

As the nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering sound use of our land and water resources; protecting our fish, wildlife, and biological diversity; preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places; and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to ensure that their development is in the best interests of all our people by encouraging stewardship and citizen participation in their care. The department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.

NPS D-22A March 2003 Printed on recycled paper

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