10 Facts About the Louisiana Bayou

Mysterious and vibrant, the Louisiana bayou displays an abundance of wildlife.

Here at Stan’s Airboat and Marsh Excavator Service, we’re proud to say we know our way around the bayou. Here are some facts about the native low-lying wetland marshes we like to work and play in.

1. Alligator Hunting

A popular Louisiana bayou activity, alligator hunting draws in numerous visitors to parks that dot the region. If you don’t have permission to hunt on private land, there are many public lands and lakes managed by local parish governments or federal governmental agencies. Hunters are chosen for these areas via bidding and lotteries.

2. Louisiana Original

The term “bayou” is native to Louisiana. It is believed to be a twist on the Native American word “bayuk” or “small stream.”

3. Sleepy and Mysterious

Bayous are pockets of water that are located in low-lying depressions. Here in Louisiana, bayous may be a wetland, marsh-like lake, or even a slow-moving river or stream. The super slow movement of these waters has resulted in the nickname “sleeping waters,” and is often the backdrop to voodoo legend. While visiting, be sure to take in the Spanish moss draping from the trees, as well as the marsh birds, animals, and other plant life.

4. Movie Time

Almost 500 films have been shot in Louisiana, and several of these have taken place in the Louisiana bayou. “The Reaper” and the “Skeleton Key” are two movies that brought international attention to the bayou, as is the History Channel series “Swamp People.”

5. Vanishing Bayou

Documented from the 1930s, marsh and wetland areas are experiencing a slow disappearance. The Gulf of Mexico has taken over parts of the bayou, an area that roughly equals the size of the state of Delaware. Erosion is still occurring, resulting in one acre of land lost every thirty-three minutes. This is why land reclamation and erosion control are among the services we provide here at Stan’s.

6. Diverse Culture

Cajun culture is an American original, to be sure. But there’s also influence from African, Irish, German, and Spanish pioneers–in addition to Native American influences. There are many Cajuns who still speak French, many of which are a blending of these unique cultures.

7. The Protecting Bayou

More than a place to hunt, fish, and sightsee, the bayou serves as a natural barrier between the inland areas and natural disasters, like the storm surges from hurricanes and tropical storms. By protecting the bayou, the bayou better protects its inland cities and towns from massive flooding.

8. Longest Main Street in the World

The 106-mile-long bayou that flows in the Gulf of Mexico, the Bayou Lafourche (once called the Chitimacha River) makes its way through Ascension, Assumption, and Lafourche parishes. It is called “the longest Main Street in the world.”

9. Biggest Bayou

The Bayou Bartholomew is the longest bayou in the world. It’s so large, it stretches across both Arkansas and Louisiana, is 375 miles long, and boasts more than 100 different types of fish.

10. Native American Ties

The United Houma Nation, a southern Louisiana tribe, uses the crawfish as its official emblem. Some Atakapa-Ishak people choose to live in Grand Bayou, a water village where most homes can only be accessed by boat.

The Louisiana bayou is diverse, sprawling, and full of challenges. For excavation and transportation challenges, turn to Stan’s Airboat and Marsh Excavator Service. No one knows the bayou like Stan’s. Let us handle your marsh construction, cleanup and recovery, and erosion control needs with our fleet of dependable, reliable equipment.