Attakapas County, Orleans Territory
Encyclopedia
Attakapas County was a former county in southern Louisiana and was one of twelve counties in the Territory of Orleans, newly defined by the United States federal government following the Louisiana Purchase
. At its core was the Poste des Attakapas trading post, now St. Martinville.
on the west, the Atchafalaya River
on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico
to the south.
In 1811, the county was divided into the parishes of St. Martin and St. Mary. The region was further subdivided in 1823, 1844, and 1868 to create Lafayette, Vermillion, and Iberia parishes, respectively.
tribe.
In the 1760s and 1780s, the county received a sizable influx of Acadian
immigrants, who had been deported from their homes in Nova Scotia
and scattered among the thirteen British Atlantic colonies, England
, France
, Saint-Dominigue (Haiti
), Cayenne (French Guiana
), and the Falkland Islands
. Approximately 193 Acadians who had been involved in guerilla warfare against the British in Canada were led by Joseph Broussard
dit Beausoleil to settle in the Attakapas Territory in 1765.. These early settlers established themselves between modern Breaux Bridge and Loreauville These settlers became the nexus for future waves of immigration when their dispersed Acadian relatives were able to gather sufficient funds and permissions from the various national entities under whose control they found themselves.
As a result, the former Attakapas County became a major center for Acadian/Cajun culture in Louisiana, as well as of black Creole culture.
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
. At its core was the Poste des Attakapas trading post, now St. Martinville.
Foundation
Attakapas County was formally created from the Attakapas and Opelousas districts in 1805 by Governor William C. C. Claiborne. It occupied the triangle between the Mermentau RiverMermentau River
The Mermentau River is a river in southern Louisiana in the United States. It enters the Gulf of Mexico between Calcasieu Lake and Vermilion Bay on the Chenier Coastal Plain.The Mermentau River supplies freshwater for the Mermentau Basin...
on the west, the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
to the south.
In 1811, the county was divided into the parishes of St. Martin and St. Mary. The region was further subdivided in 1823, 1844, and 1868 to create Lafayette, Vermillion, and Iberia parishes, respectively.
Early history
Prior to European colonization, the area was primarily home to the AtakapaAtakapa
The Atakapan people are a Southeastern culture of Native American tribes who spoke Atakapa and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico. They called themselves the Ishak, pronounced "ee-SHAK", which translates as "The People". Although the people were decimated by infectious disease after...
tribe.
Colonial Settlement
The first Europeans arrived in the 1730s, and were predominantly French or French Creole.In the 1760s and 1780s, the county received a sizable influx of Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
immigrants, who had been deported from their homes in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and scattered among the thirteen British Atlantic colonies, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Saint-Dominigue (Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
), Cayenne (French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
), and the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
. Approximately 193 Acadians who had been involved in guerilla warfare against the British in Canada were led by Joseph Broussard
Joseph Broussard
Joseph Gaurhept Broussard , also known as Beausoleil, was a leader of the Acadian people in Acadia; later Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Broussard organized a resistance movement against the forced Expulsion of the Acadians...
dit Beausoleil to settle in the Attakapas Territory in 1765.. These early settlers established themselves between modern Breaux Bridge and Loreauville These settlers became the nexus for future waves of immigration when their dispersed Acadian relatives were able to gather sufficient funds and permissions from the various national entities under whose control they found themselves.
Slavery
At the time that the Attakapas Territory became Attkapas County, the Acadians living there had developed a prosperous agricultural economy based on cattle, enhanced by small-scale vegetable and corn farming, and powered, to a significant degree, by slave labor. The Attakapas District census of 1803 lists "2,270 whites, 210 free people of color, 1,266 slaves; in all 3,746 souls.As a result, the former Attakapas County became a major center for Acadian/Cajun culture in Louisiana, as well as of black Creole culture.