Indian River Plantation

Louis Saint-Denis Juchereau founded the first permanent French colony in the territory later to be part of the Louisiana Purchase. As a reward for services rendered to some of his men, he gave them tracts of land along Cane River. One of the officers fathered numerous children with a black woman, Marie-Therese Squeak, who was a slave. When the officer took a woman of a tracking problem with his relationship with Mary. The fort's commander, an honorable man, said that the officer had to release Mary and her children and meet their needs. He gave her a parcel of land, now known as Melrose Plantation. Under his able leadership, the prosperous plantation. Years later it became a haven for artists, writers and historians, who was working in the fields, but also contribute to the cultural community. One of the most famous resident was Clementine Hunter, a folk artist who recorded life on the plantation in his paintings. Today, the plantation is open for visits.

Two other plantations are open for visits under the auspices of the National Park Service: Oakland and Magnolia. The large house in Oakland is rebuilding necessary, but seventeen buildings are accessible. Slaves built these around 1818. The site also includes former live oaks that spread their branches to provide shade in Louisiana hot summers.

Magnolia main house is still privately owned and psoriatic tours are given by the descendants. The other buildings are open to visitors: the blacksmith shop, Pigeonier, slave quarters, barn Gin, and store.

The French and Spanish who took over the region practiced slavery. After 1803, it flourished until Emancipation Proclamation. The term "Creole" means the descendants of French, Spanish, African and Amerindian cultures. Their influence is felt throughout the Cane River.