But first, why that name "Baton Rouge"? (We don't call it "Red Stick!"*) The European-American history of Baton Rouges starts back in 1699 when French explorer Sieur d'Iberville leading an exploration group up the Mississippi River saw a reddish cypress pole marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayou Goula tribal hunting grounds. They called the pole and the place le baton rouge. (The local Native Americans called the place Istrouma. Do you remember that Houma means "red"?)
The settlement of Baton Rouge by Europeans began in 1719 when a military post was established by French colonists. It was about the the same time when d'Iberville's brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, sieur de Bienville, founded the city of New Orleans (1718). Look back at the map of New Orleans (Post 11) and you can see that both brothers have a street named after them in the French Quarter.
After New Orleans (1722), Baton Rouge became the capital in 1849.
A little information about population. Baton Rouge's population temporarily exploded after Hurricane Katrina because it accepted as many as 200,000 displaced residents. Metropolitan Baton Rouge is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States (under 1 million) with 602,894 in 2000 and 802,484 in 2010.
The city itself has a 2014 population of 230,000, compared to New Orleans 344,000. Baton Rouge has a population that is 54% Black or African American and 39% White.
The Capitol Building:
It dates back to 1932. We'll visit the building and discover its Art Deco style.
The Louisiana Capitol Building is often thought of as "Huey Long's Monument."
Who was Huey Long?
Come back tomorrow to learn about this famous Louisiana politician.
Jane
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Do you know this site...a break from so much English!http://www.office-tourisme-usa.com/etat/louisiane/baton-rouge
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MINI-QUIZ 8
1. How many tribal citizens of the United Houma Nation are there living in the 6 parishes around the city of Houma?
2. What French city is twinned with Houma?
3. What is a crawfish boil?
4. On the bayous: do you remember how many wild alligators there are in Louisiana? (Post 37)
5. What sauce made in Avery Island can you put on your omelette (for example) to make it spicy?
6. What's the name of the white birds with beautiful feathers that in the past were killed by the thousands so that women could wear fashionable hats?
7. Where in Spain did the group of 500 colonists come from back in 1779 to settle in New Iberia, Louisiana?
It's at Posts 35 - 40 where you'll find the answers to these questions...if you have forgotten or if you didn't read these posts.
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*And for history buffs:
Red Sticks is the English language term for a traditionalist group of Muscogee Creek people in the American Southeast in the early 19th century. They led a resistance movement to European-American presence on their land and assimilation; the tensions led to the Creek War in 1813. Initially a civil war among the Creek Indians, the conflict brought in United States state forces, when the nation was at the same time already engaged in the War of 1812 against the British. The term "red sticks" was derived from their red-colored war clubs and the ceremonial red sticks used by Creek medicine men. These people were defeated by General Andrew Jackson (Do you remember him?) The Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama on March 27, 1814 resulted in the largest number of deaths of Native American in a single battle throughout all of the Indian Wars (557 + ...some sources say more than 800 of the 1000 Indians were killed.) The battle established Andrew Jackson's reputation as a military leader and an Indian fighter. After he was elected President in 1828, he signed the Indian Removal Bill that forced the southeastern tribes and their allies to move west in the journey known to the Cherokee as the "Trail of Tears". (Wikipedia)
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