A visit to Lake Providence, Louisiana

While I spend time with my parents at the hospital while my dad recovers from his recent surgery, I am going to be featuring a few "reruns" of posts from the past. Please excuse me if you read them the first time around. This is a continuation of my journey from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Lake Village, Arkansas, traveling through the heart of the Louisiana Delta, on US Highway 65 North. If you would like to read the story and see the sights from the beginning of my trip, you can click on this link — Journey Through the Louisiana Delta. The first part of my journey ended just outside of Lake Providence, Louisiana, which is about 50 miles northeast of Vicksburg. Lake Providence is a small town located on a large "oxbow lake" called, appropriately enough, Lake Providence. An "oxbow lake" is a crescent-shaped lake lying alongside a winding river (the Mississippi River, in this case). The oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. While doing a little research on the history of Lake Providence, I came across a story about how it got its name. In the late 18th century, goods like animal pelts, indigo, and cotton were transported up and down the Mississippi River by people commonly known as "longboat men," named after the type of craft that carried the goods. These were eventually replaced by steamboats. Thieves and pirates would raid the boats, kill the longboat men, and then sell the goods. There is a bend in the river called Bunch's Bend where a pirate named Bunch would raid the boats. If the longboat men made it past Bunch's Bend without being robbed, they would say they, "made it to Providence." This is where the trading town of Providence was located. It later became Lake Providence when the town was moved to its current location surrounding the natural oxbow lake. As you can see in the above photo, the lake is gorgeous. But as you drive up Highway 65, which runs alongside the lake for miles, the view is truly spectacular, especially this time of year. The banks of the lake are lined with huge cypress trees, and it was difficult to pay attention to my driving with all that beautiful scenery calling out to me to stop. I finally found a place to pull off the road which just happened to be the Byerley House, a museum and visitor's center. Just across the street, huge old cypress trees shade picnic areas, and a pier extends out over the water. The pier is what attracted me, of course, and I grabbed my cameras and walked out to the end of it. I wasn't disappointed. I shot these pictures with my zoom lens, and wished that the pier was longer — especially when I saw this white heron on the other side of the lake. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll also see another reason I wanted to be closer. Look at the base of the big tree on the right. Can you see the turtles clinging to the trunk of the tree? I didn't see them until I loaded my pictures onto my computer. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you would like to get a closer look at the heron, too. And speaking of closeup views — here are a few pictures I captured of a cypress tree that was close to the pier ... Of course, where there are Cypress trees, there are cypress knees, and they were everywhere — all sizes and shapes. I felt like I was in "Cypress Knee Heaven," as I happily wandered around capturing them with my camera. I showed these pictures to our five-year-old granddaughter Avery Grace, and she said, "They look like little castles," and they really do, don't they! I grew up around cypress trees and cypress swamps, and never really thought about what cypress knees are, or what they do. For the purpose of this post, I did a little research and found that cypress knees are distinctive structures found in the roots of cypress trees. Their function is unknown, but some biologists think they may help in providing oxygen to the tree, and assist in anchoring the tree in the soft, muddy soil. I love the little clump of "baby knees" in the foreground of this next picture: I hope you enjoyed seeing the sights I captured of the Louisiana Delta, as much as I enjoyed capturing them. I love that area of Louisiana, and can always find new and interesting pictures there, just waiting to be taken.

Louisiana Delta Odds and Ends

Today I'm featuring the "odds and ends" pictures from a trip I took last week through the Louisiana Delta on US Highway 65 North. If you would like to read about my journey and see some of the sights I captured along the way, you can click on the following links:

A Journey through the Louisiana Delta
I Made it to Providence!

I took the following pictures in the Lake Providence, Louisiana Cemetery. They feature a few of the headstones and markers that caught my attention as I drove through the cemetery. Like this marker for Patrick McGuire, who was born in Fermanagh County, Ireland in 1838, and died in Lake Providence in 1917, at the age of 79. I can't help but wonder what brought Patrick all the way from Ireland to a little town in the middle of the Louisiana Delta.

And the markers for babies and children always touch my heart, especially this one for a nameless baby girl who was born and died on the same day, October 18, 1891. I wonder if she lived long enough for her mother and father to hold her in their arms. I'm sure they held her in their hearts the rest of their days.

Notice the engraving on the bottom of the stone. I tried to decipher it, but couldn't make it out (it may be in Latin or French). Can you read it? (You can click on the picture to enlarge it, if you'd like.)

I love this family plot, with its concrete bench. I wonder how many Goodwins have sat there through the years as they visited the final resting place of their loved ones, Marie and Walter Goodwin.

The large monument in the next picture is for Tilghman M. Tucker, a former Governor of Mississippi (1842-1844).

After retiring from public life, Gov. Tucker moved to his Louisiana plantation home, and died in 1859. Buried beside him are his first wife, Sarah, and second wife, Martha, and I believe this next marker may be for his daughter or granddaughter. The epitaph caught my attention — it was taken from Proverbs 31:28, and reads: "May her children's children rise up and call her blessed."

After I left the cemetery in Lake Providence, I continued on Highway 65 North toward my destination of Lake Village, Arkansas. I'm afraid I didn't get very far, though. This old barn was calling my name, and I couldn't just ignore it, could I?

I didn't want to trespass, but I couldn't resist stepping inside the door to get a couple of pictures.

This is the "farmhouse" across the highway from the barn, which I assume is where the owner of the barn lives. I love the tree-lined driveway.

In case you're wondering, I did actually make it to my destination, which was a home decor warehouse called Paul Michael Company, in Lake Village, Arkansas.

Although the store was filled with beautiful Christmas decorations, by the time I got there, I was tired from my morning's picture-taking adventures and everything seemed to pale beside the glorious scenes I had captured with my camera on the way to Lake Village.

I did manage to get a few parting shots as I was leaving ...

As I look at those pictures now, I wish I could go back and spend more time at Paul Michael's, but then I'd have to pass through the beautiful Louisiana Delta again, and I know I'd see more pictures just begging to be taken ... and to be honest, I'd rather take pictures than shop any day.

I have one more post related to my trip, which I'll feature soon. I hope you'll join me for it.

"I made it to Providence!"

I know that sounds like a strange title for a post, but read on and you will discover how it relates to my story.

This is a continuation of my journey from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Lake Village, Arkansas, traveling through the heart of the Louisiana Delta, on US Highway 65 North. If you would like to read the story and see the sights from the beginning of my trip, you can click on this link — Journey Through the Louisiana Delta.

The first part of my journey ended just outside of Lake Providence, Louisiana, which is about 50 miles northeast of Vicksburg.

Lake Providence is a small town located on a large "oxbow lake" called, appropriately enough, Lake Providence.

An "oxbow lake" is a crescent-shaped lake lying alongside a winding river (the Mississippi River, in this case). The oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course.

While doing a little research on the history of Lake Providence, I came across a story about how it got its name. In the late 18th century, goods like animal pelts, indigo, and cotton were transported up and down the Mississippi River by people commonly known as "longboat men," named after the type of craft that carried the goods. These were eventually replaced by steamboats.

Thieves and pirates would raid the boats, kill the longboat men, and then sell the goods. There is a bend in the river called Bunch's Bend where a pirate named Bunch would raid the boats. If the longboat men made it past Bunch's Bend without being robbed, they would say they, "made it to Providence." This is where the trading town of Providence was located. It later became Lake Providence when the town was moved to its current location surrounding the natural oxbow lake.

As you can see in the above photo, the lake is gorgeous. But as you drive up Highway 65, which runs alongside the lake for miles, the view is truly spectacular, especially this time of year.

The banks of the lake are lined with huge cypress trees, and it was difficult to pay attention to my driving with all that beautiful scenery calling out to me to stop.

I finally found a place to pull off the road which just happened to be the Byerley House, a museum and visitor's center. Just across the street, huge old cypress trees shade picnic areas, and a pier extends out over the water. The pier is what attracted me, of course, and I grabbed my cameras and walked out to the end of it. I wasn't disappointed.

I shot these pictures with my zoom lens, and wished that the pier was longer — especially when I saw this white heron on the other side of the lake. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll also see another reason I wanted to be closer. Look at the base of the big tree on the right.

Can you see the turtles clinging to the trunk of the tree? I didn't see them until I loaded my pictures onto my computer.

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you would like to get a closer look at the heron, too.

And speaking of closeup views — here are a few pictures I captured of a cypress tree that was close to the pier ...

Of course, where there are Cypress trees, there are cypress knees, and they were everywhere — all sizes and shapes. I felt like I was in "Cypress Knee Heaven," as I happily wandered around capturing them with my camera.

I showed these pictures to our five-year-old granddaughter Avery Grace, and she said, "They look like little castles," and they really do, don't they!

I grew up around cypress trees and cypress swamps, and never really thought about what cypress knees are, or what they do.

For the purpose of this post, I did a little research and found that cypress knees are distinctive structures found in the roots of cypress trees. Their function is unknown, but some biologists think they may help in providing oxygen to the tree, and assist in anchoring the tree in the soft, muddy soil.

I love the little clump of "baby knees" in the foreground of this next picture:

My lagniappe for the day was meeting this nice couple from British Columbia, Canada.

I failed to get their names, but enjoyed visiting with them for a few minutes. They were headed to Vicksburg, and planned to spend a day exploring the Vicksburg National Military Park while there. They are going to be traveling until April, before returning home, and I wish them a safe journey.

I'll conclude mine in my next post.