Can You Pronounce These Nine Louisiana Places Correctly?







Grosse Tete

GROSS-TET

This quaint village is located in Iberville Parish. The village was incorporated in 1906 but dissolved and
then reincorporated in 1952. What makes this place so beautiful is that it is located on Bayou Grosse Tete.
Don’t let this small town fool you, they have big attractions for the history lover or nature enthusiast.
Take a north Iberville driving tour to explore some gorgeous live oaks and numerous plantations.
Legend has it the Grosse Tete (Meaning Big Head) got its name from a big-headed Choctaw, who lived
and hunted in the area. I would rather be Tete Dure (hard headed), than Grosse Tete.







Natchitoches

NACK-A-TISH

This is one of the oldest settlements in Louisiana. Established in 1714, this place embraces its
European flare with its characteristic architecture and heritage. This historic city is sure to please
the whole family with shopping, dining, tours, and festivals. Known for the Christmas Light Festival
and the famed Steel Magnolia House, this town will offer more than you expect. The Natchitoches
translation has been disputed, but some say it derives from the Native American word Nacitosh,
meaning Chinquapin (a type of nut). The city was named after the Natchitoches tribe of the
Caddo Federation. The name has different stories of origin: one of fact and one of fiction, but
you better beware if you try to tell the residents that. They will argue till the cows come home.








Ouachita

WASH-IT-AW

This parish is located in north Louisiana. What makes this place very interesting is that they have
the country's oldest indigenous earthwork mound complex. Dating back to 5400 BP or about 3500 BCE,
this place is older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. Watson Brake or Poverty Point was believed
to be built by a hunter and gatherer society. This archeological site is made up of three 25-foot mounds
that connect to ridges that form a near 900-foot oval. This site in on private land and is not visible
to the general public. There are many historic mounds found in the parish, including the Filhiol
mound site located on the levee of the Ouachita River. This river is what the parish was named after.
The Native American translation means river of good hunting grounds and sparkling silver water.
There were six major tribes that once lived along this river:
the Washita, Osage, Tensas, Chickasaw and Choctaw.







Ponchatrain

PONCH-A-TRAIN

This is one of the largest inland seas located in Louisiana, if not the world. Lake Ponchartrain is actually
not even a lake at all. This body of water connects to the sea and consists of mostly brackish water
(mix of river and sea water). A 24-mile-long water bridge takes drivers from Baton Rouge to
New Orleans. This bridge is the world’s longest water bridge. The body of water was named after the
French statesman and explorer, Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain. Many of the Native Americans
who lived in the area called this lake Okwata, which means wide water.










Tangiphoa

TANG-I-FA-HO-A

This is not only a parish, but also the name of a Louisiana village. The Tangiphoa tribe lived between the
Mississippi and Pearl River, just north of the Pontchartrain. The Native American meaning of Tangiphoa is
believed to mean corncob people or people of corn. There is plenty to do while visiting the parish,
including a wildlife center, sports complex, haunted house, antique city, and much more.
Michael Dywane Jackson Dyson, a former NFL football player,
was elected the mayor of his hometown from 2009-2012.








Tchefuncte

CHEW-FUNK-TEA

This river drains into Lake Ponchartrain and is about 70 miles long. The people who lived along the river
lived there around 500 BCE were the Tchefunte. These people were hunter and gatherers who lived off
most of the seafood found along the river. The name comes from the Choctaw word for chinquapin.
The chinquapin is a nut that was used by Native Americans to relieve headaches and fever. This culture
was some of the first to make large amounts of pottery here in Louisiana. Some of these ceramics have
been found from Texas to Florida, and even in parts of Arkansas


***A chinquapin tree grows in the woods where I am now. The hulls are covered with extremely
        sharp needles and are vey tasty for sure.









Tchoupatoulis

CHOP-A-TWO-LUS

This well-known street runs right through New Orleans. The name Tchoupitoulas comes from a Native American
tribe whose name likely means "those who live at the river" in Choctaw. Famous music venue Tipatina's can
be found on this street, along with many others.










Butte LaRose

B-YOOT LAA-ROSE

Okay, how many of you said butt the first time you saw this? If you did, then you are not the only one.
Many people struggle with this one. No, it is not the butt rose, it actually means the pink hill. Some say
an old Native American man named Celestine Rose claimed it was named after his famous ancestor.
This town is so small, if you blink you won't even know you missed it.




https://townsquare.media/site/149/files/2020/05/Atchafalya-River.jpg?w=980&q=75



Atchafalya River

A-CHAFF-A-LIE-A

This is one of the largest wetlands or swamps in the United States. A swamp is different than a bayou
because one is a forestry wetland and the other is a low-lying body of water typically found near flat areas.
Now what can get confusing is how we use these words. Boudreaux and Thibodeaux live in the swamp
but go down da bayou to see Clotille. Most know the Atchafalaya as a bridge that connects
Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Two most important things about the bridge are,
1) you better set your cruise control,
2) you better use the bathroom before you get on, even if you don’t have to go.



****NOTE
        The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge on I-10 is 18.2 miles (or 96,100 feet) in length.
        Also known as the Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge, the bridge is a pair of
        parallel structures that carry traffic over the Atchafalaya Basin between
        Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

        According to one 2019 report from the Advocate, this bridge has been the site of
        over 1,000 accidents since 2014. Out of these crashes, there have been 15 fatalities.




This view from the water under the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge shows why
this is a dangerous place to have an accident.


The bridge opened to the public in 1973. In 1989, the Louisiana legislature renamed the
bridge the Louisiana Airborne Memorial Bridge in tribute to the 82nd Airborne Division of the
United States Army. At the time of construction, the bridge was the longest in the country.

It is now the:


Because the bridge's foundation is situated in a swamp,
some of the bridge's piers go down over 140 feet.
The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge has only two exits.