A Railroad Ran Through It

Have you ever heard of or seen the remnants of the Atchafalaya Basin Railroad?

At one time, the railroad was the only way to cross the great swamp, and connected the early metropolitan areas of Lafayette and Baton Rouge. In the early 1900's it was built to carry freight to the growing cities. It stopped at the Atchafalaya Station as catfish was the major commercial industry in the Henderson, LA area at the time. However, the Flood of 1927 destroyed the railroad and it was never rebuilt in its original location. It wasn't until the 1970's that the 18.2 mile Atchafalaya Basin Bridge along Interstate 10 was constructed creating a direct route between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. Today, a few remnant sections of the original railroad pilings can still be spotted between the trees when traveling across the bridge between the western levee and Exit 121.

If you'd like to see the remnant pilings and hear stories of growing up in the swamp, join us for one of our world famous Atchafalaya Basin swamp tours!