"Louisiana Mon Amour" a Westwego Travel Page by emilienoelle

The town of Westwego, LA was founded by the Texas and Pacific Railroad in 1870 as a linking point to its docks and shipyard on the Mississippi to Bayou Signette's rich fishing grounds. The town itself was settled by trappers and fishermen, mostly of Acadian decent--who are today known as Cajuns, the decendents of which still live in the town today.

The origin of the town's name, Westwego, is largely a mystery, but there is a theory put out by some of the locals which states that the name came from the fact that the town was once the last railroad stop west of the city of New Orleans.

Today Westwego is still the home of a largely Cajun population of fishermen. It is said that the shrimp that they catch provide up to half of what is consumed in the United States each year. Unfortunately however, the delicate eco-system in Westwego's Bayou Signette has become extremely compromised due to pollution from oil and natural gas drilling as well as from errosion and rising water levels caused by drainage run-off from New Orleans. Hurricanes and tropical storms have also taken a toll along with overfishing and exploitation of the area's natural resources.
There is a strong effort now in Westwego to educate people about the Bayou's rich resources and to encourage their preservation. It was for this reason that I visited, and I have to admit that it is without doubt one of the most beautiful natural places I have ever seen.

The population of Cajuns in Westwego, and throughout southern Louisiana, are directly descended from the French colonists of Acadia, Canada (what is today Nova Scotia) who were ousted by British forces when Britian overtook Canada from France in the 17th century. This difficult period in the Cajun's history is known as "Le Grand Derangement" as many, many people died during the long journey from Canada to the French Colony of Louisana, and still many more from malaria, yellow fever and other tropical diseases. It is a testament to the strength and fortitude of these noble people that they managed so successfully to carve out a rich living and culture from this area's forboding swamplands.

Though today it seems that there are alot of things out there that call themselves Cajun, from all sorts of food to music, the reality of what Cajun is is much different. If you go to southern Lousiana and hear genuine Cajun French spoken and try some real Cajun food you will imediately understand what I mean.