Timeline of Acadian Events

1
Timeline of Acadian Events

• 1605 - Acadians leave France for the New World
  (present day Nova Scotia, Canada)
• 1755 - the British (now in control of the land)
  start expelling the Acadians to their American
  colonies, the French West Indies, and even back
  to France
• 1765 - Acadians hear about Louisiana and start
  accepting Spanish land grants

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Wetland Settlements

• Lived on swamp levees like in the Atachafalaya
  River basin
• Made a living by hunting and fishing eventually
  lived on house boats
• In the marshes Acadians realized they could graze
  cattle in the winter months

3
Prairie Settlements

• Developed in two areas differently
• Eastern Lifestyle - the rich soil supported crops
  (cotton was the main cash crop) and the area
  quickly became densely settled
• Western Lifestyle - was at first characterized by
  small towns and cattle ranches
• Life changed in the western prairies with the
  introduction of the railroad, rice farming, the
  discovery of oil, and agricultural mechanization

4
River/Bayou Settlements

• Spanish land grants along the Mississippi River
  were the first settlements for the Acadians in
  Louisiana
• Later Acadian arrivals were given land on Bayou
  Lafourche and Bayou Teche
• These Acadians used the rich soil for farming
  cotton as a cash crop

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Creole Review
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Creole Review
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How can you tell a Creole from an Acadian?

• The Acadian Cottages look more rough or
  primitive, and are generally smaller, than those
  built by prosperous persons.
• Acadian Cottages sometimes have gallery
  staircases leading to their attics, which they
  used as sleeping lofts.
• Generally, Acadian Cottages have fewer decorative
  elements than do the homes of the Creoles.

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How can you tell a Creole from an Acadian?
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How can you tell a Creole from an Acadian?
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How can you tell a Creole from an Acadian?
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The Story of Evangeline

• Poem by Henry Wadsworh Longfellow
• Two Acadian lovers Evangeline and Gabriel,
  separated by the British on their wedding night.
• Evangeline finally finds Gabriel, but he is on
  his death bed.