Day 7: April 27, 2019 Wrapping Loose Ends Comment via blog

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Saturday's breakfast was at the Fort St. Jean Baptiste Visitor Center where this 1939 Mercury, complete with AC and 12 volt electric on the original flathead, was parked. The street here still carries the name Jefferson, and work is in progress to convert an adjacent lot to a small park. A descriptive panel that will be displayed in that park was shown at the center. The center contains a small museum and is connected to a full size reconstruction of the fort.

Some conference attendees had already started home and others headed out as soon as the presentation at the fort's visitor center was over. A dwindling group made its way down the road to Oakland Plantation where some family oriented activities were taking place. Arlene was part of the group and she managed to arrange a tour of the "big house". It began life in 1821 with two bedrooms and remained in use, through several additions and remodelings, until the 21st century approached. Current owners, the National Parks Service, chose to take advantage of that unusual situation by targeting the 1960s in its restoration. And that is why things like a console TV appear share space with a cylinder recording player.

Fred and I spent the rest of the day (his birthday!) visiting some places in Colfax that we had seen from the bus but wanted to look at closer. First up was Dixie Pharmacy which we learned was very much an active business. It had been open earlier in the day but would now remain closed until we were both miles. The glare makes it hard to read, but the sign on the door indicates that the "5¢ coffee" is real, plus it looks like there is a soda fountain inside.

Yesterday, when we stopped at the Hotel Lasace, a few people walked to the nearby cemetery to look over the Colfax Riot monument but neither Fred nor I had made it. It was the main thing I wanted to see in town. The stone column was erected "In Loving Remembrance" of three white men who died in an 1873 confrontation over a contested election. As many as 153 blacks also died that day with many of them being shot after surrendering. The three men identified on the cemetery marker, are called "heroes... ...fighting for white supremacy". A plaque near the courthouse, credits the event with "the end of carpetbag misrule" but does acknowledge the death of "150 negroes". You really need to do some "more reading".

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