Way Down Yonder in Plaquemines

Way down yonder, at the mouth of the
Mississippi River sits a land like no other on this continent. A land occupied
by man but belonging to a force greater than he. A force who fights daily to
prove that no man's barriers or diversions will stop it from plowing its own
path. Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish (County) is the Mississippi River. It was
the great 'father of waters' who built it and it is the 'Ominous Lady' who over
the years has fought to reclaim the lands she deposited.
So begins Janice P. Buras' history of the land known as Plaquemines.
Land, of course, is not a highly appropriate term.
Marsh, or swamp, or even water, could be
used to more accurately describe much of Plaquemines. Yet this isolated and
humid area has also been home to people of many different cultures throughout
the history of Louisiana. It is also some of the most fertile land in the
world. The varieties of plantlife found in Plaquemines are almost as numerous
as the many stories that have arisen on the Mississippi banks of this area.
Janice P. Buras, in her crusade to spread the word about her beloved
Plaquemines Parish, has published a monthly magazine highlighting the people
and events of the area. Feeling that the history of this area has been
neglected or forgotten for far too long, she was compelled to write this book.