Oak Cheniers

Driving south on Hwy 27 — either side of the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road — you will notice intermittent bands of higher ground, often topped by live oak trees and farms.

Thousands of years ago, much of what is now Cameron Parish was completely submerged in the Gulf of Mexico. Over time, westward gulf currents carried huge quantities of Mississippi River silt and deposited it along the coast in ever-rising arcs that slowly rose to the surface. Solid land appeared creating a new coastline or beach. More time would pass then another more southerly coastline would emerge and so on for thousands of years.

These “oak cheniers” as they are known in Louisiana’s Outback, are a rare phenomenon: former beaches isolated from the sea by strips of marsh. Cheniers farthest inland are the oldest. Because this land is elevated from the marsh and boasts remarkably fertile soil that is well watered, these oak cheniers have been used through the centuries for farming crops (including orange groves!) and cattle.
   
Geologists believe the “youngest” cheniers — those closest to the Gulf — are more than over 1,200-years-old. The most significant cheniers are Grand Chenier, Front Ridge, Little Chenier, and Chenier Purdue.