Breaux Bridge

Book excerpt: Breaux Bridge is one of the first settlements of the Acadians in Louisiana. Founded in 1766, Quartier de la Pointe, the area along the winding and scenic Bayou Teche, was established by Acadians who had been deported from Nova Scotia in 1755. The land that is present-day Breaux Bridge was purchased in 1771 by Firmin Breaux, who built a footbridge across Bayou Teche for the passage of his family and neighbors that was known as "Breaux's Bridge." The city was officially incorporated in 1859 and was officially designated in 1959 as la capitale mondiale de l'ecrevisse--"the crawfish capital of the world"--where the Crawfish Festival is celebrated annually. Descendents of the original Cajun settlers still reside in this historic city, whose heritage influences the dialect, folkways, music, and cuisine of Louisiana.