Contraband Bayou as it runs west of the McNeese State University campus.

Contraband Bayou is a large bayou, a tributary of the Calcasieu River.[1] It runs through Lake Charles, Louisiana, and empties into Prien Lake.

The bayou is so named because of the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte, who built a slave barracks on the bayou in the early 1800s[2] and reputedly hid his contraband somewhere along the shores of the bayou.[3]

The bayou is moderately saline, with low flow, and receives Lake Charles municipal waste discharge.[1] Over the years, it has been dredged and channelized along part of its length.[4] While the bayou was once lined with many cypress trees, the saltwater brought in during this dredging caused some to die off, leaving behind stumps in the water.[5]

The bayou runs through the McNeese State University campus.[3] L'Auberge du Lac Resort is located near the mouth of the bayou, and the resort's Contraband Bayou Golf Club is named for it.[6] Part of the city docks of the Port of Lake Charles are also located near the bayou.

References

  1. 1 2 "Calcasieu Estuary Remedial Investigation: Lake Charles, Louisiana" (PDF). epa.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Block, W. T. "The Legacy of Jean Lafitte in Southwest Louisiana". wtblock.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. 1 2 Bordelon, Kathie (2001). McNeese State University. Arcadia. pp. 11–12. ISBN 9780738506999. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  4. ↑ Felley, James D. (December 1987). "Nekton assemblages of three tributaries to the Calcasieu estuary, Louisiana". Estuaries. 10 (4): 321–329. doi:10.2307/1351890. JSTOR 1351890. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Safer sailing". American Press. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2023..
  6. ↑ "Contraband Bayou Golf Club". L'auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles. Retrieved 26 March 2023.


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