368 pages / 7.00 x 10.00 inches / 1 map
From Aansel to Zwolle, with Mamou in between, researcher Clare D’Artois Leeper offers an alphabet of Louisiana place names, both past and present. Leeper includes 893 entries that reveal a distinct view of the state’s history. Her unique blend of documented fact and traditional wisdom results in an entertaining guide to Louisiana’s place name lore.
Clare D’Artois Leeper (1932–2012) wrote the newspaper column “Louisiana Places: Those Strange Sounding Names” from 1960 to 1979, and again from 2004 to 2006. Born in Shreveport, she spent most of her life in Baton Rouge, named for the “red stick” that marked the hunting boundaries of the Bayougoulas and the Houmas.
“A valuable reference book that contains a significant amount of Louisiana history. . . . Leeper’s willingness to accomplish [this] task will enrich the study of Louisiana for years.”—Louisiana History
“Clare D’Artois Leeper’s Louisiana Place Names brings to life the incredible diversity of the state’s heritage and culture. You’ll discover places named by people with straightforward approaches and some with quirky senses of humor. This book is researched with a great deal of thought and care.”—Cynthia V. Campbell, author of Explorer’s Guide Louisiana
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