Cane River
Cane River is a 30-mile-long river in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. It starts as part of the Red River and flows to its mouth at the Red River of the South along the boundary between Natchitoches and Rapides parishes. In the 1800s and early 1900s, the area around the Cane River became known for a mixed-race Creole culture (Creole de couleur) centered on the Melrose Plantation and the nearby St. Augustine Parish Church (Isle Brevelle). Melrose Plantation is a National Historic Landmark. In 1836, the Red River shifted into an eastern channel called the Rigolette de Bon Dieu. The Cane River and its Creole culture inspired writer Lyle Saxon, who published the short story Cane River in 1926 and mentioned them in his 1937 novel Children of Strangers.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:14 (CET).