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The lives of 'islenos,' the 18th-century colonists from the Canary Islands who settled in the area now known as St. Bernard Parish, are celebrated by their descendents at 'Isleno Fest.'
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Hey Blake,
The National Geographic in July had an article about Delacroix Island. A picture of two ladies who work at Yscloskey Seafood got me wondering what that name signifies. I camped there years ago and was eaten up by mosquitoes. Please tell us where that name is derived.
Eddie
Dear Eddie,
Louisiana has always had "world-class" mosquitoes. In the early days of European settlement of our state, some of the first inhabitants brought with them horned cattle -- maybe the first seen in Louisiana. The ox fared better than the horse, as its thick skin was almost impervious to mosquitoes. Does that make you feel any better?
I'm not sure whether you want the origin of Delacroix or Yscloskey, so I'll tell you about both of these hunting, trapping and fishing areas in St. Bernard.
Yscloskey was originally called Proctorville. In 1777, an Irishman named Thomas Proctor came to America. Capt. Proctor served Gen. George Washington during the American Revolution. Retiring from the army, Col. Proctor moved to Louisiana, where he received a land grant from the Spanish government. The name was later changed to Yscloskey, but folks disagree on whether this was the name of a property holder in the district or American Indian in origin.
The village of Delacroix Island was named in honor of the Countess Livaudais de Suan de la Croix, builder of the first church and school. But perhaps more interesting than the names are the people who first settled in the area: the Canary Islanders or Islenos.
When Louisiana's Spanish Gov. Bernardo de Galvez began his term on Jan. 1, 1777, the population of New Orleans was 3,206. The new governor was quick to encourage immigration. He promised settlers land grants, supplies, and "an axe, a hoe, a scythe, a spade, two hens, a cock, and a pig of two months with which they may easily found and establish a household which will provide them a living." Such an offer was hard to resist, and soon Americans, British, Acadian, and Spanish pioneers accepted, along with the Islenos, who arrived in Louisiana between 1778 and 1783. By 1785, the population of Louisiana had doubled.
The first settlement was Galveztown, just below Baton Rouge. The others were Valenzuela, Barataria, and La Conception -- later San Bernardo -- in St. Bernard Parish along Bayou Terre aux Boeufs, an abandoned channel of the Mississippi River.
The Roman Catholic Islenos established the St. Bernard Church in 1785, the first church parish below New Orleans, and buried in the cemetery are the original Islenos colonists.
Galvez took a personal interest in the Islenos and placed them strategically in four locations to help guard approaches to the city. He and the Spanish administrators believed that the British of West Florida were planning to invade the Province of Louisiana.
During the American Revolution, the Islenos fought against the British. After 1803, they were incorporated into the state militia, and when news of a British Invasion came in 1814, the Islenos again took up what few arms they had and fought in the night battle of Dec. 23, 1814, sustaining great losses.
The most successful Islenos settlement was San Bernardo, and the farmers, during the late 18th and early 19th centuries provided great quantities of garlic, onions, beans and potatoes for the New Orleans market. During much of the 19th century, the Islenos worked on sugar plantations also. It was the Islenos colonists who domesticated and trained cattle and oxen and used them to cultivate their crops. In fact, ranchers all over the state brought their herds to St. Bernard to be trained. In their native land, the Islenos had been an agricultural people, but as they adapted to their new environment in Louisiana, they became trappers and commercial fishermen as well.
Bob Dylan, in "Tangled up in Blue," made Delacroix "famous" when he wrote "So I drifted down to New Orleans, where I happened to be employed. Yeah, I was working for a while on a fishing boat right outside of Delacroix."
He didn't mention the mosquitoes.
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