Oakland Plantation: Cultural Landscape Report, Part 1 DRAFT, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, National Park Service

Firth I and Turner S. 2002. Oakland Plantation: Cultural Landscape Report, Part 1 DRAFT, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, National Park Service. Cultural Landscape Report. Southeast Regional Office, National Park Service

Oakland Plantation is a unit of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park (CARI). The 45-acre NPS-owned property is located on Isle Brevelle in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. This large cotton plantation was originally 1,900 acres along the banks of Cane River, with an additional 1,500 acres in detached parcels. Formerly called the Emanuel Prud’homme Plantation, it represents a celebrated regional variation of the Southern cotton plantation, one that was developed by French Creole planters in the fertile floodplain of the Red River in northwestern Louisiana. This cultural landscape report (CLR) is an incomplete draft that documents the physical history of Oakland Plantation from prehistory through 1865 using information and data from primary and secondary sources, including park archives. This draft CLR provides regional and historical context by discussing the natural systems of northwestern Louisiana and the expansion of cotton plantations in the area. This draft CLR thoroughly discusses the history Oakland Plantation from its foundation to the end of the antebellum period (1790-1865). This draft CLR also presents the exiting conditions of the plantation in the early 2000s. Preliminary conclusions and treatment recommendations are discussed in order to provide some guidance for planning for the reception of visitors, on-going preservation maintenance operations, and the development of interpretation programs. A CLR 'Phase 2' was completed in 2021, and finishes this initial effort.

Type
Published Report
Authors
Firth, Ian; Turner, Suzanne
Date of Issue
2002
Units
CARI
Keywords
Cane River, Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Cotton, Cultural Landscape Report, Emanuel Prud'homme, Isle Brevelle, Louisiana, Natchitoches Parish, Oakland Plantation, plantation, Red River
Subjects
CRIS-CL: 550072: Oakland Plantation

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