Evangeline Parish Towns
Basile
Bayou Chicot
Chataignier
Lone Pine, Centerville and St Landry
Mamou
Pine Prairie
Turkey Creek
Vidrine - Reddell
Ville Platte
Basile
The town of Basile, nestled in the southwest corner of Evangeline Parish, was incorporated as a village in 1911.
Since 1966, this small town has been the home of the Louisiana Swine Festival, which takes places yearly the first weekend of November. The festival, originally established to promote a large feeder pig industry in the area, continues to promote the pork industry despite the closing of the feeder pig sale barn in Basile in the early 1970s.
The festival includes a carnival, beauty pageants, a parade, and a variety of live music performances. Unique to the festival are events centered around the festival's namesake such as the Greasy Pig Chase, the Pork Cook off, the Boudin Eating Contest and the Hog Calling Contest.
Another event of interest to tourists is the annual Basile Mardi Gras celebration, held on the Saturday prior to Mardi Gras for the children and on Mardi Gras Day itself for the adults. The Mardi Gras celebration in Basile is the rural tradition with a group of 
Mardi Gras participants scavenging the town and countryside around Basile in search of ingredients for the community gumbo at the end of the day. The participants travel the area in wagons and truck ad are followed by observers in a parade of vehicles. In exchange for gumbo ingredients, the costumed Mardi Gras dance and entertain the townspeople with revelry and music. At the end of the day, the Mardi Gras march down Basile's Main Street and invite the townspeople to join them in a street dance followed by free gumbo at the town park. After a brief break, the Mardi Gras participate in the Grand March at the town park and receive awards for their day's performance.
Basile has long been a hub of Cajun music enthusiasts. Hometown musicians have included the likes of the late Dewey Balfa, the late Nathan Abshire, the living legend Nonc Allie Young, and members of the CFMA's Band of the Year Mark Young and Layton Thibodeaux are also from Basile. In addition, Christine Balfa, Basile native, has become a drum major in the cause of promotion and performance of Cajun music. A new mural in downtown Basile portrays the likeness of Basile three most renowned Cajun musicians, namely Dewey Balfa, Abshire, and Young.
The town also boasts two business districts; the old downtown area on Staff Avenue, still referred to as Main Street, and the newer business district on Highway 190.
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Bayou Chicot
Bayou Chicot is the oldest English speaking settlement west of the Mississippi River. No one knows the date that the first settler cam e here, but, records of land sales that to 1783 which proves that people were living here much longer than that. Many believe that there was a Bayou Chicot before there was a United States although there are no records to that effect.
To a stranger Bayou Chicot looks like a wilderness area of hardwood and pine forests, and few would believe that this was once a thriving community with many find old homes. It is sad to say but all have been destroyed. Many well to do people owned plantations on Bayou Bouef but built summer homes in this community near springs where there was good water and soil, and a more healthful place to live. Most spent their summers here raising vegetables to can or dry for winter use.
Bayou Chicot is now a small community boasting a consolidated school and large general store as well as two restaurants.
Bayou Chicot hosts the Pork and Chitling Festival the 1st weekend of September -- Friday at noon to Saturday night.
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Chataignier
The word "Chataignier" is French and menas chinquapin, a small type of chestnut tree. Chinquapins (castenea punita) grew abundantly in the prairie surrounding Chataignier until the chestnut blight wiped them out and may now be nonexistent in the community.
Gleanings from old records indicate that Chataignier's first settler was Ursiana Manuel who cam from Mexico via New Orleans about 793 when Louisiana was a Spanish Colony and George Washington was serving as President of the new republic known as the United States of America. The descendents of Ursiana Manuel are still living on the original land grant obtained by him during the Spanish domination of Louisiana.
The second oldest church in the Evangeline country was founded in Chataignier. The settlers of that area enjoyed the benefits of religion, education and postal service in that order.
The Chataignier community's educational background dates back to the pre Civil War year of 1858 when the first known school, the Onezine Lafleur School, was located in the upper Chataignier community.
The Chataignier post office was established on November 20, 1879 in what was known as St Landry Parish. In 1901 the very large area of St Landry Parish was divided up to form several other parishes, one of which was Evangeline. Chataignier now occupies the southeastern part of that parish. The Village of Chataignier was incorporated in January, 1973 with a population of 375. The economy of this area is agriculturally based.
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Lone Pine, Centerville and St Landry
Lone Pine, Centerville, and St Landry are mostly farming communities located along the northern border of Evangeline Parish. Most of the people of the communities now have jobs in area towns since farming has become so mechanized.
In years past incomes were derived from fishing, hunting, trapping, farm and garden produce and the saw mill industry.
The lovely lands in these areas are still rich in timber and the fishing and hunting is still good all along the banks of Bayou Cocodrie and the wooded areas of the communities. Dossman Lake and the ever popular Chicot State Park also have good fishing.
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Mamou
The town of Mamou was incorporated in 1912. Mamou is located at the center of 12 square miles of some of the finest and richest agricultural land in Louisiana.
during the early years into the 1920's Mamou grew very well. It had a doctor, dentist, an attorney, a rice mill, good hardware stores, drugstore general merchandise store, car dealership, implement dealer, two railroads with large warehouse extensions on each railroad and two banks. In 1930 Mamou was hard hit by th
e depression. It wiped out the business community. At one time there was no doctor, no warehouses, no attorney, no dentist, no drugstore and only a few growing businesses.
A new growth really came about in 1950. A bank was reorganized; churches were built, a new hospital was built, two rice mills, three drug stores, and various other types of businesses was started. A large rice drier and elevators, some of the finest in the state, were built. Mamou now boasts two banks and a mini-mall.
Mamou holds a Veteran's Day Celebration on November 11th each year. Mardi Gras is celebrated in a big way in Mamou, and visitors from all over the nation attend. Cajun Music is cultivated in Mamou, and Fred's Lounge has the Cajun Music Hall of Fame via radio, honoring Cajun musicians every Saturday morning.
Mamou is a beautiful little town of over 4,000 people, and it celebrates the Cajun way of life and welcomes visitors to its attractions.
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Pine Prairie
Pine Prairie is now officially known as a town. 
The last census shows a population of 1087 people within the town limits. There are five churches in Pine Prairie, they are as follows: Catholic, Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist and Pentecostal. Two of the churches have church halls which serve as community centers. The school has an enrollment of 148. The Pine Prairie Community Park was developed for youth activities during the last ten years. Pine Prairie is the nearest town to the recently developed Crooked Creek Recreation Area which offers fishing, swimming, and camping.
There is an annual Christmas parade in the town followed by the lighting of the town Gazebo and Christmas tree and seasonal lights.
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Turkey Creek
Turkey Creek is located in northern Evangeline Parish near the stream named Turkey Creek. The area, and the name of the settlement was derived from the fact that the stream ran in three branches shaped like a turkey's foot. A more popular theory is that there were many wild turkeys in the area and from that the name of the settlement was derived. Some of the first families that settled Turkey Creek were named Nugent, Singletary, Stewart, Clark, Johnson, Deville and Fontenot.
A Mr. Singletary operated the first cotton gin and grist mill in 1892. The first sawmill, which cam later, was water-powered and took about one-half day to saw a medium log into lumber. From 1905 when the Rock Island Railroad was built through Turkey Creek, logging became an important industry, remaining so until about 1950. The largest of the sawmills in operation at that time was the settlement of Meridian a few miles north of Turkey Creek. Meridian is no longer there, h
aving been reclaimed by the forest when the logging operations were concluded. Turkey Creek has no schools. It was consolidated with Bayou Chicot school, but an elementary school existed before 1845. This is reflected in documents which show a donation of land for a school by Mr. Louis Deville. Two other schools are supposed to have existed ... they were a college started by a Mr. George Coverdale in 1875 and lasting until 1880. He was supposedly sent by the Queen of England but for some reason she cut off his money supply so he reportedly stayed and opened a grammar school.
Turkey Creek was located in old St Landry Parish but was included in Evangeline Parish when it was created in 1911. The first post office was established around the 1890's.
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Vidrine - Reddell
The Vidrine-Reddell community was established in the early 1920's. The Vidrine community was named for Dr. J. C. Vidrine. The descendants of the first families are still in the area and are leaders in the community. The Reddells were of English descent and none of the family remained in the parish.
Vidrine has one school which hosts elementary and secondary education. The community of Vidrine also boasts a bank, a flying service and airport, a natural gas transmission company, furniture store, lumber yard, a bakery, a grocery store, finance company, and a large agricultural co-op.
Reddell has a post office, one grocery stores, and one of the largest rice drier-elevators in the state.
Both of these rural communities provide their citizens with a rural water system and a natural gas system.
The area's prime income is derived from rice, soybean and cattle farming. There are many beautiful homes in the area.
Some of the finest quality pure bred stock in a number of breeds i s bred and raised in this area of the parish. The 4-H club and Future Farmers of America is well represented by young people. These youngsters have repeatedly brought home grand and reserve champion honors from state competitions. Breeders of this fine stock welcome visitors to their farms and ranches. They are C. F. Brahman Farms (red) - Carl Fontenot, Owner, Marcantel Brahman Farm (read an white) - Glen "Butch" Marcantel, owner; Hebert Brahman Farm (white) Richard Hebert - owner,; LaHaye Brangus Farm - Dr. Wayne LaHaye - owner; LaHaye Brahamn Farm - Charles LaHaye owner.
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Exactly how Ville Platte got its rather unique name is still not know. The southern half of Evangeline Parish where Ville Platte is located is on the first"flat lands" when one comes down from the hill country of north Louisiana. The name suggests that because it was located on the flat "prairie lands" that the name "flat town" was selected. Ville is the French word for Town and Platte is the French word for flat. This is supposition as the real reason for the selection of the name is not known. It appears that the areas wa first settled in the 1780's during the Spanish rule as these are the first records found referring to the area.
Popular legend states that the founder of Ville Platte proper was Marcellin Garnad, an adjutant major in the army of the French empire under Napoleon. There are records that Garand obtained one of the first two lots survey and platted in what is now Ville Platte. The were located on the south side of what is now the main street of Ville Platte and the records indicated that this was in the year 1824. This appears to be the actual beginning of Ville Platte. Marcellin Garand operated a store and a tavern at this location. It was a stopping place for travelers traveling from Opelousas to Alexandria and further on. In the same general area, a William Know opened a blacksmith shop and a Mr. John Mc Daniel operated a place where lodging could be obtained.
The growth and survival of Ville Platte was probably due to the fact that it was located on El Camino Real (the Spanish Royal Road).
The town was first listed on a published map in 1854, four years before it was incorporated in 1858. The first post office had been established in 1842 with Marcellin Garand serving as postmaster until 1848. During this era Ville Platte was a small trading area for the scattered inhabitants of the area. Most of the people of the area were of French and Spanish ancestry however the greater part of the population was French. There was a scattering of English and Irish peoples.
Residents of the area were predominantly Catholic. The Catholic Church was first established in Ville Platte in 1854. The population of the area is still predominately Catholic. During the Civil War there were no major battles fought i this area, although many men from the area joined the Confederate cause. Ville Platte, like the rest of the south, suffered through the reconstruction after the war. The people were subject to the lawlessness that resulted and suffered at the hands of the "Jayhawkers".
With the creation of the new parish of Evangeline in 1911, Ville Platte became the Parish Seat of government. In 1900 Ville Platte had a population of 163. The railroad came to Ville Platte in 1907 and the population began to grow. By 1910 it had reached 603, and by 1920, it had gone to 1350.
It was in the period between 1930 and 1940 that Ville Platte had its first "boom". The population jumped from 1722 in 1930 to 3721 in 1940. This was largely due to the discovery of oil in the Tate Cove area about six miles north of Ville Platte. World War II served to increase the population again and by 1950 the count was in the neighborhood of 6600. The continued growth of the oil industry created many jobs and spawned the creation of a carbon black plant by the Cabot Corporation.
The creation of Chicot State Park with its 6500 acres of woodland and a 2500-acre lake was another boom to Ville Platte brings thousands of visitors annually. Since that time several industries have located in Ville Platte. Cooper / Cameron's oilfield valve plant, Union Tank which refurbishes railroad tank cars, which have joined Cabot Corporation in creating Ville Platte's industrial bass.
Today Ville Platte is rich in history, legend, agriculture, timber, natural resources, and in dedicated people. It is a colorful little city situation between Baton Rouge and Alexandria on US Highway 157 with a population approaching 36,000. ville Platte has a large medical center owned by Life Point, Inc., as well as a large non-profit 183 bed long term care facility specializing in speech, occupational and physical therapy. There are pubic schools in Ville Platte as well as one parochial school and one private school. There are churches of all denominations. The civic organizations include the Ville Platte Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, Magnolia Garden Club, Woodman of the World, American Legion and Auxiliary, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Ville Platte hosts three large festivals each year. The Cotton Festival includes the running of Tournoi an ancient game of French Knights. The Festival de la Viande Bouccanee (Smoked Meat Festival) is held in the summer, and the Mardi Gras Gumbo Festival is held in the early spring.
