Deutsch Culture

The German Coast

The German Coast was a region of early Louisiana settlement located above New Orleans on the Mississippi River, specifically, in St. John the Baptist and St. Charles parishes.  It was so called because of its large population of German pioneers, who in 1768 joined with the Acadians from the Cabannocé Post area to march on New Orleans and overthrow Spanish colonial governor Antonio de Ulloa.  Later the Germans and Acadians united again, this time under Spanish colonial governor Bernardo de Gálvez, to fight the British during the American Revolution.  Most of these German Coast settlers hailed from the Rhineland region of Germany and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland.  Some settled beyond the German Coast, particularly along Bayou Lafourche, and at other places today bearing their name, Bayou des Allemands and Lake des Allemands ("German Bayou" and "Germans Lake," in French).  Eventually, these Germans intermarried with the Acadians and their descendants, began to speak French, and were transformed along with the Acadians and other frontier settlers into the Cajun population.  Many modern-day Cajuns bear surnames of German origin, such as Folse, Himel, Schexnider, Stelly, and Toups.
                          Sources:  Brasseaux, Founding of New Acadia, Taylor, Louisiana