William Guion
Who better to create a visual record and driving tour to interpret Louisiana’s magnificent live oaks than fine art photographer William Guion. The Thibodaux resident, who has spent more than thirty years chronicling the sinuous beauty of these leviathans, has received a grant from the Lafourche Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau to create a self-guided driving tour interpreting the historical record of the trees lining thirty miles of historic Bayou Lafourche between Lockport and Labadieville. Guion will photograph the trees and write accompanying text for a tour brochure and website detailing the location and history of each oak with respect to the various communities that have called Lafourche Parish home. “The project will be as much about the human history of the location as it is about the trees,” Guion explained. “All of these trees have human stories attached to them—stories either of the people who planted them or those who were attracted to them for their shade.”
According to Guion, Lafourche Parish is home to more than 150 live oaks currently registered with the Live Oak Society. Two were among the first one hundred oaks to be registered with the Society in the 1930s: the Pilgrimage Oak, located at Rienzi Plantation; and the Grenier Oak, which stands four miles above Thibodaux.
Look for the first signs appearing within three months. VisitLafourche.com to learn more.
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