Poverty Point

Louisiana's Stonehenge is a compelling place to stay, too

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Poverty Point’s name has always intrigued me. I was curious why an area with poverty would be a destination point.  

In 2014, I became enlightened when Poverty Point received the honor of being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first and only one in our state. A proud Louisianan, I put Poverty Point on my to-see list.

The UNESCO acronym stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This esteemed label deems the site is of outstanding universal value to humanity on a worldwide basis and helps to publicly recognize the site and promote its preservation. 

My journey to see Poverty Point  last January became a weekend exploration of an area of the state I’d never seen before. Unfortunately, the temperatures dropped the day before arriving, the wind picked up, and intermittent rain forced me to experience more of my surroundings from inside the car and cabin than anticipated.  

This esteemed label deems the site is of outstanding universal value to humanity on a worldwide basis and helps to publicly recognize the site and promote its preservation. 

Poverty Point is in West Carroll Parish’s town of Pioneer. It was built around 1700 BC by indigenous people who used the area until 1100 BC. There were additional inhabitants, but the site was abandoned then re-discovered in the 1800s. To put this Louisiana’s history into perspective with the rest of the world, Poverty Point was constructed at the same time as Stonehenge and while Queen Nefertiti ruled Egypt. 

Poverty Point’s name came from the nearby Poverty Point Plantation; the place served as an ancient residential and ceremonial center for thousands of native American Indians. The 402-acre tract still presents more questions than answers. The site consists of five mounds and six concentric semi-elliptical ridges, which are separated by shallow depressions and a central plaza. The early inhabitants lived in the earthen ridges, making homes from wattle and daub construction: walls of woven cane and sticks then covered by mud. Remnants of hickory nuts, persimmons, grapes, fish, deer, frogs, alligators, turtles, and aquatic tuber provide clues about their diet.

The grounds are lovely and provide good birdwatching for this enthusiast on the outer perimeter of the property. But it’s best to visit the museum before touring the site; inside an educational video details facts about the early inhabitants, their history, and the archaeological methods used in exploring Poverty Point. It is fascinating to hear about these early settlers; the video presents a clear picture of what their life was like. The museum offers tours of the area on foot and by car. Guided tours are also offered by tram during certain parts of the year, and the park features a 2.6-mile hiking trail.

Poverty Point was built on a high area about fifteen miles from the Mississippi River. This proximity to the river made the area a huge trade network—rocks were a hot commodity—with travelers from as far away as eight hundred miles (today’s Iowa). Artifacts and human figurines carved out of soapstone have been found and traced to quarries in Georgia and Alabama.  These and other items are on display in the Poverty Point Museum.

[Read this: Saintly Parishes—The wholly holy origins of some Louisiana place names.]

When the rain stopped long enough, I walked up the wooden steps to the largest mound, Mound A, which is 72 feet tall. Considered to be somewhat bird shaped and comprised of approximately 8,400,000 cubic feet of fill, this mound is the second largest in the northeastern United States. They haven’t found any human remains to indicate the mound was used as a burial site, so archaeologists believe it was built as a sign of power and wealth. 

The Poverty Point Reservoir State Park is down the road in Delhi and is part of what used to be the Poverty Point Plantation, whose history included being a hangout for outlaws such as Jesse James. Built in 2006, the lake is a man-made 2750-acre reservoir that was created as a reserve to fill the aquifers for northeast Louisiana. The park offers cabins right on the reservoir which gave us the most beautiful sunset views. In January, thousands of white pelicans and hundreds of wintering ducks could be seen on the water. The two-bedroom cabins where we stayed are updated and comfortable. Larger cabins, called lodges, are found throughout the park and can accommodate more people. 

The park has seven different hiking trails in addition to a bike trail. The lake offers fishing, boating, and water-skiing opportunities. Right outside of the Park is the eighteen- hole Black Bear Golf Course, also part of Louisiana’s state park system, with a 17-room hotel next door where golfers can stay. (Get two rooms, in case you get a hole in one.) 

Since it was bitingly cold, we drove around the park and stopped to talk to a few locals who lived nearby. They said black bears were frequently seen in the park during warmer months. 

Though still drizzling, we went to the Wild Country Safari Park, in nearby Epps. No one else was getting out in this yucky weather, so we were the only ones on the tour. I’m still not sure how the school bus shuttle that took us around the 300-acre park didn’t get stuck in those muddy roads. They have thirty different species, including giraffes, wildebeests, camels, and antelopes, who are friendly and stick their heads in the windowless bus for food. There is also a petting zoo for younger children with rabbits, pigs, and goats. The gift shop is entertaining with different caged birds and other small mammals as well as fun animal-themed gifts to buy.

We missed touring the Louisiana Cotton Museum because it wasn’t open on Sunday. However, we saw fields of cotton growing along the road on the way home.

Touring Poverty Point World Heritage Site, the Wild Country Safari Park and Poverty Point Reservoir State Park made for an interesting and educational weekend in North Louisiana. I would highly recommend it—just don’t make my mistake and go in January. But of course, there was a silver lining: no mosquitos.  

povertypoint.us

Poverty Point

6859 La. Highway 577, Pioneer, Louisiana 71266

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