Lacassine (French: ''La Cassine'') is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Jefferson Davis Parish Jefferson Davis Parish (french: Paroisse de Jefferson Davis) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 31,594. The parish seat is Jennings. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the president ...

in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

state of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. As of the 2010 census the population was 480.

Etymology

One story about the name of the community is that a tribe of

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

Indians, led by their chief Lacassine, migrated to southwest Louisiana to hunt and fish in the early 19th century, settling near this place. Another story about the name states that the part of the parish where the community is located was visited regularly by different tribes of the area, including the

Atakapa The Atakapa Sturtevant, 659 or Atacapa were an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana. They included several distinct band ...

and

Choctaw The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native American people originally based in the Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Mississippi. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choctaw people are ...

people. Game was abundant here, and the Indians called it their "hunting ground", or, in the Choctaw language, ''La Cassine''. However, the phrase sounds more

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

than Indian. ''La Cassine'' means "the small house" in

. According to Monsignor Jules Daigle, noted authority of the Cajun language, it was named for a small house built by an Indian chief in that location.''Jefferson Davis Parish: An Oral History'', page 10

Geography

Lacassine is in western Jefferson Davis Parish along

U.S. Route 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

, which leads west to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

and east the same distance to

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

runs along the northern edge of Lacassine, with access from Exit 48 (

Louisiana Highway 101 Louisiana Highway 101 (LA 101) is a state highway located in southwestern Louisiana. It runs in a general north–south direction from Louisiana Highway 14, LA 14 in Hayes, Louisiana, Hayes to Louisiana Highway 383, LA 383 north o ...

). I-10 leads west to Lake Charles and east the same distance to

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

, the Jefferson Davis

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Lacassine CDP has an area of , all of it land. West Bayou Lacassine flows southward along the eastern edge of the community, reaching tidewater at

Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge is located in Cameron and Evangeline Parishes in southwestern Louisiana, was established in 1937 by Executive Order No. 7780 as "a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife." The refuge i ...

to the south.

Demographics

Economics

The Little Kahuna Water Park was being constructed off

in Lacassine, but was never completed due to monetary problems. Lacassine is home of the Louisiana Spirits Distillery, where Bayou Rum, a popular adult beverage in Louisiana, is distilled. Construction began in 2011 and Bayou Rum was created in 2013.

References

External links

Lacassine High School
Unincorporated communities in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana Unincorporated communities in Louisiana Census-designated places in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana Census-designated places in Louisiana {{Louisiana-geo-stub