King Cotton.wmv
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Uploaded by Rdezo on Jul 20, 2011
I believe "Baby Boomers" from Evangeline Pariish will relate to this clip which pertains to "King Cotton" from "the old days." Two summers, during the late 1950's, I picked cotton for my grandfather ,Odey DesHotels, as well as for Mr. Walter Dupre and Adraste Landreneau. I was paid 7 cents per pound. It was awful work and I hated it.
Prior to and after those two summers of picking cotton, I witnessed and experienced the life of sharecroppers growing and harvesting cotton on my grandpa's farm. I have vivid memories of riding the cotton wagon from Pine Point to the gin in Mamou which was an hour a half away. The edges of the "black top" highway were littered with cotton blown off the loads of many other wagons traveling to the gin. I recall having to wait in "wagon line", once we arrived at the gin, to have our 1,500 pound cotton load suctioned into the gin. Also, I was always given an orange soda after the load was received at the gin ( Gin owner marketing?). I have many memories of those years but none more profound than the images of those poor tenant and sharecroppers (most were African Americans) that performed the back-breaking task of growing and taking their cotton to market. "King Cotton" may have been lucrative for large land and gin owners but it was a miserable existence for most sharecroppers. The severe financial and living conditions were obvious to me , even as a young child. However, I hope you enjoy these pics that illustrate life when "King Cotton" ruled.
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@blafleur886 : Thanks Brian. Like you, I can still hear them singing also. Mostly gospel and some blues. However, I can't recall a single song by title. They didn't sing songs I had heard before.
B, if you saw folks in L'anse Grise picking cotton in the '70's, you def. saw the tail end of it.
semper fi
Rdezo 7 months ago
Awesome video as usual, Richard. I wonder when the last cotton was picked by hand. I remember watching folks pick by hand across from my house in L'anse Grise in the 70's. I liked to listen to them sing.
blafleur886 7 months ago