Southwest Lousiana's history and culture stretches back to a prehistoric past when Native Americans roamed these lands following vast herds of bison and gathering the fruits of the marsh and sea. The first European settlers, Spanish and French, arrived in the 18th century, and their rich heritage has shaped much of our culture. Our "parishes" - rather than "counties" - reflect this past. As you travel the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, you will wind your way through Calcasieu and Cameron parishes whose distinctive history and culture are closely bound to the unique environment of Louisiana's Outback.

Throughout Southwest Louisiana, archeologists have unearthed a wide range of pots, shards, and arrowheads. And burial mounds discovered on Little Chenier, indicate that over the centuries - and perhaps the millennia - native populations must have been large and widespread. This is hardly surprising considering the bounty of this fertile realm. These ancient people are called Ishaks.

The nomadic Attakapas descended from the Ishaks and lived in Louisiana's Outback when the Europeans and Cajuns arrived. Ferocious in battle and much feared by surrounding tribes, legend claims the Attakapas cannibalized their prisoners of war. And yet in 1528, they saved the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca and his mates from ship-wreck and starvation. De Vaca remained with them until 1535.