Cane River
| Cane River | |
|---|---|
Cane River | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Natchitoches |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 31°33′55″N 92°58′06″W / 31.5653°N 92.9684°W |
| Mouth | Red River of the South |
• location | At the Natchitoches–Rapides Parish boundary |
• coordinates | 31°44′35″N 93°05′10″W / 31.74306°N 93.0861°W |
| Length | 30 miles (48 km) |
The Cane River (French: Rivière aux Cannes) is a 30-mile-long (48 km) river in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, originating from a portion of the Red River. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it gained prominence as the locus of a Creole de couleur (multiracial) culture, centered around the Melrose Plantation and the adjacent St. Augustine Parish (Isle Brevelle) Church. Melrose Plantation is a National Historic Landmark.
In 1836, the Red River shifted into an eastern channel, known as the "Rigolette de Bon Dieu."
Lyle Saxon wrote a short story titled "Cane River" published in 1926. The Cane River and Creoles also feature in Saxon's 1937 novel Children of Strangers.