David Campo

Vermilion River Serenade

The Vermilion River runs through the heart of my hometown of Lafayette, LA. It was created when the ancient course of the Mississippi River, which originally ran through the area that is now Lafayette, shifted from west to east and left a channel through the plains. While originally home to the Atakapa-Ishak and Canneci (Lipan Apache) Tribes and the competing Choctaw Tribes, between the years 1765 and 1785 the first great wave of immigration occurred in South Louisiana and Acadian exiles settled the area. They created a profitable fur and deerskin trading business along the Vermilion River, and the Old Spanish Trail reached the Vermilion right about where the village of Vermilionville (later Lafayette) was founded. Subsequently, the town grew and flourished on both sides of the Vermilion. The tranquil river and its scenic banks, adorned with live oaks draped in Spanish moss, provided the backdrop for early Cajun life as the river was a source of food, communication, travel and commerce. This piece is a "postcard;" an homage to my culture and to the river that brings me great peace every time I encounter its pastoral beauty and serenity.