The Larose Link: An Underrated Connection

The small Louisiana town of Larose began as a sugar plantation founded by Octave Harang in 1846. Harang had a canal dug from Bayou Lafourche to Lake Salvador which connected the plantation to New Orleans markets. As the town grew, it eventually got its own unofficial postmaster under the administration of Joseph Larose (actually of Portuguese descent rather than French). From this man comes the town’s name. Later, in the 1940s, the US Army Corps of Engineers would complete the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (or GIWW), of which the canal originally dug by Octave Harang would be only a small part. This waterway and Bayou Lafourche intersect and create “4 corners”, which forms the heart of the town of Larose.

The Larose Link itself began its construction in 1959 under Gov. Earl Long but was completed in 1961 under Gov. Jimmie Davis. Gov. Davis, who had a successful career as a country-gospel singer before he became governor, only grew in popularity during his initial term. Davis not only continued to sing and perform on the campaign trail, he also pursued acting as well. Traveling as far as Nashville and Hollywood, he was sometimes criticized as Louisiana’s “absentee governor”. Perhaps most significant of Davis’ contributions to Larose and Louisiana was his popularization of the song “You Are My Sunshine”. Performing this song at the inauguration of the opening of the West Larose Bridge, this song would eventually be made into Louisiana’s official state song.

Gov. Jimmie Davis' version of the song can be heard here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1NfVi6SM3Q Something that Bayou Lafourche and the GIWW both have in common is they are lifelines for the community of Larose. In addition to being a big reason that the community was born in the first place, these waterways still support Larose by bringing economy and industry to and through the town. In the past, this was mostly agriculture, but today it is chiefly the oil and gas industry which uses the town’s waterways. For example, North American Shipbuilding is headquartered in Larose and builds many different vessels for the energy industry, ultimately bringing much needed jobs to the area. Much of the product moving along the Gulf coast uses the GIWW, and so too does much of the oil and gas industry pass through Larose using Bayou Lafourche. In this way, Larose is a small hub for industry in the area. For the Larose Link’s part, the bridge serves as the most vital connection for the town and its people to cross these vital waterways. Stitching the divide across the GIWW, the Larose Link proves itself to be an underrated connection, both in the history and the present life of Larose.