Grand Isle Origins
By Cayden Stump, staff writer Although Grand Isle was discovered in 1528 by French explorers, ownership of the island alternated between the French and the Spanish for a while. According to Tiffany Kleynhans, former resident of Grand Isle, the French ultimately took control in the 1720s due to the island’s proximity to New Orleans. Before these explorers discovered Grand Isle, the Chitimacha Tribe hunted, fished and planted oak trees at the center of the island. These oak trees provided settlers with protection from the elements. Kleynhans, a Thibodaux resident, has ties to Grand Isle from her great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Jacques Rigaud, who was one of four people who received a land grant and was ordered to make the land usable. In 1781, Spanish Governor Bernardo Vicente de Gálvez y Madrid gave the first land grant to Jacques Rigaud and his brother with a promise to make something of the land. The Galvez brothers decided to raise cattle and plant orange groves, which marked the start of the land’s development. Additional crops like sugarcane and cotton were also harvested, according to the Town of Grand Isle. Grand Isle became a part of the United States in 1803 after the Louisiana Purchase. At this time, crops were shipped to New Orleans, plantations appeared on the island and slaves tended to the land. “There were a lot of free African Americans on the island as well that worked on the farms and plantations,” says Kleynhans. During this time, pirates came from all over to raid Spanish ships, including slave ships. Pirates made most of their money by kidnapping slaves from Spanish ships and selling them to plantation owners in New Orleans. Kleynhans says, “The whole pirate thing is romanticized, and it seems so cool, but the sad thing is they would raid Spanish slave ships and steal the slaves and sell in New Orleans.” “The whole pirate thing is romanticized, and it seems so cool, but the sad thing is they would raid Spanish slave ships and steal the slaves and sell in New Orleans.” — Tiffany Kleynhans The people of Grand Isle farmed, fished and exported their products to New Orleans during this time. In the late 1800s, wealthy people from New Orleans built a resort hotel on Grand Isle’s beach, and according to Kleyhans, people came to the island because they believed its water could heal them. “Business was booming ‘till the 1893 hurricane came and destroyed and washed it all away,” says Kleynhans. Following the Cheniere Caminada Hurricane, the community was able to rebuild what was destroyed on the island. After this, the prohibition era began, and members of the mafia owned and used a local marina as a cover for shipping out alcohol. In 1930, a lawyer named Danziger pushed for a bridge to be built so that people would no longer have to use a push barge to access Grand Isle from the mainland. Once the bridge was built, oil companies and tourists began to arrive, eventually making Grand Isle what it is today – a tourist destination and oil-industry hub. The Town of Grand Isle’s website states, “Today, the island is home to around 1,500 locals, who make a living from the seafood and oil industries. More than 12,000 tourists visit the island annually to participate in fishing rodeos and enjoy the wide open beaches and countless bird sightings.” While the current state of Grand Isle is vastly different from its origins, the things that have taken place since its discovery have shaped it into what it is today. Photo by Betsy Swanson, Grand Isle on the Gulf Slave Cabins Photo by Betsy Swanson, Grand Isle on the Gulf Land Grant Photo by Betsy Swanson, Grand Isle on the Gulf Hotel destruction for hurricane Photo by Betsy Swanson, Grand Isle on the Gulf
Island Pirates
By Paul Gagneaux, staff writer In the past, many pirates sailed around the island areas of Louisiana. Although many of these pirates are gone, some of their descendants and relics of their history remain in Louisiana’s coastal areas, like Grand Isle. “One of them is actually buried right in my backyard, and not many people are aware of the fact that he’s here,” says island resident Helen Tabor. “One of them is actually buried right in my backyard, and not many people are aware of the fact that he’s here.” — Helen Tabor The most well-known pirate in Louisiana’s history was Jean Lafitte. According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, Jean Lafitte was known for his crew, as well as aiding in The Battle of New Orleans. Historians say he bordered the line between hero and criminal, and he preferred the term “privateer” over pirate when referring to himself and his crew. According to the National Park Service, Jean Lafitte and his crew of Baratarians (as he called them) insisted that if they ever committed a crime it was the fault of America for making laws that were so restrictive. Louis Alcide Chighizola, Jr., the son of Jean Lafitte’s lieutenant Louis Chighizola, died March 24, 1893 and is buried in Grand Isle Cemetery. His father, nicknamed Nez Coupe, pirated alongside Lafitte and eventually settled on Grand Isle, where he raised his family. Nez Coupe even made an appearance in the 1958 film The Buccaneer. Pirates played a prevalent role in American history, especially between the 1700s and 1800s. According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, pirates held a leading role in developing commercial structure and port towns in America. According to a history-based website about the origins of Grand Isle, Nez Coupe and Jean Lafitte set up base in Grand Isle to attack Spanish ships, steal treasures and resell them in New Orleans. However, they did not do this often because Grand Isle did not have a harbor at the time, which made it hard for Jean Lafitte and his men to work from there. Jean Jafitte and his men were forced to leave Grand Isle in 1814 by the government, but many of his men stayed behind and retired. Nez Coupe was one of the men who decided to stay in Grand Isle, where he later had his son Louis Alcide Chigizhola Jr. As such, the Chigizhola family line continued to grow within Grand Isle. Members of the Chighizola family still reside on the island to this day. “I think it’s pretty cool being related to a pirate,” says Pj Chighizola, a descendant of Nez Coupe and Louis Alcide Chighizola, Jr. and a Grand Isle reserve police officer. “I was born and raised in Grand Isle where Jean Lafitte and Louis Chighizola spent a lot of time, and they are part of the history of Grand Isle, so I am proud to be a part of the history of our little town.” Louis Chighizola Jr grave Battle of New Orleans Painting from Grand Isle Louis Chighizola Jr grave Note left in front of Louis grave The Destruction of some of the Graves in Grand Isle after Hurricane Ida.
Grand Isle’s Changing Landscape
By Alexia Castellon , design editor Today 1983 1955 1932 1877 Today 1983 1955 1932 1877