The shooting took place at a person's saw mill. Before I went on my Acadia Parish road trip, I looked up the location of the land where the saw mill once stood. After a day of research and cemetery hunting, my father, son and I made our way through the back roads of Louisiana in search of the scene of the crime.
These buildings are younger than the saw mill, but this was the land on which the shooting took place.
The yellow grass is really rice that's almost ready for harvest. It was a indescribable sensation to ponder what once went down in this field, all while listening to the gentle sound of the rice blowing in the wind.
A building thunderstorm really added to the scene. It was like movie special effects, symbolizing the tension between my great-great grandfather and the man who shot him. We stayed for just a bit, trying to race the storm and get back to our hotel after a long day.
But before we left, my dad paused to re-enact the scene. Here he is playing the part of my great-great grandfather, uttering the line, "DON'T SHOOT!"
Oh yeah, we went there.
You know, not all my ancestors walked the straight and narrow path, but I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. I wouldn't be here if not for them.
Amy,
ReplyDeleteLoved this entry. Your last sentences really ring true. Who among us has "perfect" ancestors?
Great job!
Lisa
Great entry... reminds us why we are searching for our ancestors life stories =)
ReplyDeleteAmy -
ReplyDeleteLove this post and the story! The stories make the search much more interesting and fun - even when they're not so happy stories. I've found a few myself and it just proves that our ancestors were human just like us.
Loved your post, especially the "reinactment" part!
ReplyDeletelove the story and think it's awesome how you embrace it and took the time to be in the 'spot'. The story goes, in my family, for my step-grandpa, that he left China and came here because he had killed a man with a pool stick. He is long gone and was before I ever heard tell of this story...it will fun, at some point, to find out if this story is true! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun and what a great idea for a road trip. (I love my "bad Brinlee boys" in this same way and hope I can find the scenes of their crimes some day.)
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, story and traveling companions. Isn't it wonderful when all living generations can make these trips.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great story. I dream of re-enacting family stories like this and visiting these kind of meaningful sites, though the stories I have in mind are all pretty mundane (and boring!) compared to this one!
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