AVERY ISLAND
Avery Island is my birth town. It is a salt dome located in Iberia Parish, La. about 3 miles inland from Vermillion Bay which in turns open into the Gulf of Mexico.
I was born and raised most of my childhood years on top of the dome. When they would blast the salt underground, we would hear and feel the blasts.
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| Our home we lived in.
Behind the garage you can see the hoist where my Dad worked. He started working down the mine and worked himself up to Hoist Engineer. He had the responsibility of bringing the workers up and down the salt mine.
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| This is the view of the International salt mine (Now called Cargill) office from my house on the island. |
It's also home of the Jungle Gardens which is a huge garden of flowers, birds, plants and wildlife.
We were a small community of people living there. It was one of my best childhood memories. We all knew each other and watched out for one another.
I always wished I could have raised my child there. It was safe and fun!
There was a post office, store and school so we didn't have to get off the island. However, for what my mom used to call "major" grocery shopping, visits to the doctors, movies etc we did travel about 9.02 miles to the next biggest town, New Iberia.
The school only went to 6th grade. We had to take a school bus to go to high school.
Avery Island is a tourist attraction. I remember sitting in my front yard on a lazy hot humid afternoon watching the cars go by. Most were residents and workers. However, I enjoyed reading the licensed plates of the tourists. I couldn't believe people from Canada and every state in the US would came see where I lived.
I didn't appreciate the beauty and opportunity to live there as I do now. There are great memories.
They have closed off most of the island except for the Jungle Gardens and Tabasco Factory for tourists. There are not many people living there anymore.
Avery Island holds many of my fondest childhood memories. As a child I didn't appreciate the beauty and grasp of how great an opportunity it was to live there. But I do now and I long to have a place like that sometimes.
If you ever travel to my wonderful state of Louisiana, I suggest you drop by for a tour of the Tabasco Factory and Jungle Gardens. They give tours at the factory to show how Tabasco Sauce is made.
