HISTORY OF BUCKTOWN

Bucktown has been around for about 150 years and there are may theories about how it got its name.

Some people claim the name came from the deer that inhabited the area.

Many years ago the area was made of of barrooms, dance halls, gambling houses and restaurants. It quickly got a reputation as poor and seedy. It was said that when you left the area, you didn’t have a buck left.

Others believe it was because musicians would play on the wharves and the trumpeters would have competitions called “bucking”.

The most popular theory involves a resident named Oliver “Buck” Wooley. Mr. Wooley was a fisherman and hunter. He often hung buck antlers on the bridge and called the area “Buck’s Town”. One story about Buck mentions that he had a girlfriend who one night was flirting with a visiting soldier. Buck fought the soldier and won. He declared “this is Buck’s girl and Buck’s town.:

It may never be known exactly how the area became known as Bucktown but it is widely known that Bucktown is famous for fishermen and good food.

Bucktown was nearly destroyed by a hurricane in September, 1915 and suffered its share of damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 but its residents are strong and determined. Bucktown will be a part of south Louisiana for many years to come.

** thanks to Blake Pontchartrain for most of this information