Steamboat travel was frequently affected by low water, immovable rafts of debris, underwater snags and shifting sandbars, including one at the junction of Bayou Courtableau and the Atchafalaya River called Le Petit Diable ("The Little Devil").Befo…
Busy port during steamboat days; named after the Barre family. In 1765 Charles Barre bought 8800 arpents from Jacque Guillaume Courtableau, 1st Commandant, Opelousas Post. Here Bayou Courtableau gives birth to Bayou Teche.