CANE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA TO OPERATE LOS ADAES STATE HISTORIC SITE
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, the Office of State Parks and Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc. (CRNHA) announce a cooperative agreement to operate Los Adaes State Historic Site in Natchitoches Parish. Under the new agreement, CRNHA will manage visitor services, create community outreach and educational programs, improve interpretive services and enhance the marketing and heritage tourism initiatives of the site.
The site will reopen to the public on Wednesday, April 26, and will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays - Saturdays. CRNHA will hold a grand reopening celebration on Saturday, May 6.
"We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Cane River National Heritage Area, and have this historic site available to the public," said Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. "Los Adaes is one of Louisiana's many hidden treasures, and represents a key time in the state's early colonial history."
Los Adaes, the symbol of New Spain in Louisiana, was once the capital of the Spanish Province of Tejas (present-day Texas) and the scene of a unique cooperation among the French, the Spanish and the indigenous Native Americans. An area rich in archaeological finds, it thrives today as one of Louisiana's most intriguing State Historic Sites.
"We are pleased to embark upon this new partnership with the State," remarked Cynthia Sutton, CRNHA President. "As a National Historic Landmark, Los Adaes is an essential component to telling the story of Louisiana's past and we are delighted to make it more accessible to the public."
Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that specializes in public-private partnerships to preserve and promote the cultural and natural resources of the Cane River region. Premier partnerships include the National Park Service, the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, the City of Natchitoches, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association, and community partners throughout the Cane River National Heritage Area.
Los Adaes State Historic Site is located just off La. Hwy. 6, near Robeline. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, and became a Louisiana State Parks property in 1979. For more information about the site or about Louisiana State Parks, visit LaStateParks.com.
PHOTO (LosAdaes_CRNHA_20170406.jpg): The front entrance to Los Adaes State Historic Site, soon to be operated by the Cane River National Heritage Area (photo credit: Rebecca Blakenbaker/CRNHA).
