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They Called Us River Rats: The Last Batture Settlement of New Orleans
They Called Us River The Last Batture Settlement of New Orleans is the previously untold story of perhaps the oldest outsider settlement in America, an invisible community on the annually flooded shores of the Mississippi River. This community exists in the place between the normal high and low water line of the Mississippi River, a zone known in Louisiana as the batture . For the better part of two centuries, batture dwellers such as Macon Fry have raised shantyboats on stilts, built water-adapted homes, foraged, fished, and survived using the skills a river teaches.
Until now the stories of this way of life have existed only in the memories of those who have lived here. Beginning in 2000, Fry set about recording the stories of all the old batture dwellers he could maritime workers, willow furniture makers, fishermen, artists, and river shrimpers. Along the way, Fry uncovered fascinating tales of fortune tellers, faith healers, and wild bird trappers who defiantly lived on the river.
They Called Us River Rats also explores the troubled relationship between people inside the levees, the often-reviled batture folks, and the river itself. It traces the struggle between batture folks and city authorities, the commercial interests that claimed the river, and Louisiana’s most powerful politicians. These conflicts have ended in legal battles, displacement, incarceration, and even lynching.
Today Fry is among the senior generation of “River Rats” living in a vestigial colony of twelve “camps” on New Orleans’s river batture, a fragment of a settlement that once stretched nearly six miles and numbered hundreds of homes. It is the last riparian settlement on the Lower Mississippi and a contrarian, independent life outside urban zoning, planning, and flood protection. This book is for everyone who ever felt the pull of the Mississippi River or saw its towering levees and wondered who could live on the other side.
Until now the stories of this way of life have existed only in the memories of those who have lived here. Beginning in 2000, Fry set about recording the stories of all the old batture dwellers he could maritime workers, willow furniture makers, fishermen, artists, and river shrimpers. Along the way, Fry uncovered fascinating tales of fortune tellers, faith healers, and wild bird trappers who defiantly lived on the river.
They Called Us River Rats also explores the troubled relationship between people inside the levees, the often-reviled batture folks, and the river itself. It traces the struggle between batture folks and city authorities, the commercial interests that claimed the river, and Louisiana’s most powerful politicians. These conflicts have ended in legal battles, displacement, incarceration, and even lynching.
Today Fry is among the senior generation of “River Rats” living in a vestigial colony of twelve “camps” on New Orleans’s river batture, a fragment of a settlement that once stretched nearly six miles and numbered hundreds of homes. It is the last riparian settlement on the Lower Mississippi and a contrarian, independent life outside urban zoning, planning, and flood protection. This book is for everyone who ever felt the pull of the Mississippi River or saw its towering levees and wondered who could live on the other side.
216 pages, Hardcover
Published May 4, 2021
36 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 21, 2021
A beautiful human and well researched book about the people who lived on the margins with just what they needed and no more. It's got characters galore, history, greed, gumption, politics, ... You'll learn things about New Orleans, from the perspective of those whose story is often not told.
I've lived in New Orleans my whole life and spent time as a kid riding my bike on the levee in the lower 9th Ward, through the abandoned abattoir and warehouses with old bales of cotton. When I moved to Uptown I looked for a place to walking my dogs and found "Mahalia's Batture" before others decided to clean it up for a dog park. I picked blackberries and mulberries on the batture in the Carrollton Bend. When I roamed over that area I always wondered how Bisso Marine ended up with so much of the batture land. I know now. When I would walk or ride my bike past the few remaining houses on the batture I always daydreamed of living there. It seemed like a slice of heaven.
When I read the book I could hear Macon speaking. I worked with Macon a few times in the gardens and was lucky to visit his batture home once. Here's hoping the folks on the batture stay put for a long, long time.
I've lived in New Orleans my whole life and spent time as a kid riding my bike on the levee in the lower 9th Ward, through the abandoned abattoir and warehouses with old bales of cotton. When I moved to Uptown I looked for a place to walking my dogs and found "Mahalia's Batture" before others decided to clean it up for a dog park. I picked blackberries and mulberries on the batture in the Carrollton Bend. When I roamed over that area I always wondered how Bisso Marine ended up with so much of the batture land. I know now. When I would walk or ride my bike past the few remaining houses on the batture I always daydreamed of living there. It seemed like a slice of heaven.
When I read the book I could hear Macon speaking. I worked with Macon a few times in the gardens and was lucky to visit his batture home once. Here's hoping the folks on the batture stay put for a long, long time.
June 15, 2021
I was a regular cyclist on the Mississippi River in Mew Orleans for a long time and was always intrigued by the houses on the batture. This is an absolutely fascinating book with so much lost but important history about our city. It tells stories of race, poverty, and class systems that have greatly influenced the development of the city of their years. I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and I’m honestly just sad that I finished it!
June 11, 2021
Back in February, I reviewed "Words Whispered in Water" about the broken levees during Karina. The villains clearly revealed were the Corps of Engineers and the Levee Boards. Mr. Fry reveals, with no fanfare or hollering, that both groups have been screwing the people of New Orleans and environs for decades. It seems a miracle that some crushed and cursed victim of these bureaucrats has not been burned at a stake or gunned down coming out of a bank. Probably more a tribute to the innate morality of the people robbed by a pen ad a crooked politician, as opposed to the armed bullies we see running around with the flag dropped over them, sucking on the teat of politicians unseen.
But Mr. Fox is not intent on rousing rabble or righting old wrongs. He is dedicated to telling the stories of the remarkable people living and gone who inhabited the Mississippi River between the water's edge and the foot of the levee. This area is the batture. And he includes his own story, from his childhood on the Rappahanock to today's dwelling on the Mississippi.
He tells of his waterside shack falling on him; of his 1993 journey by canoe the length of the River; of a bit of history so deflating it stopped his research and writing for a period. Mostly he tells of the oddball people who prefer living on the River, with all its privations, to being city folk or, heaven forfend, land-bound. These are the true inheritors of the American way: inventive, independent, unbesmirched by rancor towards others long as they are left alone. Fry does not romanticize the River Rats, he simply describes their way.
Recommended.
But Mr. Fox is not intent on rousing rabble or righting old wrongs. He is dedicated to telling the stories of the remarkable people living and gone who inhabited the Mississippi River between the water's edge and the foot of the levee. This area is the batture. And he includes his own story, from his childhood on the Rappahanock to today's dwelling on the Mississippi.
He tells of his waterside shack falling on him; of his 1993 journey by canoe the length of the River; of a bit of history so deflating it stopped his research and writing for a period. Mostly he tells of the oddball people who prefer living on the River, with all its privations, to being city folk or, heaven forfend, land-bound. These are the true inheritors of the American way: inventive, independent, unbesmirched by rancor towards others long as they are left alone. Fry does not romanticize the River Rats, he simply describes their way.
Recommended.
September 26, 2022
I really enjoyed this look at a living piece of New Orleans history. Partway through reading it, I took a bike ride down the Mississippi River Trail to see the batture settlement that is the setting for this book which was really cool. The author does a great job painting a picture of the culture on the river and covering much of its history over the last 100+ years along with emphasizing just how much life along the river is shaped by the river itself. Definitely has me interested in reading much more about the history in the area and how people have fought against and lived with the river.
January 27, 2025
As someone who grew up and recreated around this area, this book was a heartwarming read and a great way to connect with an unknown frontier that lived near to my childhood. Thank you Mr. Fry.
July 2, 2021
Thoroughly researched history of the River batture in New Orleans. Fry includes firsthand experience as well as primary and secondary sources from the couple of DECADES he has lived in one of the stilt camps! This settlement on the riverside of the levee has been waxing and waning for over 100 years (mainly waning and now down to just 12 homes) and will eventually "disappear," so Fry does New Orleans and the country a huge service through this documentation.
April 5, 2023
This was my book club pick for March 2023 and to be honest I did not think I would enjoy it. I really had not visited the batture and all I remember was that at one time there was a disagreement with the residents and the Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Harry Lee and he referred to them as squatters that needed to be moved.
I had no idea that there was a community living both in Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish who had lived there in the late 1800 and their struggles with nature and their conflicts with local authorities, big business and politicians.
The book is well researched but a little dry at times. I think that's why it took me so long to finish reading it. Still, it's worth reading and Fry does a good job of telling the story about these remarkable people some living and some gone who inhabited the Mississippi River batture camps and provides a colorful view of a way of life many of us did not know existed
I had no idea that there was a community living both in Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish who had lived there in the late 1800 and their struggles with nature and their conflicts with local authorities, big business and politicians.
The book is well researched but a little dry at times. I think that's why it took me so long to finish reading it. Still, it's worth reading and Fry does a good job of telling the story about these remarkable people some living and some gone who inhabited the Mississippi River batture camps and provides a colorful view of a way of life many of us did not know existed
February 24, 2022
This well-researched and very often amusing book, They Called Us River Rats, tells the story of the batture community on the Mississippi outside the levees of New Orleans. (I'd never heard of a batture before reading this book.) The author, Macon Fry, actually lived in this community for several years, tapping into his inner Huck Finn, much to the chagrin of one of his girlfriends. The people in this book are create their dwellings from scrap that floats down the Mississippi, live on the flood plain of all flood plains, the silt washed up by the river. Their lifestyle is one I could never identify with (loving my indoor plumbing and dry floorboards), but the book made me consider this lifestyle that springs on one side from poverty and on the other from fierce independence. A wonderful, real-life adventure and a good dolop of history to boot.
December 7, 2021
How could I not give it 5 stars? A batture (which I hadn't known about before) : A sea bed or a river bed that has been raised or elevated. For about 200 years people lived on battures, their houses were shanty-houses, sometimes only one room, built from salvaged wood and other found objects in the river. They were outliers, they were freed Blacks, hobos, fugitives, absconders from Civil War conscription, all poor and living river life which meant no rent and no awful jobs to pay that rent.
It's a remarkable story and Fry chanced upon this place, this lifeway, and never wanted to leave. An old-timer died and Fry bought his shanty-house, fixed it up a bit. He then researched the hell out of a little known feature of New Orleans life.
It's a remarkable story and Fry chanced upon this place, this lifeway, and never wanted to leave. An old-timer died and Fry bought his shanty-house, fixed it up a bit. He then researched the hell out of a little known feature of New Orleans life.
August 10, 2022
Really well done. Often, when an author tries to mix in historical events, personal experience, and accounts of their research process, one or more of the components doesn't work, or, worse yet, the entire book feels awkward. This is not one of these books. All three components are interesting and work perfectly together. This book floored me as I consider myself pretty well versed in New Orleans history and still knew virtually NOTHING about the batture community (past and present). And this is in spite of the fact that I regularly ride my bike along the levee past the batture "camp" that the author lives in and many of the parts of the city that he writes about. Well worth the read. Solid 4 stars.
April 1, 2022
Ever wanted to know about the riverside dwellers hidden in Uptown New Orleans? It's this book. I had no idea this existed and I drove past it every day for close to 15 years. Sadly, this isn't going to exist much longer. Climate change is going to do away with the people who live off the land. But this is a great read about some NOLA culture you didn't (or maybe you did?).
January 22, 2025
There are local histories which aim to be another formally posed solo portrait of an Important Figure in a gallery of many other such; and then there's a local history "painter" like Macon Fry who came along to fill in the spaces, semi-hidden along the river, where New Orleans versions of Pieter Bruegel figures go about their lives. Lean in and take a close look at this one.
November 29, 2021
Fascinating look into life along the batture of New Orleans. I particularly enjoyed the history of the batture as it is largely an untold history. Great photos - I wish it had even more photos and maps included.
November 14, 2024
I bought this book at Faulkner House books on pirate’s alley in New Orleans when visiting the area. I wanted to read some local history of the area. This didn’t disappoint! Interesting stuff about the area between the levy and the Mississippi River. Highly recommend!
December 28, 2021
The inclusion of photographs made this book very enjoyable.
If you love reading about the history of New Orleans, add this book to your shelf.
If you love reading about the history of New Orleans, add this book to your shelf.
February 26, 2022
Absolutely delightful and fascinating, but ultimately a bit disappointingly uncritical.
June 8, 2022
Really interesting book about a little known way of life.
July 9, 2022
I should have enjoyed this book more…..just did not hold my attention. New Orlenians in general will find it intriguing, I just didn’t.
October 7, 2022
A history you didn't know
October 31, 2022
A fascinating story of life between the levee of New Orleans that I had no idea existed. If you love New Orleans as much as I do, it is a must read.
February 27, 2024
River Rats is a very interesting read about a group of folks that I never even knew existed. They are most impressive and determined to live life on their own terms.
April 14, 2024
“They Called Us River Rats” did an excellent job narrating the stories and history of life on the batture. I always love New Orleans history, and Fry’s research and retelling of those stories made for a great read. If you enjoy stories of humanity and New Orleans, this is a must read.
March 10, 2023
An engaging account of the spirited outsiders who have lived on the silt mud flats between the levees protecting New Orleans and the ever tergiversating Mississippi River, constituting so-called batture camps situated between an exclusionary hard place and the unforgiving water, continually subject to the whims of politicians and the weather.
July 25, 2022
This was one of my book club reads.
I didn't expect to enjoy it - and I'll admit there were dry moments - but otherwise, it was an incredibly interesting romp through a place I had no idea existed, despite living in New Orleans for nearly a decade. My husband, who grew up here, didn't know about it either!
Definitely an interesting read, and a view into a way of life that most people haven't encountered. Having grown up in the rural South, the lifestyle was more similar to my own growing up than some, but it is still vastly different.
If you have any interest in exploring the lives of others, the history of New Orleans, and eclectic, real-life characters, this is a book for you!
I didn't expect to enjoy it - and I'll admit there were dry moments - but otherwise, it was an incredibly interesting romp through a place I had no idea existed, despite living in New Orleans for nearly a decade. My husband, who grew up here, didn't know about it either!
Definitely an interesting read, and a view into a way of life that most people haven't encountered. Having grown up in the rural South, the lifestyle was more similar to my own growing up than some, but it is still vastly different.
If you have any interest in exploring the lives of others, the history of New Orleans, and eclectic, real-life characters, this is a book for you!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews