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Guerin: Someone at Bordage fishing camp recently mentioned Russ Island. Is that the same as Point Clear Island? LaFrance: No, no. You can go from here and go through this pass there - years ago, they called it Fig Orchard on this side. The bank owns a piece of ground there that belonged to the Russes on this side, on the north side. Russ is just on the other side of the railroad, between - you know where Bayou Pistache is? - after you leave Bordage?s there is a bayou you turn to the right. It is a small bayou. On this side of the bayou, between there and the railroad, it runs all the way to the railroad. It runs all the way across. That?s Russes. That?s called Russ?s Island; they had a big house there. Guerin: There was a big house? LaFrance: Oh yeah. Bordage?s uncle - they called him Johnny Lakeshore -1 don?t know why, but they called him Johnny Lakeshore, but he was a Bordage - he used to take care of that. He trapped the land, and he?d take care of the house over there. Guerin: But the house is gone now. LaFrance: Oh yeah, the house is gone. Guerin: Whose house was it originally? LaFrance: It belonged to the Russes. I imagine it went in the ?47. Guerin: But there is some high land back there? LaFrance: Oh yeah. You go right on through here, and there?s a road turns off before you get to the cemetery. It goes through what they call ? Pasture, and when you cross the track, you?re in Russ?s. Guerin: I?ve been to the cemetery, but I don?t remember a road to the right. LaFrance: Yeah, there?s a house. When you pass that house, that?s my nephew?s house, where my grandmother lived. That old house is her house. I don?t know how old it is. My cousin has got a house there, and the old house is right by it. On the comer of that road, you go on through that pasture, you go across the railroad track. I haven?t been back there in years. The last guy had cattle roaming. He run a bunch of cattle in there. They got rid of the cattle. My cousin was telling me, you can?t even ride a horse through there anymore, it got so thick, bushes and stuff. Guerin: Did that road dead-end? LaFrance; It went on up to the old house, you see. They had a big well in there, an artesian well and a big house up there. 10
LaFrance, Jules (Poss) Interview-2004-09