New Orleans History -- Lake Pontchartrain
Thursday, October 03, 2024
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6. To Name the Name


Instead of an address, there was a sign out on the levee with the name of the camp. When you rode down Hayne Boulevard, where a lot of the camps where located just across the levee, you would see sign after sign with all sorts of crazy sounding names.

Most of the names seemed pretty weird unless you know the stories behind them. To name a few:

'Six Little Fishes'--because the owner had 6 grandchildren who swam all day long in the lake at the camp. The family started calling the kids the 6 little fishes and then they decided that would be a great name for their camp. The little fishes are now all over 60 years old. 'Six Little Fishes' is one of the 5 camps still out on the lake. Actually the second 'Six Fishes' is there, right where the first one used to be. The original one blew down in the 1950's during a storm (see more about that in the 'Hurricanes and Haynes' link).

'Three Sons and a Daughter'--you guessed it. The family had 3 sons and 1 daughter.

'The Ruby'--named not for the jewel but for the lady who owned it.

'Zanca's Old Glory'--The family's last name was Zanca. Mr. Zanca lived to be 102 years old and still went to the camp when he was in his 90's. When he bought his camp back in the 1940's it was a resaurant--like some of the ones in West End. The Zanca's camp was destroyed in a 1960's storm but they rebuilt a smaller camp which was wiped out by Hurricane Georges.

'Camp-A-Nella'--named after the family who owned it, the Campanellas. This camp was built in 1925 and is now one of the oldest on the lake that still stands. This camp has a 'Bird Room', a 'Rainbow Room', and a 'Stars and Stripes Room' (given these names because they are painted that way). It also has a room with a large mural (painting on a wall) of three camps--Camp-A-Nella's, Six Little Fishes, and Zanca's Old Glory--as they looked before Hurricane Georges. This family is pretty weird as you can tell by this description of their camp. But they are nice.

'Lalas Full House'--The family's last name was 'Lala' and the family was large so the camp (or house) was usually full of people. Plus, people played cards a lot at the camps and a 'Full House' is a winning hand in Poker. One of the walls was painted bright yellow and had large playing cards drawn all over it.

'The Palace'--which of course it was not, but to the family who owned it was.

'Amelia A'--named after my great, great aunt Millie Ahten.

'Louise A'--named after Louise Altman who's husband owned it.

'Munsters'--no, not after the creepy family you're thinking of. This was really the name of the family who owned it. 'Munsters' also survived Hurricane Georges.

The camps we're talking about are actually in the city. They are located on the other side of the levee on Hayne Boulevard and also past Paris Road. They are known as the 'Hayne Boulevard Camps' and the 'Little Woods Camps'. Click on the link below for a map of the area in which the camps are located in the city. Then click on 'Driving Directions' and type in your address to see how long it would take you to get to 'The Camp'.

Be sure to use the 'Back' button on your web browser when you are finished so that you can get back to this website.

 

 to see how long it would take your family to get to the camp. Just click on 'Driving Directions' and then type in your address. You'll probably be surprized!