Qualla: Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi https://qualla.com/baton-rouge en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:04 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/tpc/ba/to/n-/ro/baton-rouge/horace-wilkinson-bridge-in-bat.jpg Qualla: Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi https://qualla.com/baton-rouge Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi: Introduction https://qualla.com/baton-rouge/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. On March 17, 1699, French explorer Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, led an expedition up the Mississippi River. At a bluff on the east bank, he found a cypress pole stained red with animal blood - a boundary marker between the Houma and Bayougoula tribes. Iberville named the place 'le bâton rouge,' the red stick. The name stuck. The small settlement became Louisiana's capital in 1817, lost the title during Civil War occupation, reclaimed it in 1882. Huey Long built the state's Art Deco capitol tower here in the 1930s - at 450 feet, still the tallest state capitol in America. Long was assassinated in its corridors in 1935. Louisiana State University sprawls south of downtown, its Tiger Stadium one of college football's most fearsome environments, 100,000 fans making the ground shake on Saturday nights.

Read more: Baton Rouge on Qualla

Image: Unknown author | Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/r/j/baton-rouge-wk/9vrj-baton-rouge-the-red-stick-capital-on-the-mississip-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi: Huey Long's Capitol https://qualla.com/baton-rouge/ Photo credit Chrismiceli, CC0. The Louisiana State Capitol rises 450 feet above Baton Rouge - 34 stories of Art Deco limestone completed in 1932, still the tallest state capitol building in America. Governor Huey Long built it in 14 months, pushing the project through with characteristic force. The Kingfish, a...

Read more: Baton Rouge on Qualla

Image: Chrismiceli | CC0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/r/j/baton-rouge-wk/9vrj-baton-rouge-the-red-stick-capital-on-the-mississip-huey-longs-capitol.mp3 0:06 2 full Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi: Death Valley https://qualla.com/baton-rouge/ Photo credit Daniel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0. LSU's Tiger Stadium earned its nickname through simple physics: when 100,000 fans start jumping and screaming, the concrete bowl amplifies the sound until opposing quarterbacks can't hear their own signals. Visiting teams have measured crowd noise exceeding 130 decibels - louder ...

Read more: Baton Rouge on Qualla

Image: Daniel Foster | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/r/j/baton-rouge-wk/9vrj-baton-rouge-the-red-stick-capital-on-the-mississip-death-valley.mp3 0:06 3 full Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi: River City https://qualla.com/baton-rouge/ Photo credit Public domain. The Mississippi River defines Baton Rouge as it defines Louisiana. The city sits at the last point where the river bottom can support bridge foundations before the Gulf - the Huey P. Long Bridge (1935) and the Horace Wilkinson Bridge (I-10) cross here, connecting traffic between ...

Read more: Baton Rouge on Qualla

Image: Public domain

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/r/j/baton-rouge-wk/9vrj-baton-rouge-the-red-stick-capital-on-the-mississip-river-city.mp3 0:06 4 full Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi: Capital City Culture https://qualla.com/baton-rouge/ Photo credit Cobatfor, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Old State Capitol, a Gothic Revival castle on the river bluff, served from 1852 until Long's tower replaced it. Mark Twain called it 'an architectural falsehood' - too medieval for his taste. It now houses the Louisiana Political Museum, where exhibits cover the state's color...

Read more: Baton Rouge on Qualla

Image: Cobatfor | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/r/j/baton-rouge-wk/9vrj-baton-rouge-the-red-stick-capital-on-the-mississip-capital-city-culture.mp3 0:06 5 full Baton Rouge: The Red Stick Capital on the Mississippi: Bayou State Capital https://qualla.com/baton-rouge/ Photo credit Adbar, CC BY-SA 3.0. Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) serves the city with connections to major hubs; New Orleans (MSY), 80 miles southeast, offers more options. I-10 connects Baton Rouge to New Orleans in 90 minutes when traffic cooperates, to Houston in four hours. From altitude, Baton Rouge ...

Read more: Baton Rouge on Qualla

Image: Adbar | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/v/r/j/baton-rouge-wk/9vrj-baton-rouge-the-red-stick-capital-on-the-mississip-bayou-state-capital.mp3 0:06 6 full