Atchafalaya, Louisiana

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Atchafalaya

|official_name =

|settlement_type = Ghost Town

|nickname =

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|pushpin_map = USA Louisiana

|pushpin_label_position =

|pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Louisiana

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|image_map =

|map_caption = Location of Atchafalaya in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana.

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = United States

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = Louisiana

|subdivision_type2 = Parish

|subdivision_name2 = St. Martin

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|unit_pref = Imperial

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|population_as_of = 2000

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|population_density_km2 = auto

|timezone = Central (CST)

|utc_offset = -6

|timezone_DST = CDT

|utc_offset_DST = -5

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|coordinates = {{coord|30|20|41.8|N|91|43|17.3|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}

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}}

Atchafalaya is a ghost town that was located in St. Martin Parish, approximately 6 miles north of Butte La Rose, Louisiana, United States and just north of I-10 on the Atchafalaya River. The site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30°20'41.8"N 91°43'17.3"W, and is abandoned. United States Geological Survey maps from 1935 {{cite web|url=https://prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com/StagedProducts/Maps/HistoricalTopo/GeoTIFF/LA/LA_Osca%20Bayou_334896_1935_62500_geo.tif|title=USGS Map Osca Bayou 1935 – image: LA_Osca Bayou_334896_1935_62500_geo.tif, (5071 × 6467 px)|website=prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com|accessdate=2020-12-31}} show the town to be located on the west bank of the Atchafalaya River at the Southern Pacific Railroad crossing, which was built in 1908. The West Bank location is confirmed by the US Post Office application dated January 21, 1915 and approved February 13, 1915.{{cite web| url= https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68410470?objectPage=405|title=Record Group 28: Records of the Post Office Department|website=catalog.archives.gov|accessdate=2025-01-28}}After the bridge was damaged due to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the railroad from Lafayette to Baton Rouge was abandoned a few years later. With no transportation in and out, the town population began to dwindle, with the last resident leaving in 1959.{{cite web|url=https://countryroadsmagazine.com/art-and-culture/people-places/atchafalaya-honey-and-other-swamp-gold/|title=Atchafalaya Honey and Other Swamp Gold|website=Country Roads Magazine|accessdate=2020-12-31}} There is no visible trace of the town left today.