Nestled on the banks of the Cane River, Natchitoches is perhaps the most beautiful inland town in Louisiana. Founded in 1714 as a French colonial settlement, it boasts brick streets, venerable architecture, and a charming ambiance that draw visitors from around the world. Nearby, a magnificent plantation country and the multicultural Creole community of Isle Brevelle amplify the area's allure. This gallery of photographs by Philip Gould, along with edifying articles, documents the varying cultures of the Cane River region, one of the state's oldest and most historically French areas.