Contraband Bayou
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Contraband Bayou is a large bayou, a tributary of the Calcasieu River.[1] It runs through Lake Charles, Louisiana, and empties into Prien Lake.[citation needed]
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The bayou is so named because of the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte, who built a slave barracks on the bayou in the early 1800s[2] and reputedly hid his contraband somewhere along the shores of the bayou.[3]
The bayou is moderately saline, with low flow, and receives Lake Charles municipal waste discharge.[1] Over the years, it has been dredged and channelized along part of its length.[4] While the bayou was once lined with many cypress trees, the saltwater brought in during this dredging caused some to die off, leaving behind stumps in the water.[5]
The bayou runs through the McNeese State University campus.[3] L'Auberge du Lac Resort is located near the mouth of the bayou, and the resort's Contraband Bayou Golf Club is named for it.[6] Part of the city docks of the Port of Lake Charles are also located near the bayou.[citation needed]