When you turn off highway one onto highway 495 going into Cloutierville, you have to wonder if Kate Chopin named her collection of stories, "bayou folk" because of the bayou going into town. Cloutierville has changed in some ways since Kate moved on in 1885. In other ways it has stayed the same. Back then, between 500 and 700 people kept the town humming with everyday affairs and small town gossip. Now, the population is only about 120. If Kate could pass through Cloutierville today…she'd still see some of the old houses and business that were here in the 1870s and 80s. Some of the old houses are in good shape. People still live in them.

Other houses and businesses have boards covering the windows and wild vines growing up the walls. There are no signs of growth. Most folks have given up the cane and cotton fields for jobs in the city. For those who stayed in Cloutierville, they are reminded every day of Kate Chopin.

That's because her old house is one of the few attractions that draws folks to Cloutierville. It's now called "The Bayou Folk Museum." About two-thousand tourists visit the house each year. The museum is getting busier, now that it's finally gotten central heating and air conditioning. And, Cloutierville residents can tell even more folks how proud they are that Kate Chopin lived for a while in their town.