Delta Justice: The Islenos Trappers War

A little-known historical event that happened in South Louisiana in 1926, The Trappers War was a blood feud that erupted between local Islenos (original Canary Island immigrants) and Leander Perez, a powerful politician who tried to usurp the valuable fur-trapping land for his own agenda. The Isleno Trappers had been 'squatting' on marshland for many years, trapping muskrat and mink, and when fur prices shot up, Perez made a shrewd land deal that enabled him to jack up the rent on the land. When the Trappers balked, Perez tried to push them off the land right before trapping season. He brought in mercenaries from Texas to enforce his eviction order, and violence erupted. One St. Bernard sheriff's deputy was killed in the gunfire, and Perez never set foot in St. Bernard Parish again.