Louisiana Through My Lens | The Monstrous Alligator Snapping Turtle of Alligator Bayou

Photos and Story by Ken Hulsey

Have you ever been leisurely driving down a remote highway when all of a sudden you spot something so unusual that you immediately stop and make a U-turn to try and figure out exactly what you thought you saw?

I had such a moment last week when I was traveling north on Highway 65 from Ferriday to Tallulah. If you have ever traveled along this stretch of highway in the northeastern part of Louisiana, you know that it is a lazy stretch of road that travels through mile after mile of remote farmland and, to be honest, there really isn't anything special or exciting to look at as you drive. You can easily become complacent as you see one corn field after another. That being said, this is actually one of my favorite drives because of the wide open spaces. For some reason the sight of all these farms, and small farming towns, centers me for some reason.

Imagine my surprise when I traveled over a bayou and spotted giant turtle in the water. Not your average giant turtle, but a 30 foot long giant snapping turtle. 

Being a fan of old monster movies I exclaimed, "OMG I just saw Gamera!"

I quickly hit the brakes and flipped a #%&* and found a place to pull off just north of the bridge. Sadly, what I saw was not a gigantic turtle, but some sort of boat shaped like a giant snapping turtle. Disappointing, but also really cool. A boat shaped like a giant turtle is something that you don't see every day.

I took a bunch of photos of this Bayou Gamera and continued on my way.

When I got back home I decided to try and look up any information I could find on this really cool roadside attraction that I discovered. Come to find out, this big bad turtle had his own Facebook page (Surprise!).

Let me introduce all of you to "The Alligator Snapping Turtle Dock of Alligator Bayou!"

From Facebook:

.. the Alligator Snapping Turtle built by my Dad: Marshall Sevier, my brother: Warren Sevier, my nephew: Andrew Sevier, and lifelong family friend: Bruce Wallace.

As my first post, I’ll give the background info of this unusual fishing dock.
It all started with a request from my mom for a place to fish with the grandchildren and off my dad went… now if you know my dad, he is very creative and doesn’t do things simply.

That's one heck of a place to fish!

The FB page also has some insight on how it was constructed:

The shell measures 30’ x 24’ x 10’ and has a wooden frame base.
•Inside there is a 4’ wide walkway with 8’ x 10’ fishing hole in the center.
•It’s floats on 34 55 gallon barrels.
•Galvanized fence railing was bench form the shape of the shell.
•Plywood was added to the railing then covered with HWY concrete mesh (not plastic) secured with staples.
•The next layer to the shell was 15 gallons of Henry DuraBrite elastic roof coating.
•Finally it was all painted.

I would love to see that Home Depot receipt!

Please check out the Facebook page for The Alligator Snapping Turtle Dock of Alligator Bayou.

Check out my eyewitness photos of the monster:




Check Out:

Weird Louisiana: Your Travel Guide to Louisiana's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets Hardcover - $30.99 @ Amazon.com - Order Here

Your travel guide to the land of voodoo, hoodoo, and backwater bayous! Just hearing the name “Louisiana” is enough to conjure up all sorts of strange visions in one’s imagination: haunted Old South plantations, French Quarter mansions, and white marble and limestone towers that house the dead. And, of course, there’s Mardi Gras, the most surreal and extravagant celebration in the country. Author Roger Manley (who caught a “swamp monster” in the bayous behind his family’s home) knows and reveals everything about this state of the weird, wacky, and wonderful.


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