Welcome to Red Stick, LA

French explorer Sieur d'Iberville led an exploration party up the Mississippi River in 1699. The explorers saw a red pole marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayogoula tribal hunting grounds. The French name 'le bâton rouge'

("the red stick") is the translation of a native term. And so the city of Baton Rouge was born. The etymology of Red Stick is much more complicated than that, however. White history tries to gloss over what happened to the Creek Indians of the American Revolution era and beyond, but if one wants to pick through the aftermath, this is as good a place as any to start:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_Rouge,_Louisiana

By the way, to perhaps whet your inquisitive whistle, the Creek Indian tribe was a well functioning matriarchy!