History

Cankton, a small bedroom community located at the southern tip of St Landry Parish, was incorporated in 1960.  It received its name from a prominent citizen here by the name of Dr. Lois Aristide Guidry, known to all as “Dr. Cank”. It seems when he was just a boy, there were ducks and other game in the woods surrounding the property he grew up on. He loved to hunt ducks and would signify his return from a hunt by using the duck call which made the nasal sound of “cank, cank, cank”. When the old folks heard the call, they would say “Cank est revenue.” (Cank is back) He kept the name all through childhood and apparently into adulthood as well.

When he finished high school, he went on to medical school. After receiving his degree in medicine from Tulane, he think of no better place to practice medicine than his beloved little community of “Coulee Croche” as it was known then.  His first office was on Guidry Street. As the practice grew, he built a bigger office, which still stands today, on Main Street, next door to his home, which he shared with his wife, Cecile. Dr”Cank” passed away on July 1951 at the age of 69.

In early 1960, incorporation procedures were started and was finalized in October 1960. The community to be incorporated was comprised of an elementary school, a Catholic church, a grocery store, and several homes. When looking for a name, none seemed more suitable than that of their beloved Dr. “Cank”, who was always proud of his community. Freddie Miller was appointed the first mayor with George Elmo Broussard, and Jerome Guidry as the first board of alderman. In 1961, the first elections were held and Wilhelmina Savoie was elected the first mayor of Cankton as well as the first female mayor in St. Landry Parish. Former mayors include Elmo Broussard, Donald Menard, and Susan Menard. The Cankton City Hall was built in 1979 and houses the clerk’s office, the police department, and community center.