- St. James Parish, on both sides of the Mississippi River midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, just off of Interstate 10, was Sleeping Place of the Ducks for prehistoric Indians, First Acadian Coast for refugees from Nova Scotia nearly 250 years ago, and Golden Coast for ante-bellum sugarcane planters. It retains the charming influence of all three groups, while being part of the ...www.stjamesla.com