“2002: Waging war against Nutria,” part of an ongoing series in the Times-Picayune leading up to the paper’s 175th birthday,  looks at nutria’s checkered past in today’s edition. Pegged to the year the Coastwide Nutria Control Program was introduced in Louisiana, the photo gallery features plenty of down-bayou trappers and Sheriff Harry Lee’s infamous sharpshooting squad. But it also unearths a couple marvelous vintage pictures from nutria’s heyday as a luxury fur:

Nutria jacket by Kreeger: Once treated, nutria furs can become a jacket costing hundreds of dollars. Pelts are also used in linings. May 13, 1962.

Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Linda Gregson apparently enjoys the feel of a finished nutria pelt. The skin originated in Louisiana but was sent to Europe for dressing and dying. March 10, 1972.