USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume I > Part 2
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Address to Laussat .- (See Laussat.)
Adeline, a post-village of St. Mary parish, is a station on the Southern Pacific R. R., about 10 miles northwest of Franklin, the nearest banking town. It is in the great sugar district and has con- siderable sugar manufactories. The population is about 500.
Afton, a post-village of Tensas parish, is located in the extreme northeastern part of Bayou Vidal, which forms the boundary be- tween Tensas and Madison parishes. The population in 1900 was 100.
Agricultural College .- (See State University.)
Agricultural Experiment Stations .- (See State University.)
Agricultural Society .- The first state agricultural society of Lou- isiana was called into existence officially on March 29, 1833, when the general assembly passed an act incorporating such an institu- tion, and naming as incorporators the following well known gentle- men: Lucien La Branche, Robert C. Nicholas, Thomas Butler, John S. David, Henry Johnson, Jaques Dupre, William B. Wilkin- son, Henry Bry, George Eustis, A. Porter, Jr., V. Allain, Sr., J. B. Milligan, A. Fuselier, Sr., J. H. Shepherd, V. Patin, Phanor Prud-
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homme and John Compton. The management of affairs was vested in a board of 13 directors, and the act named A. B. Roman, Joseph . Nicholas, Edmond J. Forstall and Charles Derbigny as members of the first board. Any one might become a member of the society upon the payment of an annual membership fee of $10. The right of the state to subscribe for stock of the Louisiana state bank to the amount of $400,000 was ceded to the bank for an equivalent, which was transferred to the society, and further encouragement was given the enterprise on Jan. 25. 1834, when the legislature, by the adoption of a resolution to that effect, tendered the society the free use of a room in the state house "until required for public use." For some reason the society did not prosper, and on March 8, 1841, the act of incorporation was repealed. all subscriptions to be re- funded to the stockholders, the property of the society to be sold by the treasurer of state, and the books and records to be turned over to the state library.
Shortly after this society went out of existence the Agricultural and Mechanical society was organized. It erected the building in New Orleans now occupied by the Washington Artillery as an armory and gave a great impetus to the agricultural interests of the sate by holding annual fairs and offering prizes for the best agri- cultural displays. etc. Judge P. A. Rost was for many years presi- dent of this society, which continued its operations until the break- ing out of the Civil war. (See Fairs.)
The present State Agricultural society was organized in 1888, largely through the efforts and influence of Prof. W. C. Stubbs, who for many years was the director of the agricultural experiment sta- tion. The first president of the society was Gen. J. L. Brent : the second was Dr. Frierson ; the third was John Dymond, editor of the Louisiana Sugar Planter ; the fourth was Col. Charles Shuler, now commissioner of agriculture and immigration, and the fifth and present president is Charles Moore. By article 306 of the constitu- tion of 1898 the state board of agriculture and immigration was given control and direction of all state organizations for the im- provement of agriculture, farmers' institutes, fairs, etc., and since the adoption of that constitution the agricultural society has worked in harmony with the state board in the study of conditions pertain- ing to agricultural subjects, such as insect pests, fertilizers, drainage, etc.
Agriculture .- Exclusive of water, the area of Louisiana is 45.440 square miles or 29,081,600 acres. For agricultural purposes the land may be divided into seven classes, the acreage of each being as follows: Alluvial lands, 8,483,200: oak and hickory uplands, 5,185,- 920; long leaf pine hills, 4,852.480; long leaf pine flats, 1,635,840; bluffs and bluff prairies, 3.672,960; central prairie region. 502,400; coast marshes, 4.748,800. The alluvial region proper includes the valleys of the Mississippi and Red rivers, with their outlying bayous, though the lands classed as coast marshes are also of alluvial formation.
Beginning at the northern boundary of the state, the alluvial
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lands of the Mississippi include the parishes of East Carroll, Madi- son, Tensas, Concordia. the greater part of Avoyelles, Pointe Coupée, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Assumption, St. James, St. Jolin, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Lafourche, Terrebonne, and parts of Morehouse, Ouachita, Union, West Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Caldwell, Catahoula, St. Landry, St. Martin, West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge. The alluvial lands of the Red river form a narrow border on each side of the stream, extending to parts of the parishes of Caddo, Bossier, Red River, De Soto, Natchitoches, Grant and Rapides. Another narrow strip of alluvial land is found along the Sabine river in the extreme western part of the state.
The oak and hickory uplands (sometimes called the good up- lands) lie chiefly in the northwestern part of the state. The par- ishes of Sabine, De Soto, Red River, Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, Bienville, Lincoln, Jackson and Union consist largely of oak and hickory uplands, while large tracts are to be found in the parishes of Ouachita and Caldwell, and smaller ones in Winn, Morehouse and Natchitoches. East of the Mississippi, the parish of East Feliciana is composed almost wholly of this class of land, the tract extending into the parishes of West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge. In all the upland parishes some alluvial land is found along the streams.
West of the Mississippi and north of the Red river is a large area of long leaf pine hills, including practically all of Grant and Winn parishes, the western parts of Caldwell and Catahoula, the southeastern part of Jackson, the northern part of Natchitoches, a triangular shaped tract in the southern part of Bienville, and the northeastern part of Rapides. South of the Red river the hills embrace the parish of Vernon, the northern parts of Calcasieu and St. Landry, the western part of Rapides, the southern part of Natchitoches, and the southeastern part of Sabine. East of the Mississippi the parish of Washington, the greater portions of St. Helena and Tangipahoa, and the northern part of St. Tammany lie in the long leaf pine hills.
South of this formation on both sides of the Mississippi lie the long leaf pine flats, including on the west the central portion of Calcasieu parish, and on the east the eastern half of Livingston and the southern parts of St. Helena, Tangipahoa and St. Tammany.
In the state are three well defined areas of bluff lands. The first, which lies east of the Mississippi, embraces the western half of Livingston parish, nearly all the parishes of West Feliciana and East Baton Rouge, and a small tract in the southwestern part of East Feliciana. On the west side of the Mississippi the larger bluff land region lies in the parishes of West Carroll, Richland and Franklin, extending southward a short distance into the parish of Catahoula. The third and smallest area of bluff lands lies between the Little and Red rivers in the northwestern part of Avoyelles and the eastern part of Rapides.
The central prairie region lies west of Bayou Teche and south
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of Bayou Cocodrie, extending to the western boundary of the state, and on the south to the sea marshes. This region, in many respects the .most beautiful part of Louisiana, includes the old Opelousas and Attakapas countries, now defined by Acadia parish, the southern part of Calcasieu, the southwestern part of St. Landry, and the northern part of Vermilion. Most of the inhabitants of this section are of Acadian descent, of whom it has been said "Cafe noir is their nectar and Perique tobacco their ambrosia."
The coast marshes lie along the southern border of the state, extending from Mississippi on the east to Texas on the west, and include portions of the parishes of Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaque- mines, Jefferson, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, Iberia, Ver- milion and Cameron. In some instances the marshes follow the courses of the bayous far inland. parts of St. James, St. John the Baptist and St. Charles lying within the coast marsh region.
For fertility of soil and diversity of products, Louisiana is entitled to stand at the head of the list of states. In the northern part of the alluvial region, as in the good uplands, cotton is the principal crop, though in the latter section corn, oats, forage crops and tobacco are grown and truck farming is carried on to a considerable extent. South of the 31st parallel. which forms the boundary between Mis- sissippi and Louisiana from the Pearl river to the Mississippi, sugar- cane, corn and rice are the leading products, and along the coast marshes tropical fruits-oranges, figs, etc .- thrive well. (See Hor- ticulture.) The poorest soil in the state is that of the long leaf pine hills. The same erops are raised here, however, as in other parts of the state, though the yield is somewhat less. The lands of this class are well adapted to grazing, and the pine land parishes lead in live stock raising.
From the earliest history of Louisiana agriculture has been the principal occupation of her people. The first reliable agricultural statistics taken by the U. S. government was in the census of 1850, when the number of farms in the state was reported to be 13,432. Ten years later the number had increased to 17.328. During the following decade the agricultural interests of the whole South suf- fered severely from the Civil war. Markets were destroyed ; invest- ments in slaves were lost : large areas of land went out of cultiva- tion ; the value of all agricultural lands depreciated : improvements in many cases were totally demolished ; and at the close of the war the planters found themselves bankrupt, without credit or a suffi- cient amount of working capital. Notwithstanding all these draw- backs, .in the year 1870 there were 28.481 Louisiana farms in suc- cessful operation. In 1880 the number had increased to 48,292, and by 1890 to 62.294. The U. S. census report for 1900 says: "In the South Central division the number of farms added in the last ten years was twice as great as in the largest agricultural divi- sion. the North Central, and the per cent. of increase in the former division was nearly four times as great as in the latter, and over twice that for the United States. As no farms were reported for Indian Territory in 1890. the per cent. of increase in the decade can
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not be expressed for that territory. Among the other states and territories, the greatest percentages of gain are shown in Okla- homa, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, in the order mentioned."
The number of farms in Louisiana in 1900 was 115,969, an increase of over 67 per cent. during the preceding ten years, the largest increase in percentage of any decade since 1850. In 1890 the value of farm lands and improvements was $85,381,270, and in 1900 it was $141,130,610, an increase of nearly 80 per cent. During the same period the value of farm implements and machinery increased from $7,167,335 to $28,536,790-a gain of nearly 400 per cent .- and the increase in live stock values was from $17,898,380 to $28,869,506. These figures will give the reader some idea of Louisiana's progress along agricultural lines in recent years. Formerly, cotton, sugar cane and rice were the only crops cultivated for profit. On April 1, 1880, the legislature passed an act creating a bureau of agriculture "to provide for the distribution of any seeds that the government of the United States may desire to introduce ; make arrangements for the importation of seeds. that may be valuable to the state; or for the exchange of seeds with foreign countries or other states." The bureau was also to study the various insects affecting the crops, plants and fruits of the state; to investigate and report upon the possibilities and profits of dairy farming, the culture of wool, silk, bees, etc .; to inquire into the subject of irrigation and how the state might derive profit from it, and in fact to exercise a sort of general supervision over the agricultural industries of the state. An annual appropriation of $6,000 was made to defray the expenses of the bureau, and under its influence the agriculture of the state has taken a wider range, the products becoming more diversified every year since its establishment.
Probably the greatest change has been in the development of truck farming. According to the U. S. census reports, the value of Louisiana's vegetable crop in 1882 was $282,871, and that of 1899 (including small fruits in both years) was $1,325,132, an increase of over 368 per cent. The census report for 1900 shows that during the preceding ten years there was a decrease of over 2,800 acres in the truck farms of the "five parishes tributary to New Orleans," and then goes on to say : "Nevertheless, the state as a whole gained 1,230 acres, or 15 per cent, the increase necessary to make this result appearing in a number of parishes scattered throughout the state, along.one or another of the several lines of railroads. The decrease, therefore, around New Orleans was quite marked, the increase appearing in newer districts into which the trucking busi- ness has gradually been extended by the efforts of the railroads, and owing their rapid growth to the discovery of a greater and surer profit in raising truck for Northern markets than in cotton growing.
A recent writer in "Current Events." in discussing the agricul- tural advantages and prospects of Louisiana, says: "The longer growing season makes possible the cultivation of more than one crop on the same land the same year, and hence double the efficiency can be obtained than from lands where the growing season is short.
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1
The money value obtained per acre, according to the U. S. census, is higher in Louisiana than in any other state in the Union. The general farmer, stock raiser, fruit grower or truck raiser can not go amiss in Louisiana. As a general farmer he has a greater range of production than can be found in any other state, and being in position to adjust his crops to the needs of the markets, he can produce what is needed and cut out that of which there is an excess. Therefore his market is always good, because rarely if ever over- stocked with any one product. The opportunities of the stock raiser are equally good. The climate permits grazing longer here than elsewhere and also permits the largest production of forage at the smallest cost. While the fruit grower may not successfully grow a winter apple, he has possibilities in the early summer varieties, which bring high prices in the Northern markets; has a bonanza in peaches, plums and strawberries and almost an exclusive market. * * * The truck raiser can have strawberries in the Chicago market by the middle of February, cabbage and cauliflower in January, February and March ; root crops, beans and peas in Feb- ruary and March, and Irish potatoes in April. Melons and cante- loupes can reach the Northern markets long before anyone else has any, and he need not worry about the prices he can obtain. If he operates in colonies so that sufficient can be produced to ship in carload lots, the buyer will be at his farm early and late." (See also the articles on Cotton. Corn, Rice, Tobacco, Jute, etc.)
Aime, Valcour, a sugar planter of St. James parish, was a native of Louisiana, where he was born of parents of French origin, in 1798. He was a man of very methodical habits, one of which was to keep a "Plantation Diary," giving a record of his experiments in sugar culture, the various changes in temperature, and many other interesting particulars bearing on a planter's life and occupa- tion. He was a pioneer in refining sugar directly from the cane- juice, and by his experiments and efforts in this direction did much to promote the sugar industry of the state. On this subject he was a recognized authority, and he was a frequent contributor to De Bow's Review, his articles on sugar and the sugar-cane being widely read by those interested in that line of activity. He was a philan- thropist and gave large sums of money to religious and educational institutions, having been the principal founder of Jefferson college in St. James parish. His flower garden was the most beautiful in Louisiana. His. oldest daughter. Mrs. Florent Fortier, was the mother of Prof. Alcee Fortier. Mr. Aime died in 1867.
Aimwell, a post-hamlet of Catahoula parish, is about 15 miles west of Harrisonburg, the parish scat.
Ajax, a little post-hamlet in the northwestern part of Natchi- toches parish, is not far from the De Soto parish line and about 10 miles northeast of Pleasant Hill, which is the most convenient railroad station.
Akers (R. R. name Manchac), is a money order postoffice and a station on the Illinois Central R. R. in the extreme southern part of
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Tangipahoa parish. It is the center of a large.truck farming district and in 1900 reported a population of 45.
Albemarle, one of the principal towns of Assumption parish, is a station on the Southern Pacific R. R., about 6 miles southeast of Napoleonville. It has a money order postoffice, an express office, some good mercantile establishments, is a shipping point of consid- erable importance, and has a population of about 200.
Alberta, a village and station in the southwestern part of Bien- ville parish, is about 12 miles southwest of Bienville. It is located on the Louisiana & Arkansas R. R., at the edge of the western long leaf yellow pine district, and has an express office, a money order postoffice and telegraph facilities.
Alden Bridge, a village of Bossier parish, is a station on the St. Louis Southwestern R. R. about 18 miles north of Shreveport and 5 miles east of the Red river. It has a money order postoffice and is the trading center for a considerable district. Its population is about 450.
Alderman, Edwin Anderson, educator, president of Tulane Uni- versity, 1900-04, was born in Wilmington. N. C., May 15, 1861, son of James and Susan Alderman. He was educated at Bethel military academy. Warrenton, Va., entered the University of North Caro- lina in 1878, and graduated four years later with special honors in Latin and English literature. After graduating he accepted the position of superintendent of the Goldsboro high school and three years later that of superintendent of the Goldsboro schools. He next became superintendent of the Asheville and Newton normal schools, holding that position from 1885 to 1888. In 1889 he became assistant superintendent of schools in North Carolina and while holding that position carried on a vigorous campaign of the entire state in the interests of public education, training of teachers, and the establishment of a state normal college, which was built in 1892, and in which he was appointed professor of history and literature. In 1893 he went to the University of North Carolina as professor of pedagogy ; was superintendent of the summer school there for three years; was elected president of the University of North Carolina in 1896, and held that position until 1900, when he succeeded William P. Johnston as president of Tulane University, but resigned in 1904 to become the head of the University of Vir- ginia. In 1893 Mr. Alderman was a member of the board of visitors to the U. S. military academy at West Point. He is vice-president of the National Educational association, an honorary member of the Maryland Historical society, and a member of the Southern education board. In 1896, he published the "Life of William Hooper." and a "School History of North Carolina."
Alexandria, the capital of Rapides parish and one of the prin- cipal cities of Louisiana, occupies a beautiful site on the right bank of the Red river in the northeastern part of the parish. 80 feet above the level of the sea. The town was platted by and received its name from Alexander Fulton, who was the first merchant. Among the carly merchants were Antoine Boissat and M. Labat,
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who came over from France with Marshal Rochambeau and took part in the Revolutionary war, locating in Louisiana after the inde- pendence of the United States was established. Alexandria was made the seat of justice when Rapides parish was created in 1807. A Catholic church was erected in 1817. In 1818 Jolin Casson donated grounds for a college, and two years later the College of Rapides was opened for students. The college buildings were in ruins in 1860. The Bank of Louisiana was established at Alexan- dria in 1824 and continued in successful operation until 1846. In May, 1844, a Protestant Episcopal church was organized. The "State Seminary" was located here by an act of the legislature of 1855, and the institution was opened on Jan. 2, 1860, with Col. William T. Sherman as its official head. A severe storm in April, 1861, destroyed the market-house, Parker's hotel and several other buildings. On May 13, 1864, a destructive fire broke out, and before it could be brought under control a large part of the town was consumed. The place was occupied at the time by the Federal troops and it was rumored that the fire was started by order of Gen. Banks. This is hardly probable, however, as the soldiers exerted every effort to extinguish the flames and save property. Another bad fire occurred in May, 1879, but in spite of storms and fires Alexandria has forged steadily to the front until it occupies a position well up in the list of Louisiana cities, being the 7th in size in 1900, when the population was 5,648. The town was first in- corporated in 1851. a new charter was granted by the act of Sept. 29, 1868, and in 1882 Alexandria was incorporated as a city. The street railway company was organized in 1881, a year before the city charter was obtained. At the present time Alexandria is one of the most progressive cities of the South, and is a favorite place for hold- ing conventions, as it is easily reached by the Red river steamers and seven lines of railway, viz .: The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific ; the Louisiana Railway & Navigation company ; the Louisi- ana & Arkansas; the Southern Pacific; the St. Louis, Iron Moun- tain & Southern ; the St. Louis, Watkins & Gulf, and the Texas & Pacific. The Rapides parish courthouse is one of the finest and best appointed in the whole state, and the other public buildings are substantial structures of modern design and tasteful architecture. The city has three banks, large iron works, boiler and engine manu- factories, cotton seed oil mills, an ice factory, wholesale and retail mercantile concerns, 1 daily and 4 weekly papers, a sanitarium, waterworks, a good lighting system, and is an important deport for naval stores.
Alexton (R. R. name Alma), a post-town and station in the northern part of Lincoln parish, on the Arkansas Southern R. R., about 10 miles north of Ruston, the parish seat.
Alice, a post-hamlet of West Feliciana parish, situated in the northeastern part of the parish on Thompson's creek, about 3 miles east of Laurel Hill, the nearest railroad station.
Allemands, a village in the western part of St. Charles parish, on Bayou Des Allemands, about 30 miles southwest of New Orleans.
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It is a station on the main line of the Southern Pacific R. R., and has a money order postoffice and express office. The population in 1900 was 200.
Allen, a post-hamlet in the western part of Natchitoches parish, about 6 miles south of Timon, the nearest railroad station.
Allen, Henry Watkins, lawyer, soldier and statesman, was born in Prince Edward county. Va., April 29, 1820, the son of a physician. In his boyhood he removed with his parents to Missouri, and was educated at Marion college. Through a misunderstanding with his father, he left home in his 20th year and established a school at Grand Gulf, Miss., which he conducted for about two years, study- ing law in the meantime. In 1842, soon after his admission to the bar, Gen. Sam Houston, president of the Texas republic, called for troops, and young Allen raised a company and went to Texas. There he acquitted himself in a manner that won the confidence of his men and the respect of his superior officers. After a few months in Texas he returned to Mississippi, married Miss Salome Anne Crane of Rodney, and resumed his law practice. In 1846 he was elected to the Mississippi legislature. Soon after the expiration of his term he removed to Louisiana and became a planter. In 1853 he was elected to the legislature of that state, and the next year went to Harvard to complete his legal education by a higher course in law, but he became so much interested in the struggle of the Italians for independence that he sailed for Europe with the intention of aiding them. The trouble was over, however, before he arrived. He then made a tour of Europe, and on his return home published a book entitled "The Travels of a Sugar Planter." He was again elected to the legislature, where he made a reputation · that extended throughout the state. When the Civil war broke out he was appointed lieutenant-colonel in the Confederate army and was stationed at Ship island, but preferring more active service he asked to be transferred and was commissioned colonel of the 4th La. infantry. He was wounded at Shiloh ; superintended the construction of fortifications at Vicksburg under heavy fire; was wounded in both legs by a shell at Baton Rouge on Aug. 5. 1862. In Sept., 1863, he was commissioned brigadier-general by President Davis and ordered to report to Gen. Kirby Smith at Shreveport. La. In the following November he was elected governor of Louisiana as a Confederate, and in Jan., 1864, retired from the army to assume the duties of that office. On June 2, 1865, he gave up the office of governor and went to the City of Mexico, where he established a newspaper called The Mexican Times. Gen. Allen died in that city on April 22, 1866. His remains were brought to Louisiana and were placed under a monument erected in front of the state house at Baton Rouge.
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