USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume II > Part 49
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The medicinal properties of many of the springs in Sabine parish were known at an early day. Some of the first settlers knew of White Sulphur Springs, in the northwestern part of the parish ; 2 miles east of Many there are medicinal springs; the sulphur springs near Bayou San Patricio were known and visited by people from Texas; and the saline springs and salt works in the south- western part of the parish were developed during the Civil war.
The first records of the parish after its establishment were those of the police jury, dated June 19, 1843, and of the parish court, July 3, 1843. The district court was established in December of the same year, and George R. King of the 5th district presided as judge. Many was at once chosen as the seat of justice for the parish. Today the parish has a population of about 20.000. Many, the parish seat, located near the center of the parish on the Kansas City Southern R. R., is the most important town. Other towns and villages are Belmont, Clyde. Columbus, Converse, Fisher, East Pendleton, Recknor, Florien, Fort Jesup, Loring. Mill Creek, Mitchell, Negreet, San Patricio, Noble. Toro, Pleasant Hill and Zwolle. The principal water courses of the parish are the Sabine river, which flows along the entire western border; Bayou Toro, which drains the south and southeastern parts ; Bayou St. Michael the northwestern portion; Bayou Lenann the central portion; while the many creeks furnish abundant water for stock. Sabine is one of "the good upland" parishes and has an undulating surface of 1.029 square miles, composed of rolling uplands, long leaf pine flats and alluvial land along the Sabine river and Bayous San Patricio and Michael. There are many different kinds of soil. The alluvial deposits of the river and creek bottoms are exceed- ingly fertile, while the uplands generally consist of a lighter soil that produces well with good cultivation. The parish is heavily timbered with pine, oak, gum, elm. maple, walnut, poplar, hickory and sycamore, and many thousand feet of the best marketable lum- ber are annually cut from these forests. Cotton is the great staple crop, but corn, hay, oats, sorghum, potatoes, some sugar-cane and all kinds of vegetables, fruits and melons are raised. Sabine parish is a natural cattle country and from the earliest days of its settle- ment cattle raising has been an important industry. Thousands of cattle, sheep and hogs have been exported each year. Deposits of
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lignite, marble, limestone, potters' clay, fuller's earth, fire clay. gypsum and marl have been discovered, though they are as yet practically undeveloped. The Texas & Pacific R. R. crosses the northeastern corner of the parish and the Kansas City Southern R. R. traverses the central part of the parish north and south. The following statistics concerning the parish are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2,267; acreage, 219,475; acres under cultivation, 85,432; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $645,210; value of farm buildings, $243,200; value of live stock, $393,472; total value of all products not fed to live stock, $733,374; number of manufactories, 37; capital in- vested, $713,273; wages paid, $64,415; cost of materials used, $274,763 ; total value of products, $+27,953. The population of the parish for 1900 consisted of 12,418 whites, 3,002 colored, a total of 15,424, an increase of 6,031 during the preceding decade.
Sadie, a postoffice in the northeastern part of Union parish. is about + iniles west of Litroe, the nearest railroad station, and 18 miles northeast of Farmerville, the parish seat.
Sailes, a village in the northwestern part of Bienville parish, is about 7 miles west of Bear creek, the nearest railroad station, and about 9 miles southwest of Gibsland. It has a money order post- office and is a trading center for the neighborhood.
Saint Amant, a money order post-village in the central part of Ascension parish, is situated on a confluent of the Amite river. 5 miles east of Gonzales, the nearest railroad station, in a rich agri- cultural district. The population in 1900 was 114.
Saint Amelia (R. R. name St. James), a village and station in the southwestern part of St. James parish, is situated on the west bank of the Mississippi river and the Texas & Pacific R. R., about 3 miles south of Convent, the parish seat. It is a landing on the river and the shipping point for a good farming country, and has a money order postoffice with one free rural delivery route.
Saint Bernard, the seat of justice of the same name, is located in the western part of the parish on a short branch of the Louisiana Southern R. R. that connects with the main line at Poydras. . \ writer in 1892 describes St. Bernard as a "long straggling village having a population of nearly 200." Some improvement has been made since that time. as in 1900 St. Bernard reported a population of 300. The town has several general stores, but no manufactories.
Saint Bernard Parish, one of the gulf parishes, was established in 1807, when Orleans territory was divided into 19 parishes by the territorial legislature, during the administration of Gov. Claiborne. and received its name from the old ecclesiastical district of St. Bernard. During the French regime, St. Bernard was included in the district of New Orleans, one of the 9 districts into which the Province of Louisiana was divided in 1723. During the second decade of the 18th century colonists from France and Spain began to come into the country east of New Orleans. Large grants oi land were made by the French and Spanish governments. Martin writes. "At the bottom of the bend of the English turn (of the
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Mississippi river), on the east side is a creek running in that direc- tion into Lake Borgne, on the elevated banks of which a number of Spanish families, brought by government from the Canary islands in 1783, found an asylum. They were aided by the government treasury, and procured a scanty subsistence in raising vegetables for the market of New Orleans. They were in time joined by sev- eral Acadian families. A church was built for them at the king's expense. It was dedicated to St. Bernard, in compliment to Don Bernardo de Galvez, the governor of the province, under whom the migration was made. In course of time, several colonists removed thither, and it was then that the sugar cane began to be cultivated, after the abortive efforts to naturalize it to the climate of Louisiana, under the French government." This section of the country was usually alluded to as "Terre-aux-Boeufs," as it was the last refuge of the buffalo or wild oxen, when they were driven back by the settlers. Some of the first colonists to receive grants in St. Ber- nard were Celestine Chiopella, Magloire Guichard, Antonie Phil- lipon and Bernard Marigny. The last named received his grant upon the condition that he colonize it. He induced more settlers to come from the Canary islands, who settled along Bayou Ter- re-aux-Boeuf and became known as "Islenas," as their former homes were upon an island. The census of 1788 shows that there were more than 600 people living in the parish. Some of the prominent families were the Devilliers, Beauregards, Villerys, Ducroses, De- clouets, Allards, Auguste Riggio, and the Nunez, Lopez and Querido families. The large plantations were located along the Mississippi river from English turn to the city of New Orleans and along Bayou Terre-aux-Boeuf. In describing this locality Martin says, "By a singularity, of which Louisiana offers perhaps the only instance, the more elevated ground is found on the banks of its rivers, bayous and lakes. .... ... Hence the original grants of land were made of a certain number of arpents fronting the stream, with the eventual depth, which was afterwards fixed at 40 arpents, and ordinarily carries the grant to a considerable distance into the cypress swamp." The plantations were closer together in St. Ber- nard than any of the parishes. The planters devoted almost their entire attention to the cultivation of sugar-cane which grew well on the rich alluvial land. After the cession of Louisiana to the United States in 1803. St. Bernard was included in the New Orleans district until 1807. The town of St. Bernard was made the seat of justice immediately after the organization of the parish. The first courthouse was destroyed by fire, and the site of the present court- house was given the parish by Vincent Nunez, one of the first set- tlers in St. Bernard. The parish .is not thickly settled and there are no large towns. St. Bernard, the parish seat, being most impor- tant. Other towns and villages are Arabi. Chalmette, Hopedale, Melonie and Povdras. St. Bernard parish is situated in the south- castern part of the state and its area of 721 square miles embraces a number of islands. On the north it is bounded by Orleans parish, Lake Borgne and the Gulf of Mexico; the Gulf of Mexico forms
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its entire eastern and part of the southern boundary, which is com- pleted by Plaquemines parish ; and on the west it is bounded by Plaquemine parish. St. Bernard is entirely of alluvial formation. A large portion is coast marsh, but along the rivers and bayous the land is somewhat higher and tillable. Originally the parish had a considerable growth of cypress and gum, but most of the valuable timber has been cut off by lumbermen. The soil is rich and sandy along the water courses, changing to a clay loam farther back, and is well adapted to the cultivation of sugar-cane, corn, rice, jute and sea-island cotton which are the chief products. The rich soil and mild climate, for frost is rarely known here, make the orange groves of St. Bernard very profitable. The sweet orange, which is not hardy enough for the more northern parishes, is cultivated here, and lemons, grapes, mandarins, guavas and the native pecan nut are all raised in large quantities for export. From the earliest days of its settlement truck farming has been one of the great industries of the parish. All the early vegetables are grown to supply the market of New Orleans and berries are shipped to St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City. Fish of the best quality are plentiful in the bays, bayous and inlets of the coast ; oysters, salt water crabs and terrapin are taken in large quantities for sale in New Orleans or for export to the northern and eastern markets. Transportation is furnished on the water all along the coast and by the Mississippi river, while the Louisiana Southern R. R. runs from New Orleans to Poydras and then east through the center of the parish to Shell Beach, thus bringing the New Orleans mar- ket close to the farmers who raise many perishable products. The following statistics concerning the parish are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 210; acreage, 43.633; acres im- proved, 11,479 ; value of land and improvements exclusive of build- ings, $577,050: value of farm buildings, $221,280; value of live stock, $127,681 ; value of all products not fed to live stock, $339,- 862; number of manufacturing establishments, 8; capital invested. $160,687 ; wages paid, $19,425: cost of materials used, $120,719: total value of all products, $176,827. The population of the parish in 1900 was 2,832 whites, 2.197 colored, a total of 5,029, an increase of 705 during the preceding decade. The estimated population for 1908 was about 6,000.
Saint Charles Parish, one of the richest in the state,. formed a part of German Coast, one of the 12 counties erected in 1804, and when these counties were abolished by the territorial legislature in 1807 it became one of the 19 parishes. Its name was derived from the old ecclesiastical parish under French rule. St. Charles parish is situated in the southeastern part of the state, and is divided by the Mississippi river, which passes through the northern portion. It is bounded on the north by St. John the Baptist parish and Lake Pontchartrain ; on the east by Jefferson parish : on the south and west by Lafourche parish, and has an area of 300 square miles. Small settlements were made along the lake and river early in the 18th century, but it was not until about 1730 that a large number
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of Germans from Alsace-Lorraine, immigrated to Louisiana under Chevalier d'Arensbourg, a Swedish officer, and settled in Arkansas on a. grant of land made to John Law. After Law's failure they became discouraged and were returning to Europe, when persuaded to settle on the Mississippi river above New Orleans. Dumont, in his Historical Memoirs of Louisiana, says that most of the German Alsatians "returned to the capital, intending to cross over to Eu- rope; but the council of the country opposing this design, they chose a place 10 leagues from New Orleans, where each one settled on his own account. This place, called the German coast, was commanded when I left Louisiana by the Sieur d'Arensbourg ; the ground was well cultivated by the new settlers, who were by no means indolent, and this place may be considered the garden of the capital." Their settlement became known as the "German Coast" -- sometimes called "golden coast" from the richness of the soil. In 1766 the population was increased by a number of French Acadians, and by 1788 the colony had a population of over 2,000 souls. Most of the white population of the parish today consists of the descendants of these early German and Acadian colonists. When the parish was organized the seat of justice was established near the center, on the Mississippi river, and was known as St. Charles courthouse. Hahnville was laid out in 1872 by ex-Gov. Hahn, in close proximity to the courthouse and is now the parish seat. The parish maintains excellent schools for both white and black. The first church in St. Charles, established at "German Coast" during French rule, is supposed to be the third oldest in Louisiana. In common with many of the old parishes, the Cath- olic religion predominates among the white population, who are Catholics by inheritance. There are few large towns in St. Charles, the most important being Allemands, Ama, Boutte, Hahnville, the parish seat, Killona, St. Rose and Luling. Excellent transportation is provided by the Illinois Central R. R., which runs through the extreme northeastern portion; the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., along the east bank of the Mississippi river; the Texas & Pacific along the west bank ; and the Southern Pacific, which crosses the center of the parish east and west, and cheap shipping is afforded by boat on the Mississippi river. The principal waters are the Mississippi river, Bayou des Allemands, and Lakes Pontchar- train and a number of smaller lakes. The formation is alluvial land, swamp and coast marsh. The alluvial lands along both sides of the Mississippi river furnish almost all the cultivable lands of
the parish. They are of the very richest and yield enormous crops of sugar-cane and rice, which are the staple products for export. Some of the finest sugar plantations of Louisiana lie in St. Charles parish. Many of the farmers have small tracts of land on which they raise corn, potatoes, rice, jute and large quantities of garden vegetables, which are shipped to the northern markets. The mild climate and rich soil of this favored region, with the liberal policy of the Illinois Central railroad have combined to make horticulture an important and paying industry. Oranges, figs, grapes, straw-
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berries and plums are raised for export. The swamps were heavily timbered at one time with cypress, oak, gum, ete., and while large quantities have been cut to supply shingle, stave and picket fac- tories, considerable valuable wood remains untouched. Cattle and hogs are raised on a limited scale. The following statistics are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 333; acre- age, 54,130; acres under cultivation, 31,973; value of land and im- provements exclusive of buildings, $904,450; value of farm build- ings, $178,150; value of live stock, $187,802; total value of all prod- uets not fed to live stock, $908,591 ; number of manufactories, 14; capital invested, $1.104.678; wages paid, $99,786; cost of materials used, $686,292 : total value of products, $788,043. The population in 1900 was 2,970 whites, 6,102 colored, a total of 9,072, an increase of 1,335 over the year 1890. The estimated population for 1908 was over 10,000.
Saint Denis, Juchereau de, was one of the most picturesque char- acters in Louisiana during the early years of French domination. He was a native of Canada, and according to the authority of the contemporary chroniclers Charlevoix and Penicaut, was the unele of Iberville's wife. He was educated at the Royal college of Paris and came to the colony to seek his fortune, first arriving in Lou- isiana in Dec., 1699, when Iberville made his second visit to Biloxi. He was actively employed during the following years in the work of exploration and in numerous expeditions against the Indians. He accompanied Bienville on his first expedition up the Red river in 1700 to visit the Yatassee nation and to ascertain the movements of the Spaniards. He was later in command of Iberville's first fort on the Mississippi, which he was ordered by Bienville to abandon in 1705. During his frequent journeys among the Indians, he acquired a general knowledge of several of the languages and such was the noble nature of the man, combined with a presence of remarkable beauty, that he came to exert a wonderful influence over the red men, and he was for many years recognized by them as their grand chief. Though a gentleman by birth and education, he was the typical French pioneer and explorer, and united in his make up the virtues of courage, prudence, energy and determination. Amid all the adventures and vicissitudes of his long life in Louisiana, he maintained his reputation for strict integrity and loyalty. Twice during the Crozat regime. he made the long and daring journey from Mobile to Mexico, proceeding first to Natchitoches on the Red river, and then overland through the Mexican provinces on the west. The first of these expeditions was in 1714, when Cadillac sent him to Natchitoches, "to oppose the Spaniards in an establish- ment which it was reported they intended to make at that part of the country." The Spaniards had crossed the Rio Grande, estab- lished a post called Presidio del Norte, and were claiming jurisdic- tion over the whole region east to the Red river. On reaching Natchitoches he could learn nothing of the supposed expedition of the Spaniards, and leaving a part of his force to form a settle- ment there, he pressed on west into the province of Texas, as his
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orders were, "to proceed afterward to New Mexico, to ascertain if it would not be possible to establish in that direction internal rela- tions of commerce between Louisiana and the Mexican provinces, where it was hoped that Crozat would find a large outlet for his goods." Space forbids any detailed account of his subsequent movements, including his arrival at the Presidio del Norte ; his suc- cessful suit there for the hand of Dona Maria, the beautiful daughter of the Spanish commandant, Don Pedro de Villescas : his imprison- ment for 6 months by Don Gaspardo Anaya, the governor of Caonis ; his final release and journey of 750 miles to the Mexican capital under Spanish escort ; his second imprisonment in Mexico by the viceroy, the Duke of Linares, who later released him and treated him with much kindness. He finally started on the long return journey, pursuing much the same route over which he had traveled before. Reaching the Presidio del Norte once more, he tarried there for six months and was wedded to Don Pedro's daughter, finally reaching Mobile after an absence of over two years. Though he had not succeeded in establishing commercial relations with the Spanish, he was nevertheless rewarded with a commission as cap- tain in the French army for the discharge of his perilous mission.
In spite of the previous failure, a second attempt was made by Crozat in 1716 to open a trade with the Spanish provinces on the west and St. Denis, in partnership with several other Canadians, purchased from the stores of M. Crozat 60,000 livres of merchandise, and on Oct. 10, 1716, set out from Mobile. They proceeded by way of the Red river to the province of New Leon. At the village of the Assinais St. Denis parted from his companions, and with a part of the merchandise and a small retinue pressed on to the Pre- sidio del Norte, as he was anxious to rejoin his wife, whom he had left there some months before. When his companions finally reached the Presidio, they were informed that the goods of St. Denis had been seized by M. Raimond, the commandant, and that St. Denis had gone to Mexico to seek their restoration. La Harpe says: "He arrived in Mexico on the 3d of May (1717). The Mar- quis of Vallero, viceroy of New Spain, who had succeeded the Duke de Linares, received him courteously and promised they should be restored to him. Soon after, however, Don Martin d'Alacorne, captain-general of the province of d'Altekas, was informed at Sal- tillo that M. de Saint Denis had passed through the province with- out reporting himself, and he wrote to the viceroy that he was a suspicious person, and the goods were not owned by him, upon which information the viceroy had him arrested on the 25th of October. He remained in prison until November, when a royal decree was granted to release him on condition that he should remain in the City of Mexico. He obtained a release of his goods by another decree, which he afterwards sold for a great price. But the friend with whom he had deposited the proceeds, squandered the whole of them. M. de St. Denis was ordered to be arrested soon after for having spoken indiscreetly of the Spanish govern- ment ; but some of his wife's relations hearing of it assisted him to
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escape from the City of Mexico on the 25th of September, 1718: and on the 24th of March, 1719, he arrived at Dauphine Island " Says Gayarre : "The only benefit which France derived from these daring attempts consisted in the acquisition of correet information concerning the Spanish settlements which existed in the neighbor- hood of Louisiana. . . . On his last return from Mexico, he re- mained ever after in. Louisiana, where he became the founder of one of our most respectable families." Under the titles "Perier" and "Natehez Massacre." allusion is made to him as the commandant at Natchitoches, where he exercised a commanding sway over the Indian tribes in that section of Louisiana for many years.
Saint Francisville, the parish seat of West Feliciana parish, is situated in the southern part of the parish, not far from the Missis- sippi river, and in 1900 reported a population of 1,059. Between the town and the river run two lines of railway-the Louisiana Rail- way & Navigation company and the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley- so that ample transportation facilities are afforded. When the old parish of Feliciana was divided in 1824 into East and West Felici- ana, St. Francisville was selected as the temporary seat of the latter, and was afterward made the permanent seat. Among the early settlers was William Barrow, who located there while Lou- isiana was still in the hands of Spain. The first church was erected in St. Francisville in 1827, and the town claims the honor of having the second Protestant church in the state, the first being in New Orleans. The town has a good system of waterworks, an electric light plant, two banks, a good publie school system, and a number 'of well equipped mercantile establishments. The town of Bayou Sara, with a population of 775, lies between St. Francisville and the river, and is, to all intents and purposes, a part of the parisli seat, as their business interests are identical, though St. Francis- ville is much the older town, having been settled in the closing years of the Spanish domination and was at first called New Valen- eia. When President Madison in 1810 ordered Gov. Claiborne of the Territory of Orleans to take possession of the Florida parishes in the name of the United States, the governor marched with a force of militia to St. Francisville, where he raised the Stars and Stripes and proclaimed the territory under the dominion of the Federal government.
Saint Gabriel, one of the oldest and largest towns in Iberville parish, is situated east of the Mississippi river on the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., 8 miles east of Plaquemine, the parish seat, and is the trading center for a large area of the rich valley farming land. It has express and telegraph offices, telephone facili- ties, a money order postoffice, a large retail trade, schools, churches, etc., and in 1900 reported a population of 450.
Saint Helena Parish, established in 1811, during the territorial administration of Gov. Claiborne, is situated in the southeastern part of the state, and until 1832 embraced within its boundaries the present parish of Livingston. It is bounded on the north by the State of Mississippi; on the east by Tangipahoa parish ; on
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