USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume II > Part 51
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
.
419
LOUISIANA
Babins, Breaux, Heberts, Landrys, and Melançons. In 1787, Chevalier de Clouet, who was commandant of both Attakapas and Opelousas posts (see St. Landry parish) was relieved of Opelou- sas. De Clouet exercised civil and military authority. The popu- lation increased rapidly. A number of cadets of noble families of France and Spain settled in the district. Among them were the Deblancs, Delahoussayes, the Delacroix, and others who took con- spicuous parts in the affairs of the colony and were appointed to official positions at the posts. The colony prospered under the paternal government of Spain which "granted lands with a princely liberality to all deserving the king's bounty, and the administra- tion, with vigilant care and by the just and equitable enforcement of the laws, protected its subjects equally in their life and in their property, which now had become valuable and productive." In 1788 the census showed that the population had increased to 2,541. Live stock raising was the great industry. Numerous farms lined the right bank of the Teche, as the lands on the east side were subject to inundation, but were used as pasture during the low stage of water. Indigo, cotton, rice, tobacco and corn were all cultivated successfully. Such was the prosperous condition of the district when ceded to the United States in 1803. In 1804 Attakapas was made one of the 12 counties of Orleans territory and in 1807 this district was included in the parish of Natchi- toches. In 1811 the two parishes of St. Martin and St. Mary were created out of the old Attakapas district. From the original limits of St. Martin have been created, wholly or in part, the par- ishes of Lafayette, Vermilion and Iberia. The parish is situated in the southern part of the state and is now bounded on the north by St. Landry and Pointe Coupée parishes; on the east by Iber- ville parish; on the south by Iberia parish, and on the west by Lafayette parish. When the parish was organized the old Poste des Attakapas became the seat of justice, the name being changed to St. Martinville. One of the most remarkable historical events of the parish and the Teche region occurred in ante-bellum days, when there was an uprising of the people. They organized vigi- lance committees and exercised absolute authority for 6 months in 1859. During the reconstruction period the inhabitants of St. Martin parish organized to resist the Kellogg tax collectors and were successful until Federal troops were sent into the parish. St. Martin is well watered and is one of the richest and most pros- perous parishes in the state, though not so well provided with railroads as some of the others. A branch of the Southern Pacific runs north and south through the western part, and the Lafayette & Baton Rouge division of the same system crosses the northern portion. The Bayou Teche is navigable as far as St. Martinville for the entire year, providing cheap transportation by boat, and much of the produce of the parish is shipped to New Orleans by this method. The parish has an area of 628 square miles. consist- ing of wooded swamp, alluvial land and prairies, breaking into bluff land in places. The soil is of great fertility and many beau-
420
LOUISIANA
tiful plantations are found along the Teche. Sugar is the chief production, though rice, corn, oats, hay, potatoes, tobacco, cot- ton and all kinds of garden vegetables are grown in paying quanti- ties. Fruits grow in great abundance and stock raising is an im- portant industry, as abundant pasturage is found the entire year. The Anse le Butte oil field lies just within the borders of the par- ish. Much valuable timber, such as oak, elm. gum, etc., still re- mains in the parish, and the swamps are filled with cypress. St. Martinville, the parish seat, is the largest and most important town. Other towns and villages are Bayou Chene. Breaux Bridge. Cades, Cecilia, Levert. Huron, Azema and Windom. The fol- lowing statistics are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2,032; acreage, 114,515; acres under cultivation, 69,040; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $1,841,800; value of farm buildings, $389,700; value of live stock, $487.766; value of all products not fed to live stock, $930,277; number of manufactories, 30; capital invested, $836,375; wages paid, $73,871 ; cost of materials used, S389.488; total value of products, $667,500. The population for 1900 was 10,057 whites, 8,883 colored, a total of 18,940, an increase of 4.056 over the year 1890. The estimated population for 1908 was over 21,000.
St. Martinville, the parish seat and principal city of St. Martin parish, is located in the southwestern part on the Bayou Teche and a branch of the Southern Pacific R. R. which connects with the main line at Cades. St. Martinville is one of the old settlements of Louisiana, having formerly been the old Poste des Attakapas. In the old cemetery of the Poste des Attakapas sleep the remains of Emmeline Labiche, who is said to have been the original of Longfel- low's beautiful poem. "Evangeline." By 1811 the town had grown to some importance and its growth and prosperity have continued to increase steadily with the development of the surrounding country. In the old state banking days St. Martinville had a branch of the Louisiana state bank. For many years it was a favorite summer resort for the best creole families of the state, and the artists of the French opera at New Orleans spent their vacations there. This fact, with the refinement and culture of its inhabitants, won for the town the sobriquet of "Little Paris." The town has two banks, an electric light plant, waterworks, a modern cotton gin, large interests in the manufacture of lumber and shingles, oil works, some whole- sale houses, a large retail trade, a money order postoffice from which rural routes supply the adjacent territory, express, tele- graph and telephone service, good public schools, churches of the leading denominations, and the press and professions are fittingly represented. The population in 1900 was 1,956.
Saint Mary Parish, established in 1811 during the territorial ad- ministration of Gov. Claiborne, is one of the parishes created ont of the Attakapas district. The town of Franklin was made the seat of justice and Henry Johnson was the first parish judge. One of the first settlers in the district was Louis le Pelletier de la Ilous- saye, a descendant of Clande de la Houssaye, who was sent to Lon-
421
LOUISIANA
isiana as an official by Louis XV. Some of the settlers who came directly from France were the Sigurs, De Vals, Coners, Darbys. De Clouets, Oliviers and Bienvenus, while such French Acadians as the Garbeaus, Charpentiers, Demarests, Dejeans and Leblancs settled on the Teche after 1765. The Navarros, Moras and other Spanish families were among the first to start plantations. After the Revolutionary war a number of settlers of English and Amer- ican blood emigrated from the eastern states and settled in the valleys of the Atchafalaya and the Teche. St. Mary is situated in the southern part of the state and is bounded on the north by Iberia parish ; on the east by Assumption and Terrebonne parishes ; on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, and on the west by Vermilion bay and Iberia parish. The northern portion of its original terri- tory was taken to form a part of Iberia parish. It is well drained by the Atchafalaya river, Grand Lake, and Bayous Teche, Sale and Cypremort, and has an undulating surface of 658 square miles, consisting of alluvial land, wooded swamp, coast marsh and prairies which break into considerable hills. Although St. Mary's area is small the lands are rich and very productive. The soil is of alluvial. deposit and immense crops of sugar-cane are grown in the bottom land of the Bayou Teche and Atchafalava river, making St. Mary the greatest sugar producing parish in the state. Rice, coru, pota- toes and all kinds of garden vegetables grow with great luxuriance in the mild climate and rich soil of this favored region. Such fruits as oranges, lemons, grapes, guavas, pears, pomegranates, olives and bananas are raised, and the nuts of the pecan tree, which is native to this part of the country, are exported in large quantities. Salt water fish, erabs and terrapin are taken in great numbers in the bayous in inlets, and in recent years, under state protection, the oyster industry has become important. The parish has a wealth of valuable timber such as oak, cottonwood. gum, elm and willow and cypress. Excellent transportation facilities are provided by the Southern Pacific R. R .. which extends through the parish, and by steamboat on the Teche and Atchafalava. Franklin, the parish seat, is the most important town, but there are a number of towns worthy of mention. as Adeline. Amelia, Ashton. Baldwin, Charen- ton, Crawford, Foster, Berwick, Irish Bend. Centerville, Glencoe, Louisa, Morgan City, Patterson and Ramos. The following sta- tistics concerning the parish are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 609; acreage, 184,126: acres under cultiva- tion, 92,389: value of land and improvements exclusive of build- ings, $6.359,810: value of farm buildings, $1.916,700; value of live stock. $816,920: total value of all products not fed to live stock. $2.781,500; number of manufactories, 85; capital invested, $8,178,- 194: wages paid, $772.581 : cost of materials used, $3,804,246; total value of products, $5.749.854. The population for 1900 was 13,789 whites, 20,264 colored, a total of 34.145. an increase of 11,729 over the year 1890. The estimated population for 1908 was over 35,000.
Saint Maurice, a money order post-station in the southwestern corner of Winn parish, is situated on the Rigolet de Bon Dieu and
LOUISIANA
the line of the Louisiana Railway & Navigation company. It is a landing on the river, the shipping and supply depot for a large dis- trict in. the rich Red river valley, has an express office, telegraph station, cotton gins, sugar refineries, good mercantile establish- ments, and in 1900 had a population of over 416.
Saint Patricks, a money order post-station in the eastern part of St. James parish, is situated on the west bank of the Mississippi river and the Texas & Pacific R. R., about 6 miles below Convent. the parish seat. It is one of the largest towns in the parish, has a telegraph station, express office, good stores, and is the trading center for the rich agricultural country in which it is located. The population was 350 in 1900.
Saint Rose is a money order post-town and station in the central part of St. Charles parish, is situated on the east bank of the Missis- sippi river and the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R., about 4 miles below Hahnville.
Saint Sophie, a post-hamlet of Plaquemines parish, situated on the east bank of the Mississippi river, 2 miles south of Belair, the nearest railroad town. and 9 miles northwest of Pointe a la Hache, the parish seat. It is a landing on the river, has a telegraph station, and in 1900 had a population of 100.
Saint Tammany, a post-hamlet and station in the southeastern part of St. Tammany parish, is situated on Bayou Lacombe and the . New Orleans Great Northern R. R., 15 miles southeast of Cov- ington, the parish seat, in the pinery east of the Mississippi river and has lumber industries, a telegraph and express offices, a good retail trade, and in 1900 reported a population of 300.
St. Tammany Parish, established in 1811, is one of the "Florida parishes." It is named after "St. Tammany," the Delaware chief, who before and during the Revolutionary war was chosen for his .reputed virtues as the patron saint of the new republic. The Lon- :isiana parish was so named because it had a large Indian popula- tion at the time of its establishment. It is situated in the extreme southeastern corner of the state and from its original territory have been carved Washington parish and a part of Tangipahoa. It is now bounded on the north by Washington parish; on the east by the Pearl river, which separates it from Mississippi; on the south bounded by Lake Borgne, Orleans parish and Lake Pontchartrain. and on the west by Tangipahoa parish. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that any whites settled west of the Pearl river. After the Revolution some families emigrated from Georgia. the Carolinas and Virginia and settled in this unbroken wilderness. Some of the earliest to take up claims under the Spanish were John Castonquat. in 1795; John Spell, in 1798; Joseph Slatten a year later ; the Coopers in 1800 and 1801 : William Wilson in 1802: William W. Collins, in 1803; Matthew Robertson and Joseph Cut- terer in 1804, and a number of others who came in 1806. During 1808 new claims were located by the Galloways, Jesse Barker, Law- rence Stecker, Charles Roberts, Gideon Yarsborough and a few others. David Glover, John Mitchell. John Brinkley, the McClen-
423
LOUISIANA
don family, the Leas and John Talley established themselves in 1810. The first courthouse was erected at a place called Claiborne, on the west side of Bogue Falia, about opposite to the present town of Covington, but the parish seat was removed to Covington in 1829. In 1819 the northern part of St. Tammany was taken to form Washington parish, and in 1869 a large part of its remaining territory was taken to form Tangipahoa parish. After the division, the population left to St. Tammany was larger than the whole in 1860, which shows how rapidly settlers established themselves in this region after the close of the Civil war.
Large brickyards were maintained and lumbering was a very important industry up to the Civil war, but with the end of slavery these industries nearly ceased and many years elapsed before they were revived. The main water courses of the parish are the Pearl river on the east, the Tehefuncte river on the northwest, the Bogue Chitto in the northeast and the Bogue Falia through the central portion and their many tributary streams, all of which are used in the extensive lumber industry. About 1856 it was discovered that the springs around Covington possessed medicinal properties and since then it has been the resort of invalids. The most famous spring is the Abita, a few miles northeast of Covington, with a capacity of 40,000 gallons a day, and the water is bottled and ex- ported. Large hotels have been built and this district is a resort the year round for both northern and southern people. St. Tam- many has a level and undulating surface of 871 square miles, formed of coast marsh, pine flats, pine hills, alluvial land and wooded swamp. The parish lies in the southern part of the long leaf pine region and almost its entire area is heavily timbered. The prin- cipal growth is pine. though oak, beech, gum, dogwood and holly are found in the river and creek bottoms. Along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain are large tracts of live oaks that grow to great size and for many years were practically uncut. The soil of the bottom lands is of alluvial deposit that produces as fine cotton, cane and sorghum as any in the state, while the pine lands have a sur- face soil of sandy loam, which with reasonable fertilization will pro- duce good crops. The proximity of St. Tammany to the New Or- leans market, and the cheap and excellent transportation facilities make almost any industry of the parish profitable. Sugar, rice and cotton are the largest crops, but corn, hay, oats, beans, potatoes. all kinds of garden vegetables, and fruits and berries do well and are raised in large quantities, and now that the parish is well pro- vided with railroad transportation, truck farming and fruit growing will doubtless increase. Stock raising and dairying have increased as the timber is cut and are paying industries to the farmer. Saw- mills are numerous, cutting millions of feet of the finest lumber in the world each year. Most of the railroads in the parish have been built within the last few years and materially increased its prosperity. The New Orleans & Northeastern R. R. runs across the southeastern part, the New Orleans Great Northern R. R. traverses the entire eastern portion north and south, with branches to nearly
424
LOUISIANA
all sections of the parish. Cheap shipping by steamboat is afforded on Lakes Borgne and Pontchartrain. The principal towns are Covington, the parish seat, Abita Springs, Alton, Bayou Lacomb, Chinchuba, Folsom, Madisonville, Mandeville, Pearl river. Slidell and Sun. The following statistics with regard to the parish are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms 397, acreage. 87,667; acres improved, 19,491; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $226,290; value of farm buildings, $116,730; value of live stock, $171.382; value of all products not fed to live stock, $186,428; number of manufactories, 29; capital invested, $669,973; wages paid, $236,467; cost of materials used, $337,673; total value of all products, $756,946. The population of the parish in 1900 was 8,415 whites, 4,889 colored, a total of 13,304, an increase of 3,175 over the year 1890. The estimated population for the year 1908 was over 15,000.
Salcedo, Juan Manuel de, the 9th and last Spanish governor of Louisiana, was appointed to that office on Oct. 24, 1799. Prior to that time he had served in the royal armies of Spain, in which he had risen to the rank of brigadier-general and held the office of king's lieutenant on the island of Teneriffe. He did not arrive at New Orleans until about the middle of June, 1801. A month later (July 13) he sent word to Spain that he had taken steps to arm and equip the militia of the Natchitoches district "with the view of counteracting the projects of the American bandit, Philip Nolan. who had introduced himself into the interior of the province of New Spain, with 36 armed men." Salcedo soon became displeased with the spirit prevailing in the colony, and sent frequent com- plaints to his home government that the people were "anxious to introduce innovations in harmony with the maxims of liberty," and on March 2, 1802, he sent in a protest against the action of the cabildo in appointing Jose Martinez de la Pedrera to the office of
assessor. Laussat, who was the commissioner on the part of France to receive the province from Spain, describes him as "an infirm old man who is in his dotage," and these frequent expressions of discontent tend to corroborate Laussat's opinion. The same authority further says: "His son, who is a young officer of in- fantry, and whose brains are still very green, is the true governor under his father's name." Salcedo was one of the commissioners to deliver Louisiana to Laussat, and on May 18, 1803, in conjune- tion with his colleague, the Marquis de Casa Calvo, issued a proc- lamation giving the terms and conditions under which the transfer should take place. The administration of Salcedo ended with the transfer of the colony to Laussat on Nov. 30, 1803. He was after- ward governor of Texas for a time.
Saline, a town in the southern part of Bienville parish, is a sta- tion on the Louisiana & Northwest R. R., about 2 miles north of the southern boundary of the parish. It is the shipping and supply town for the lumber district in which it is located, has a bank, saw- mills, a money order postoffice, telegraph station, etc.
Salt .- Long before the white man attempted to found settle-
425
LOUISIANA
ments in the lower Mississippi valley, salt was made by the Natchi- toches Indians within the limits of the present State of Louisiana, and. was used by them as an article of barter in their primitive commerce. The source of their supply is believed to have been the salt pits, later known as Drake's salt works, about 30 miles from the present city of Natchitoches. From the earliest history of the state salt has been one of the staple products. Among the earlier salt works may be mentioned Rayburn's, about 8 miles from Bien- ville; King's. on Cotton bayou : Bistineau salt works on Lake Bis- tineau; the Sabine works in Sabine parish, and the salt waters about Catahoula lake and near Negreet bayou. Active work at all these places has been discontinued, owing to the discovery of greater and more remunerative deposits of salt to be found on the islands and elsewhere along the coast. The first deposits of rock salt were found on Petite Anse ( Little Elbow) or Avery's island, about 7 miles south of the town of New Iberia. Salt was first discovered on this island in 1791 by John Hayes, a resident of the island. Be- coming thirsty while out deer hunting, he took a drink from a small, clear spring, but found the water so impregnated with salt that it increased rather than allaved his thirst. He took a bottleful of the water to his home and boiled from it a teaspoonful of salt. Soon after that a Jesse McCaul bought about 19 acres of the land, in- cluding the salt spring and began boiling for salt. The works were afterward abandoned until 1812, when the war with England led to their again being put in operation and the boiling was continued until 1815, when the work again ceased. In Sept., 1861, the island passed into the possession of Judge Daniel D. Avery, who began boiling salt, the southern ports then being closed by the blockade. which deprived the people of the south of their customary sources of supply. In May, 1862, while digging to improve one of the springs, a bed of rock salt was struck at a distance of only 13 feet below the surface, and during the next 11 months 22,000,000 pounds of salt were taken from the deposit. In the summer of 1862 Gov. Pettus of Mississippi sent agents to Alabama, Virginia and Lon- isiana in search of salt, but the only available supply was found near Iberia. From the mine the salt was taken in wagons to the Atchafalaya, where it was transferred to boats. The Federal gun- boats were at that time patrolling the Mississippi, but D. S. Patti- son, who had been sent by Gov. Pettus, succeeded in getting about 40,000 pounds through to Vicksburg. In April. 1863, Gen. Banks, then in command of the Federal troops in the Department of the Gulf, ordered Samuel Hotaling to visit and report upon the topog- raphy of the island, its commercial importance, and the analysis of the salt for the use of the United States government. An analysis by Dr. J. L. Riddel!, of New Orleans, showed the salt to contain nearly 99 per cent. chloride of sodium (common salt), and Dr. Riddell closed his report with the following statement: "I am not aware of any mine of rock salt hitherto discovered of greater purity and higher intrinsic value." The works were then destroyed . by the Federal troops.
426
LOUISIANA
After the war the works were reopened and steps taken to de- velop the deposits. By 1885 the daily shipments amounted to about 200' tons. Improved machinery and methods were introduced, and at the present time over 500 tons are mined daily. Investigations were made on Jefferson's island in 1895, when the auger passed through nearly 2,000 feet of pure salt, but this vast supply is as yet undeveloped. Salt was found in 1896 on Belle isle, and a com- pany was immediately formed for working the deposits. The fol- lowing year another large deposit was found on Grand Cote, or Week's island, and from this place several hundred tons find their way daily to the markets of the world. There is a short line of railroad running southwest from New Iberia, the southern ter- minus of which is called Salt Mine, indicative of the motive for which the road was constructed, viz .: to place the output of the Petit Anse mines in touch with the market. Recently, while bor- ing for oil in the southwestern part of the state, large salt beds were found about 200 feet below the surface, and authorities say: "There is already in sight salt enough in southwestern Louisi- ana to supply the markets of this country for an indefinite period."
The Louisiana salt is generally noted for its strength and pur- ity, as well as the ease with which it is obtained, and the probabil- ity is that when more convenient railroad facilities are opened the abandoned works mentioned above will be again profitably worked, new plants will be established at various places where the salt crops out in northern Louisiana, which will make the state the greatest producer of salt of any state in the Union.
Salt, a post-hamlet in the southeastern part of Winn parish, is located not far from Denkman, which is the nearest railroad sta- tion.
Samstown, a post-office in the southeastern part of Iberville parish, is about 2 miles southwest of White Castle, the nearest railroad station, and 12 miles southeast of Plaquemine, the parish seat.
Sanders, Jared Y., the present governor of Louisiana, was born near Morgan City, St. Mary Parish, La., Jan. 29, 1869, a son of Jared Y. and Bessie (Wofford) Sanders. His father, who was a Confederate veteran. died in 1881. and the following year floods seriously damaged the plantation on which the family resided. These misfortunes made it necessary for the future governor to aid in the support of his widowed mother and her eight children. and he began his business career as a clerk in a country store. Some years later he entered the office of the St. Mary Banner, a weekly paper published at Franklin, where he learned to set type. In 1890, after he had become editor of the Banner, he took up the study of law, to which he gave every spare moment of his time until in 1893, when he entered the law department of Tulane uni- versity. He graduated in law in May, 1894, and the same month was admitted to the bar. A few weeks later he became a member of the firm of Sigur & Sanders of Franklin. In 1896 the firm be- came Sigur, Milling & Sanders and continued under this name
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.