Bio: Edgar N. Florsheim; Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller
Date: 1999-2000





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Edgar N. Florsheim.  The important part of the record of Edgar N. Florsheim as
a citizen and business man of Northern Louisiana was his part as a pioneer
discoverer and developer of the great Monroe gas field.

He is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, and a member of a prominent family
who have been leaders in the wholesale and retail mercantile business at
Shreveport for a number of years.

Mr. Florsheim as a young man became attracted incidental to other business to
the oil and gas industry at Shreveport.  With considerable experience and
knowledge of the various phases of oil and gas production, he turned his
attention to and removed to Monroe early in 1916.  He was impressed by what
seemed the potential resources in oil and natural gas in this section of
Northern Louisiana.  At Monroe he acquired as associates S. S. Hunter, J. H.
Trousdale and W. B. McCormick.  They started drilling in Ouachita Parish,
their object being either the striking of oil or natural gas.  On Christmas
Day, 1916, was brought in the first producing natural gas well in Ouachita
Parish, on the A. L. Smith place, about seventeen miles north of Monroe.  A
pipe line was laid from the well to Monroe, and on the Fourth of July, 1917
the city was illuminated, thus having the distinction of being the first
community in Louisiana to have natural gas for illuminating and domestic use. 
This was the beginning of the great natural gas development in Northern
Louisiana.  Since then the Monroe field has been extended Until it now covers
a proved area of about 300 square miles, and has at present about 250
producing wells.  It is the largest known natural gas field in the world, and
as a result of the development Monroe has almost doubled its population. 
There have been attracted to the city and vicinity the carbon black industries
and a number of other factories deriving special advantage from gas as fuel.

Since his notable success in bringing in the first gas well, Mr. Florsheim has
continued unremittingly in the extension of the field and the building up of
the natural gas industry.  Individually, he opened up the famous gas field at
Swartz, twelve miles northeast of Monroe, for the Western Virginia Oil and Gas
Company, of which he is secretary and manager.  He is secretary of the Thrift
Oil and Gas Company, and he and J. H. Trousdale of Monroe are closely
associated in some gas and oil enterprises of their own.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 231, by Henry E. Chambers.  Published by
The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.