Parish of Calcasieu, Louisiana
                          EARLY HISTORY

Contributed by Margaret Rentrop Moore
Source: Southwest Louisiana Biographical & Historical by William
Henry Perrin; published 1891 pages 119-123.


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    It is difficult to realize as we walk the streets of our beautiful towns,
and note the squares of built up houses and mansions, the factories, the busy
mills and the ceaseless hum of industry where the bulk of a busy population
gains its bread by the sweat of its brow," that less than a century ago these
blooming prairies, grand old forests and enchanting water courses and lakes were
the possessions of wandering savages and formed a part of one vast wilderness,
which gave no sign of promise of the multitudes of a strange race by which it is
now peopled, or the mighty developments in science and art which should make
their lives so different  from that of their rude predecessors.
    Here the bold immigrant pitched his tent and staked all beside the deep
rolling Calcasieu or near some lake of sparkling water, and beneath those tall
forest pines, where erst the untamed children of nature had so long roamed
unmolested, at one time in search of food, and again engaged in the wild
pleasures which seemed the only occupation of their existence. The sound of the
woodman's axe sang out amid this mighty solitude, frightening the denizens of
the forests from their peaceful slumbers. and starting reverberations whose last
reecho has changed into the screech of the iron horse, and into the hum of
varied industries which now occupy the busy men and women who have been
born and reared under a civilization which had its first beginnings in the rude
log cabins of those sturdy pioneers.
    A pleasanter task could scarcely be found than that which devolves upon
the chronicler of our early history. Could he but reproduce the scenes of less
than a century ago, with all their natural surroundings, that the reader in
imagination might see the unhewn log hut, its crevices filled with mud; the
adobe chimney the broad fireplace, and rough, unseemly furniture; that he might
see the small clearing; could the historian, we repeat, picture all these scenes
in their wild but natural beauty, he would bring before many a reader similar
series, whose impress have been left in the mind by oft-repeated stories of
these olden times long past.
     

Topography and Dcscription. - But we must reluctantly recall the reader
from these general recollections to the more prosy subject of our work.
Calcasieu is the westernmost parish of those embraced in this volume extending
to the Sabine River, which separates it from  the State of Texas. The following
on the topographical and geographical features of Calcasieu is from the Lake
Charles Echo of September 14, 1888:
    The geographical situation of Calcasieu parish brings to it more advantages
of a varied character than any other parish in the State. Its climate is, ever
and salubrious, being toned by gulf breezes during the four seasons thus
obvinting the extremes of heat and cold felt by the other sections of our
country.
    Calcasieu parish is bounded  on the north by Vernon parish, north and east
by Rapides and St. Landry parishes, Bayou Nez Pique and the Mermentau River: on
the south by Cameron parish, and on the west by the Sabine River,
embracing a total area of nearly 2,000,000 acres: hence is larger than either
the State of Rhode Island or Delaware, and larger than the Kingdom of Belgium.
Its principal streams are the Calcasieu and Houston Rivers; Beckworth,  Hickory,
Whiskey-chitto, Bundick's, Ten Mile, Six Mile, Barnes, Sugar, and Dry Creeks,
and Serpent, Schoupique, Dinde,  Lacasine, and  English Bayous. All of which,
except the Lacaslne, flow into the Calcasieu River, and furnish about two
hundred miles of navigable water. Small streams are too numerous to
mention. The Calcasieu River furnishes an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico at a
distance of fifty miles from Lake Charles, the parish site. The promised
increase in the South American trade makes this an item of no small
consideration.
    The soil of Calcasieu parish, while not so fertile as that of some of our
eastern  parishes still the greater part of it, with proper drainage and
cultivation, is made to produce all kinds of field crops in paying quantities:
The soil is rich vegetable mould, and the application of stimulating fertilizers
is attended with the best results.   The population of the parish aggregates
about 30,000, and is rapidly increasing. The influx is principally from the
Northern and Western States and is generally of that class of individuals that
add wealth to any country.
    The principal industry up to the present time has been that of lumbering.
The immense pinery, which covers about sixty per cent of our territory, is an
almost inexhaustible source of the very best quality of yellow pine timber. The
next most important industry is that of stock raising, which is developing
rapidly and promises in a few years to rival our timber interest. Improved stock
is being introduced, as well as improved methods of handling it, and no doubt in
a very few years we will compete with Kentucky in this direction. Rice, corn,
cotton, peas, potatoes and cane are the principal field crops, while garden
vegetables of all kinds are raised in abundance. Our agricultural interests are
being rapidly developed. Fruit raising until recently was not considered
profitable except in the northern part of the parish, but recent developments
prove that it is rather owing to it want of knowledge than to the management of
fruit trees as to any fault of soil or climate. Those experienced in
horticulture find no trouble in making it a success.
    The following is from the correspondence of The American Wool, Cotton and
Financial Reporter, Boston, Massachusetts, and is further descriptive of
topography and general features:
    LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana, October 30, 1890.-We are at present in the growing
little city of Lake Charles, in Southwestern Louisiana. Having heard and read so
much of this section of country, termed the " Italy of America," we came to the
conclusion that in our trip through the "New South" we would examine this
section personally and ascertain what the attraction is, for people from every
direction are moving in and filling up the country. As evidence of the fact, one
parish alone, Calcasieu, has added over 8000 to its population since the last
census, and most of this has been added during the last five years. There has
been no boom such as the Oklahoma rush, and the old citizens, and in fact a
large portion of those who have recently come, know nothing of the value of
land. Men often part with their land at from $2 to $5 per acre, when the
probabilities are that it may increase in value tenfold in a very few years.
Tell these people the chances are largely in favor of these lands bringing $50
per acre in a few years, and they look at you with astonishment, and yet what
are lands worth that will yield from $40 to $60 per acre in rice, or more in
sugar cane?
    Where is this country? On the map, followed westward from New Orleans a
distance of about one hundred and twenty miles on the Southern Pacific Railroad.
This one hundred and twenty miles consists of alluvial land, or that portion of
Louisiana subject to overflow from the Mississippi River. West of this alluvial
portion is " terra firma," land that is not subject to overflow under any
circumstances; and this land, to the Texas line, a distance of about
one hundred and thirty miles by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and extending
from the Gulf of Mexico about seventy-five miles north, is called Southwestern
Louisiana.
    "It would require a whole book, instead of an article or two, to do justice
to this wonderland. It contains some beautiful rivers and lakes whose waters 
come from springs, and are as clear as crystal. What a marvellous contrast
between the waters of these rivers arid those called bayous in the overflowed
region. the latter being sluggish and having a dingy appearance. One from the
east can scarcely realize after seeing it that there is such a country in the
State of Louisiana.   First impressions are lasting, and the first impression of
the average eastern man, before coming here, is that Louisiana is one vast
hot-bed of malaria. One may come and see for himself that it is untrue, as
regards this part of the State, for there is not a more beautiful sight to
behold than this vast table prairie land, and any one with common judgment,
without making any inquiry, would at once pronounce it a land of health as well
as of beauty: and statistics prove the correctness of such an opinion.
    In order to gain all the information we could, we talked with a number of
the oldest citizens and mingled with the new comers. Being a newspaper man, of
course, we looked after that profession. We found a newspaper published
here far above the average; in fact, few papers north or south equal it, all
things considered.  It the Lake Charles American, a sixteen-page weekly. We made
ourselves quite at home in this office, and while we wish to write more
particularly of other things, because of the good treatment we received, we must
make mention of it. We asked the editor among other things about the climate.
    " The climate" said he, "is delightful. The temperature ranges from forty to
seventy degrees in winter and from eighty to ninety-six in summer, seldom
reaching the latter point. All north to the Missouri and a number of miles
westward is timber land, and much of this is the finest timber land in the
world.  This" said he, "is our protection from the winter winds; then south to
the gulf is prairie, and thus we get the unobstructed gulf breeze. On one side
is the forest, as a check against the cold that would come upon us from the
north, and on the other side is the gulf breeze tempering the heat of summer.
All this combined produces this wonderful climate, which has been called by some
the Italy of America."
    The rainfall is fifty inches per annum, and is about evenly distributed
throughout the year, the rain seldom interfering with farm work more than a day
or two at a time. The land is level, having natural drains that leads to the
main rivers or direct into the gulf. The soil varies, in some places a deep,
rich, black clay loam; in others a brownish, and in others a sandy loam, the
latter more particularly adapted to fruit.
    From observation and all the information we can gather, we suppose almost or
vegetable crop can be raised in this section that can be raised in the any farm
United States. Besides many things s flourish here that can not he successfully
cultivated elsewhere. The sweet potato produces from one hundred to two hundred
barrels per acre. Sugar cane grows to perfection, and $100 per acre can easily
be made on this crop. Rice culture is an industry that has come wonderfully to
the front in the last two years. By the use of machinery in harvesting,it is now
possible for large fortunes to be made raising rice. Cotton grows well here, and
tobacco, the latter producing two crops a year, and is said by tobacconists to
be a very superior article.
This is the home of the fig, and it is said never fails to bear a crop.
Oranges do well, and the golden fruit on the trees now in Lake Charles is a
beautiful sight. Pears of several varieties, and especially the Leconte and
Keiffer, and many varieties of peaches, plums and other fruits grow here and
come to great perfection.