LAST ISLAND (And the people who played and died there) Submitted by: Gladys Stovall Armstrong From The Deep Delta Quaterly ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Last Island, laying about twenty miles into the Gulf of Mexico, south of Terrebonne parish, was a rich man's retreat. They escaped the sultry summer heat of New Orleans and Bayou Lafourche and Attakapas and other parts of the state. No where were there better fishing and good food and sandy beaches for swimming, dancing in the fine hotel and other entertainment. The Island got its name because it was the last of several islands that stretched westward about 90 miles from the mouth of the river. In its heyday, it was 21 mi1es long. The island was a famous retreat not only for fun, but also to get away from the yellow fever epidemic of 1853. It seems the mosquito that carried that dreadful disease only bred in fresh water and the salty water of this resort kept them away. There is a disagreement to the number of houses that were on Last Island, some say as few as 25, others say it was more like 100. There was also a large hotel which housed several hundred guests and it was the site of the dances that were held twice weekly. Everyone was enjoying life to the fullest until the 10th day of August, 1856. A hurricane ravaged its shores and in minutes, everything in its path was destroyed. The surging waters and high winds tore wives from husbands, children from the arms of mothers, their homes crumbled like sand castles. Persons who lost their lives in the Hurricane (According to a New Orleans Newspaper) The Crescent DR. BABY, lady, four children and two servants; A. H. FOLEY, lady and two servants; ADRIEN FRERE, lady and son GABRIEL GREVEMBERG CASPER RATIN THOMAS MILLE, lady and three servants liOMER MILLE, lady and child MICHEL SCHLATRE, lady, seven children and six servants JOHN MUGGAH, wife, two children and five servants JAMES MUGGAH and son JOHN BARLAFFEY MRS. B. A. PREWETT and two servants IDA MACILL AUCUSTIN MAGILL MRS. CROZIER and three servants MRS. BORDIS and servant H. LANDRY and three servants MICHAEL LANDRY JOSEPH DUGAS ULYSSE SIMONEAU JOE, servant of MR. TROUSDALE C. A. BARILLEAU, child and servant MRS. T. LANDRY, two children and four servants MRS. A. COMEAU, five children and four servants L. H. PREWETT, JR. MRS. D. RENTROP, daughter and servant MR. TURNER, lady and servant MR. REED, wife and two servants MRS. FLASH and child, and sister and her child MRS. THOS. MASKELL, three children and one servant MR. MIDNIGHT Two servants of MR. ELLIS MR. CASE P. ROBINET SIMON GIMBLE LEVI LOEP MRS. ELOI HEBERT MRS. EMILINE BABIN MR. HOMER HERBERT MR. STEWART MISS FISHER COL. FISHER MR. THOMPSONand a lady and three servants MR. MC DONALD Servant of WM. BISLAND Servant of JOSHUA BAKER MR. ROYSTER and lady Negro man of CHEYNEY JOHNSON LEWIS STEWARD JANE, a chambermaid Servant of MRS. DEVELIN Servant of MRS. MEADE Child of J. ETIE and servant Servant of D. BERAUD Servant of JONAS MARSH MRS. GERAUD and child Servant of DR. HAWKINS Servant of MRS. HARRIS MRS. ROUMAGE and servant MRS. VOISIN and daughter MRS. M. BABIN MRS. ELOI BABIN MRS. BOUDREAUX MRS. BELL JOHN SCHNEIDER F. FITZPATRICK Servant of G. A. BRIANT Two children of MR. BONTITON TOM a free Negro HARIETT, slave of D. MUGGAH Two children of MR. HUDGINS Survivors of the Hurricane as reported in THE CRESCENT CAPT. THOMAS ELLIS, planter, Terrebonne MRS. JOHN E. KING and sisters, Opelousas MR. MARSH and daughter, NEWTON HON. W. W. PUGH, wife, six children and servant, Assumption MR. ANTOINE COMOE, two children and two servants DR. HAWKINS, wife, child and servant DR. LYLE, Attakapas DR. DUPERIER, Attakapas DR. B. B. PREWETT, New Orleans MRS. HARRIS and child, New Orleans DR. ROADES and Lady, formerly of New Orleans, now of Berwick Two MISSES RENTROPES and a niece, Bayou Goula MR. NASH, wife and children, Bayou Goula I. HEBERT and lady, Bayou Goula DR. BAGLY and lady, Opelousas MR. BERREUX and family, Opelousas MR. BROWN JACKSON, Opelousas CAPT. MURPHY, Nepoleon MRS. RANTREE, Nepoleon MISS MILLER, MR. MILLER and lady, Nepoleon DESIRE LE BLANC, A. LE BLANC, Napoleon E. LACONTA, Nepoleon JOHN SMITH, The Island ADOLPHE ROCHELMR. BAPTISTE, The Island JOHN DAVIS and family, Assumption 0. MALASSON, Sheriff of Assumption Parish L. LAFOREST, Newton MR. ETTIER and wife and Mother J. L. LEWIS, Bayou Goula A. TOFFIER and lady, Bayou Goula F. MARIONEAU, plaquemines MR. DESOBRIS and family, Plaquemines Two MISSES CLEMENTS, do. MRS. DARDENCE, do. Capt. and crew of steamer "Star" Capt. DAVID MUGGAH and family MR. VOISIN HENRY MUGGAH ALFRED WADSWORTH MR. MADSILL and two children, Franklin DR. and MRS. LYMAN, Plaquemines REV. MC ALISTER, Bayou Goula MRS. CROFFER and two sons, Bayou Goula MR. WINTER MR. HART and lady, plaquemines MRS. LEFTRICK, Carroll Parish MRS. DICKERSON, do. MISS MARY MATHISON MR. and MRS. R. C. SIMS, Carroll parish CHARLES BALLIS, wife and child MISS C. HARTMAN MR. CRANK MR. JACKSON, lady and four children J. K. SMITH W. D. WINTER and servant T. LANDRY G. A. BRIANT MISS NICHOLS FRANKLIN PUGH E. DAFONTA V. H. RENTROP S. G. GOTTERMAN CHAS. RHEN A. B. GARY MRS. BIRDSALL and son DR. DAY MRS. S. E. KING, MISS CAROLINE KING A. E. TYLER LOUIS GREREINBERG MISS BRUNETTE DESIRE BERNARD, lady and two children MR. FLASH and lady MRS. GIRAND THE CRESCENT, 23rd August, New Orleans, MORE OF THE SAVED FROM THE LAST ISLAND CATASTROPHE with unalloyed pleasure we learn of the escape of twelve more persons from the awful disaster of Last Island. Their as reported, are: MRS. A. M. DICKINSON, two children and servant; MRS. M. A. LEFTWICH; MR. HART, wife, two children and servant; and MR. TROSCLAIR (or TROXLER) and wife, of Bayou Coula, constitute the list. God grant that this may not be the last of the gratifying announcements we shall be called on to make. THE CRESCENT, 25th August, New Orleans, Louisiana RECOVERY OF MORE OF THE SUPPOSED LOST We yesterday afternoon received notes from MESSRS. H. E. LAWRENCE and A. R. RAGAN, by the Opelousas Railroad, from which we are much gratified to learn of the safety of MR. and MRS. A. M. FOLEY of Lafourche, MR. WM. ROCHELLE and a negro servant of MR. HINES and one or two other servants. These persons were found in the marsh in the vicinity of Last Island; where they had subsisted on crabs, crawfish and rainwater since the storm.......