NATURAL HISTORY AND STATISTICS, WINN PARISH, LOUISIANA
Submitted by: Annette (Carpenter) Womack
of Winnfield, Winn Parish, LA
January 1998
(Spelling was retained as in document)

BIOGRAPHICAL & HISTORICAL 
MEMOIRS OF NORTHWEST LOUISIANA

COMPRISING A LARGE FUND OF BIOGRAPHY OF ACTUAL 
RESIDENTS, AND AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL SKETCH 
OF THIRTEEN COUNTIES --ILLUSTRATED--
Nashville and Chicago: The Southern Publishing Company (C) 1890
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************


 






NATURAL HISTORY AND STATISTICS

This parish is bounded on the west by Saline Bayou, Saline Lake 
and Red River; on the south by the north line of Grant parish, 
on the east by Little River, and north by the southern lines of  
Jackson and Bienville Parishes.  The greater part of Winn is a 
long-leaf pine forest, containing a great quantity of excellent 
timber.  The lands roll heavily, and partake of a hilly character.
There are many flats here, marked by salt springs, such as Prices' 
Lick, Drakes' Salt Works on Saline Bayou, Cedar Lick near Winnfield,
the Kyiche Creek Bottoms, Pendarvis' Prairie in the fork of Dugdemona
River, and Bayou Castor and other places.      

Of the total area, 970 square miles, the long-leaf pine country 
covers 850 square miles, the oak uplands 90 square miles, and prairie 
patches 30 square miles.  In 1879 there were 22,548 acres in cultivation, 
on which 7,379 acres were in cotton, 8,588 acres in corn, 250 acres in 
sweet potatoes, 41 acres in sugar cane, and 4 acres in rice. There were 
3,002 bales of cotton produced, averaging 585 pounds of seed cotton, or 
195 pounds of cotton lint.  The cotton grows from four to six feet in 
height.  W. T. Jones, of Winnfield, states that fresh land will yield 
about 1,000 pounds of seed cotton per acre, and after fifteen years will
still continue to yield 800 pounds per acre.

The pine lands present an area of great trees, capable of supplying all 
the mills of the country for some years, or a large number of extensive 
mills in their midst for a quarter of a century.     

Within five miles of Winfield, near the old Mathis house on the 
Natchitoches road, is what is known as the Marble Quarry.  It is a 
beautiful variegated stone of the lime rock variety, and when burned, 
makes an excellent white lime.  The quarry was developed by Samuel L. 
Houston.  The rock is found here in sufficient quantity to yield lime 
for the whole State.  In the Coochee Hills, near the south line, a 
marble is found which takes a very fine polish.  The asphalt lands, 
south of Winnfield, are extensive and the mineral is said to be as good 
as the Swiss asphalt.  

Along the bayous--Saline and Dugdemona--are the salt springs, some of 
which were developed before and during the war.  The Drake well (artesian)
was drilled at least forty years ago, and Drake established his saw and 
grist mills there.  He also cleaned out Saline Bayou and shipped salt and
lumber to the Red River and thence to market.     

The silver mine, near Winnfield, the property of William H. Jack, is 
said to be rich in ore.  In 1881 William H. Boult discovered in Section
19, Township 11, Range 3, near the lime kiln of war days, a large cave.
John Matthews, the owner of the land, states that before the mouth of 
this cave lowered in 1871, the heaviest rock would be removed there from
during the night.

The population in 1880 was 5,846, or 4,797 white and 1,049 colored.  
In 1870 there were 4,044 white and 909 colored, and in 1860, 5,481 
whites and 1,354 slaves and 41 free colored, or a total of 6,176.  
The population in 1889, according to assessor's statistics, was 8,387, 
while in 1890 the United States census enumerators found only 7,082
inhabitants.

The parish is well watered by the tributaries of Little River, flowing
southeast, namely Beaucoup Bayou, Caney Creek, Dugdemona, meandering 
through the northeast half of the parish, Big Jatt and other streams 
in the southwest quarter flowing into Jatt Lake, and several small 
streams flowing into Saline Bayou and lake.  The bayous bounding the parish on
the east and west are navigable streams, except during the seasons of low
water.


...Continued with part 2-- Period of Settlement