Lake Charles Centennial Celebration, 1867-1967

Chapter II Social and Cultural Development by Mrs. Kathleen C. Collins and Mrs. Mavis Cade Raggio

Chapter V Industry Comes to Lake Charles by Sam H. Jones (Former Governor of Louisiana)

Chapter VIII Politics and Government 1890-1967: A Study in Progressive Change by Robert Brantley Cagle

Ambition has always prompted the sturdy pioneer to do and succeed. Backed by indomitable energy, supported by physical and moral stamina, and generally surrounded by the influence of noble womanhood, men of individuality have usually found a way to develop new lands and to found cities. Individuality of character, individuality of physical power, individuality of courage and determination, these are the birthmarks that were imprinted upon the men and the women who as pioneers invaded Southwest Louisiana, an area abounding in potentialities: the potentiality of agriculture, of lumbering, of cattle raising, and the existence of fabulous mineral resources – all coupled with the natural potential of a lake from which the city of Lake Charles derives its name and a river which gives the city easy access to the Gulf of Mexico. To these men and women and to their descendents this history is respectfully and appreciatively dedicated.

The story of Lake Charles is indeed a fascinating saga of hardihood and determination. Like many other cities of Louisiana, Lake Charles of today represents a composite of many nationalities and races, but unlike most of them it has a strong Texas flavor. The first settlers were Frenchmen who came during and after the American Revolution and located along the east bank of the lake. Following them several decades later were Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent. By the time of the Civil War they had become a dominant element. Though Germans began to appear in small numbers in the late 1850’s, they did not become an important element until the 1870’s and 1880’s. An influx of Mid-westerners made its appearance in the late eighties and the nineties to take advantage of the cheap lands advertised through the promotional activities of J. B. Watkins, leader and enterprising head of the North American Land and Timber Company. At about the same time emigrants from Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and other European countries began to arrive in the city. Negros did not begin to make their appearance until the 1870’s, when a demand for sawmill workers attracted them to the area. Steady growth of population marked the period from the turn of the century until 1940. Thereafter, population increased at an accelerated pace caused by the exigencies of World War II and its aftermath, which brought in large industrial enterprises, until today the city of Lake Charles has well over 70,000 inhabitants.

Because of the cooperative nature of this historical work, the narrative is somewhat uneven, the quality of some chapters being greater than others. The editor has made an effort to be selective in the organization and content of the chapters to allow for unity and continuity in the overall work. Where it was possible, repetitious material was deleted in places that did not affect the narrative. He disclaims, however, responsibility for statements whether of fact or of opinion made by the contributors.

To acknowledge all persons responsible for making this history possible would require an unduly lengthy forward. Special recognition, however, should be given the writers of the various chapters contained in this work. Despite the very limited time they were given to prepare their assigned tasks, they accepted the assignments with enthusiasm and turned in the chapters in time to meet the publisher’s deadline.

To the following contributors the editor extends his appreciation: Robert Brantley Cagle, graduate student in the Department of History at Louisiana State University; Mrs. Mavis Cade Raggio and Mrs. Kathleen C. Collins, civic and cultural leaders of the city; Elmer Shutts, consulting engineer for the port of Lake Charles; Sam H. Jones, ex-Governor of Louisiana and a practicing attorney in the city; G. W. Ford, Superintendent of City Schools; Wayne Owens, reporter, Lake Charles American Press; James C. Beam, City Editor, Lake Charles American Press; Corinne Peace, Society Editor, Lake Charles American Press; Truman Stacey, Editor, Lake Charles American Press; and Harry G. Chalkley, President, Sweetlake Land and Oil Company, Incorporated.

Also, the editor would like to thank the following persons who assisted in one way or another in the preparation of this work: the Honorable James E. Sudduth, Mayor of Lake Charles, who made available to the editor the resources of his office, including his staff who helped prepare statistical data contained in this work. Among these staff members are: Councilman Harry R. Reeves, Mrs. Elizabeth Eastman, Mrs. Ben F. Jones, and E. B. Watson. Mrs. Carolyn Pollard, Executive Secretary, Lake Charles Association of Commerce, helped to launch this work; Mrs. R. Carroll Allen, chairman of the Picture Committee, with the assistance of Gene Kuntz and Philip Wells gathered many of the pictures appearing herein; Mrs. Maude Reid graciously and unfailingly supplied information to the writers and editor from her vast repertoire of historical facts and figures relating to the history of Lake Charles; and the Lake Charles American Press opened to the editor its collection of pictures, many of which have been used in this history.

To Mrs. Dorothy F. Roberts, Associate Professor of English, McNeese State College, is due special acknowledgment. She read and ably assisted in the editing of the entire manuscript and offered valuable suggestions in the organization of material. Also, appreciation is expressed to the city’s business and professional men and women, clubs, and other organizations for their sustained interest in the preparation of this work.

It is the fondest hope of the editor that the future generations, leaders of tomorrow, will emulate the pioneers in aggressiveness, zeal, and forward movements. (March 1967, Donald J. Millet)

The original inhabitants of Lake Charles were South and Central American Indian tribes, who made periodic visits to the area. These tribes were followed by the first permanent inhabitants, the Atakapas, cannibalistic tribesmen who occupied the area before the time of Christ. According to a trader from the Lafitte Commune, this tribe remained cannibalistic as late as 1810. The first permanent white settler in the area was Martin LeBleu, a native of Bordeaux, France, who, in 1781, established his home near English Bayou, six miles east of the present site of Lake Charles. Although LeBleu never lived in Lake Charles, his family directly and indirectly had a prominent influence on the political, economic, and social development of the vicinity. Two years after LeBleu’s arrival, Charles Sallier, a New Orleans Spaniard, reached the area. Sallier first settled near the mouth of the Calcasieu River on land purchased from the Indians; however, when he married Catherine LeBleu in 1803, he moved to the lakefront and became the first white man to erect a home on the present site of the city of Lake Charles.

Lake Charles was first known as “Charlie’s Lake.” By 1860 it was being called “Charleston” or “Charles Town.” During the period before 1860, Charlie’s Lake was a familiar stopping point for wayfarers and traders.

In 1815 white settlers from the Atlantic seaboard states began arriving in Southwest Louisiana. This influx in 1817 brought Jacob Ryan, originally of Georgia, who had settled for a short time in Vermillion Parish. Ryan and his family settled on the west bank of the Calcasieu River at a place later named Vincent Settlement. He remained there until his death in 1850. The chief motivation for settlement between 1815 and 1842 was the availability of the Rio Hondo claims, which originated from a boundary dispute between Spain and the United States. These claims stretched along the bayous from Natchitoches to Hackberry. In order to tighten its claim on the disputed territory between the Sabine and Calcasieu (Rio Hondo) Rivers, the United States made liberal offers of land to settlers. This promise of land opportunity attracted to the area “stalwart sons of the Old South” – Tennesseans, Carolinians, and Georgians “whose intrepid characters and long rifles did more to settle the boundary question than any display of force could have done.” Although there was never any open conflict over the disputed territory, Colonel James B. Many sent a Major Burch to Lake Charles on November 20, 1829, to establish Camp Atkinson to defend the area. The troops were withdrawn three years later.

A second wave of settlers began to enter Lake Charles in the latter part of the 1830’s. Thomas Bilbo, along with James Barnett, arrived in Lake Charles in 1837. 1850 brought Jacob Ryan, Sr., who had served as sheriff of Calcasieu from 1846 to 1850. James Hodges, who was one of the early merchants of Lake Charles, and William Hutchinson entered the area in 1857. All of these settlers were either farmers, traders, or merchants. The first professional man to enter Lake Charles was Samuel Adams Kirby. A native of Vermont, who had graduated from Middleberry Law School in that state, Kirby moved to the South hoping to improve his poor health. The first lawyer in Lake Charles, Kirby’s tenure in the area was brief, but during that time he did more for the early development of the town than any other resident. Jacob Ryan is commonly referred to as the “Father of Lake Charles;” however, according to Miss Maude Reid, this is only because Ryan outlived Kirby and the influence of the Kirby family was not felt after the attorney’s death.

Captain Daniel Goos, a native of Schlesweg-Holstein, came to Lake Charles in 1855 and established his home in the northern part of town. The economic destiny of Lake Charles for the rest of the nineteenth century was greatly influenced by this man’s arrival. Before the appearance of Goos, the lumber industry was dominated by Jacob Ryan and a few others, who, during favorable weather, produced 500 board feet of lumber per day. After Goos established his sawmill, the lumber business showed a notable increase. It was the Goos mill which provided most of the wood for the building of Lake Charles. Following the establishment of the Goos mill, Lake Charles began to gain recognition as a significant industrial center. By 1858, the combined increase in production of the Goos and Ryan mills caused considerable trade to develop between Lake Charles and Galveston, Texas.

From 1840 to 1867 the political development of Lake Charles was almost inseparable from that of Calcasieu Parish. On March 20, 1840, approximately one-fourth of Louisiana was organized into a section known as “Imperial Calcasieu,” which was made up of the present parishes of Cameron, Beauregard, Allen, Jefferson Davis, and Calcasieu. At the first Police Jury meeting, held at the home of Arsene LeBleu on March 24, 1840, the parish seat was located at Comas Bluff, later named Marion after the Revolutionary leader Francis Marion. At the same meeting, Michael Pithon, representative from Ward 3, was elected first president of the Police Jury.

In 1852 Jacob Ryan journeyed to New Orleans and received permission from the state government to move the parish seat wherever, whenever, and however he wished. That same year Ryan, along with Samuel Kirby, transferred the parish courthouse and jail to Lake Charles, which was at that time called Charleston.

By 1857, the small village of Charleston had shed its “backwoods atmosphere.” In 1859, Lake Charles was a thriving agricultural center, producing fruit, vegetables, and other agricultural goods. Since 1840 the population had gradually increased, and as one historian has put it, the “old settlers and newcomers were close in fellowship, united by the common objective of wresting a living from the various sources around them.” By 1860 Lake Charles had reached a population of 430. On March 7, 1861, Lake Charles was incorporated as the town of Charleston, Louisiana, although the name of the town appeared as “Lake Charles” in the Police Jury Minutes.

In 1852 and 1856, Calcasieu Parish went Democratic in the presidential election. On November 6, 1860, Lake Charles joined the rest of the parish in voting Democratic again. J. C. Breckenridge polled 396 votes, while Stephen A. Douglas polled none. John Bell of the Constitutional-Union party received the remaining twenty-four votes.

At the time of the Civil War no official actions were taken or official town records kept, in order to avoid capture by Union forces. The only governing body was the Police Jury, which administered authority and appointed Patrolman Charles Glasspool as the only town official for the duration of the war.

Charleston (“Lake Charles”) was not materially hindered by the Civil War, because it was too far west of the actual hostilities. Its people, however, were very active in the war effort, responding to the demand for both troops and supplies. The men of the community participated in five military organizations and later played a role in the 1862 campaigns. During the war, Yankee gunboats ventured up the Calcasieu River, but only once was there an actual engagement. In 1863 two federal gunboats, the Granite City and the Wave, were attacked and captured by Green’s Brigade in a brief battle at the mouth of the Calcasieu River. The two vessels were taken to Lake Charles, and the wounded were conveyed to Goosport where they recuperated at the home of Daniel Goos. Except for this incident and bombardment of the town, Civil War activities within Lake Charles were limited to caring for neglected families of volunteers, which was the concern of the committee headed by Joseph Sallier and William Holland.

With the conclusion of hostilities, Lake Charles again began to flourish. Not only was the town spared from the Civil War, but it was also for all practical purposes exempted from the fraud, violence, intimidation, and political unrest of Reconstruction. In June of 1866, George H. Wells, a native of Schenectady, New York, established his law practice in Lake Charles. At that time, Lake Charles had no newspaper, railroad, or telegraph line and relied on one small store with an inventory of less than $100.

After the war the leading mill owners of Lake Charles faced two problems. The first problem, that of a labor shortage, was partly solved by encouraging the settlement of people from abroad; William E. Krebs states, “in consequence this section now boasts (sic) a citizenry unsurpassed.” The shortage was further answered by the internal immigration of Civil War veterans, both Union and Confederate, who were searching for an area that had been practically untouched by the wrath of the war. Securing a regular and steady supply of logs was the second problem which confronted the mill owners. They solved it through specialized production and management techniques. After overcoming these difficulties, Lake Charles developed into a “sawmill focus,” due to its good location on the lake and the fact that Calcasieu Pass was made an official port of entry after the war.

Six years after Lake Charles was incorporated, dissatisfaction over the name of Charleston occurred. On March 16, 1867, Charleston, Louisiana, was incorporated into the town of Lake Charles. Under the terms of Louisiana Act 79, the Town Council was to consist of a mayor and five aldermen, to be elected the first Monday of June each year. For the following forty-five years the political development of Lake Charles was centered around the aldermanic form of government.

From 1866 to 1868, Lake Charles had improved more rapidly in general appearance than in the ten years before the war. By order of General R. C. Buckman, the first town election was held on June 17, 1868. For the first few years, the municipal primaries were almost void of political competition. On July 6, 1868, the first municipal officials took office; thus the political history of Lake Charles and Ward 3, as an individual political entity, had begun. At the first council meeting, which took place in the courthouse, the following men took their positions as aldermen: William H. Kirkman, B. R. Stoddard, William G. Kibbe, J. B. Kirkman, and Joseph S. Bilbo.

The first mayor of Lake Charles was John W. Bryan, who was born in Calcasieu on December 28, 1834. He had served with the Confederacy as a captain and had distinguished himself as a commander of a regiment during the siege of Vicksburg. He returned to Lake Charles in 1868, and thereafter, besides his official duties as mayor, taught school, ran a general merchandising store, sold real estate, and was the first editor of the Weekly Echo.

On July 25, 1868, Jacob Ryan was selected as the first treasurer of Lake Charles; John Spencer, town secretary; M. J. Rosteet, town collector; Pat Fitzgerald, town constable; and George H. Wells, town attorney. The first survey of Lake Charles was granted to J. S. Bilbo. The results of the Bilbo survey denoted the limits of Lake Charles as follows:

Being north on the east bank of Lake Charles, ten acres above the residence of Joseph L. Bilbo, thence southward along the bank of said lake to and including the lands of Michael Pithon, thence eastward on a line parallel with the south lines of lands of W. Hutchins and go as to include the residence of J. V. Moss, to the line which intersects the lands of V. Touchy and W. Hutchins, thence on a parallel line with said intersection an east and west line from the place of beginning, and comprising all property therein situated.

Paralleling the establishment of municipal politics was the organization of the Calcasieu Democratic Party in August of 1868. All members of the Town Council, with the exception of Mayor Byran, made a published plea to their fellow citizens to support the candidacy of Seymour and Blair. On August 29, 1868, a meeting was held in Lake Charles for the purpose of ratifying the Seymour-Blair ticket. It was further resolved that African slavery was dead and that Negro voters were entitled to full enjoyment of the right of person and property. J. V. Moss, president of the meeting, appointed Jacob Ryan, Daniel Goos, and Dr. W. J. Kibbe to organize a Democratic club in Ward 3. The parish Democratic executive club, which was the focal point of political activity, was dominated by Lake Charles citizens. In the presidential primaries of November, Lake Charles rejected the Republican Party’s eight-year domination of the Presidency by casting 244 votes for Seymour and only two for Grant.

By early 1867 Lake Charles was rapidly improving with new sidewalks, streets, buildings, and an increase in population, which by 1870 had reached approximately 700. The basic cause of growth was the increased lumber business after the war. The foundations of Lake Charles’ economic prosperity were laid between 1865 and 1876. By 1876 Lake Charles had twelve sawmills in addition to many logging companies, which provided a large income for the community. Almost parallel with its 1867 incorporation, Lake Charles entered into a new era, which Stewart A. Ferguson has labeled “an epoch of wood.”

Because of its industrial potential and attractive location, Lake Charles was infiltrated by northerners and midwesterners. This influx may possibly be the reason for the ethnic differences which still separate Lake Charles from the rest of Southwest Louisiana. By the 1870’s, the populace of Lake Charles was predominately midwestern instead of Louisiana French. According to H. G. Chalkley, prominent local businessman, Lake Charles is today a “strange combination of a Louisiana-French community with a Texas town.”

In 1869 the Town Council did very little; in fact, five years later the council unanimously passed a motion rejecting the accounts of J. W. Bryan for services rendered as mayor from the year 1869. The basic issues in the municipal campaign of that year were proper police protection and taxes. On the 6^th of June, the same officials were returned to office for a third term.

In 1870, the town of Lake Charles was yet in its infancy, the town’s government was nebulous, and civic improvements were lacking. By the mid-1870’s, the town was returning to the agricultural abundance that it had enjoyed before the war. Improvements were constantly being made, and by 1875 Lake Charles had regained its pre-war economic level. In an anonymous letter written to the editor of the Opelousas Courier and published July 31, 1875, the author described Lake Charles as a little village “rapidly growing in population, thanks to the different advantages which the country offers to immigrants” and as a town “having twelve or fourteen sawmills located in a circuit of less than ten miles,” a fact which did much to attract immigrants. The main branch of industry in the vicinity of the lake was, he said “the culture of oranges,” with some individuals owning extensive nurseries containing several thousand orange trees. By 1872 Lake Charles had a new courthouse, a telegraph line, and the prospect of daily rail connections with the commercial emporiums of Louisiana and Texas – a prospect which did not materialize until 1880.

As late as 1874, municipal primary elections lacked vigorous competition. For example, in the election of that year, members of the Council had to suggest to the citizens that an election be held. The Weekly Echo proposed that a meeting of local citizens be held to select candidates by ballots on the first Monday of June of that year; the result was the election of William Meyer, a local merchant, who was to dominate the mayoralty for the next fourteen years. In that same year two prominent Lake Charles citizens, William H. Kirkman and George H. Wells, became active in the campaign for State Senator. On June 20, Wells made an address in Opelousas. Because of his influence and distinguished position in Lake Charles political affairs at the time, Wells’ address may best reflect the political ideals of the Lake Charles citizenry in the mid-1870’s. A columnist for the Weekly Echo described Wells’ political convictions:

Though not a member of the White League, and confining himself strictly to his published political views, he left no doubt in the minds of anyone present that in his opinion, the policy of the Republican Party was to Africanize the Southern States. He paid a beautiful compliment to Col. DeBlanc, the hero of the “White Camellia” – the defender in past times of an abstract principle, which he vitalized in his own life and actions. Like the immortal charge of the six hundred at the Balaclava, Col. DeBlanc never paused to count the odds against him when duty led him on. He might suffer, he might die, but life and death alike must always be to him the interpreters of heroic and patriotic action.

Although Wells’ rare rhetorical faculty appealed to audiences, Kirkman led his three opponents and defeated Wells by a margin of 88 votes.

The first competitive municipal election in the history of Lake Charles was held June 7, 1875. Besides the regular Democratic ticket nominated at a public meeting on May 22, there were three independent candidates for alderman – B. Kowatz, Victor Touchy, and J. W. Bryan. The election returned the William Meyer ticket to office, with the exception of one independent candidate, J. W. Bryan, who captured the fifth alderman’s post.

After this competitive primary the Council became actively engaged in securing more improvements. In the previous year, the Town Council had examined the condition of streets, bridges, and sidewalks. Lake Charles sanitation improvements began early in 1875 when a committee was appointed by the Police Jury to inspect streets in reference to drainage and to report needs for improvement. During 1875 and 1876, the correspondence of city officials indicates increases in purchases of lumber and other materials for the purpose of city improvements. Later, in 1879, the Council recommended that the building of sidewalks would be too expensive and instead presented a plan for building a causeway across the marsh on Broad and Hodges Streets.

The municipal primary of 1876 generated more interest than had any previous campaign. Two full tickets were placed in contention, although both were headed by Mayor Meyer. In the 1872 Presidential primary, Lake Charles had joined the rest of the parish in supporting Horace Greeley, and in the disputed election of 1876, Lake Charles exercised its voting prerogative by casting 274 votes for Tilden and sixty-eight votes for Hayes. The enthusiasm of the municipal election of 1876 declined in 1877, when only fifty-five votes were cast in a single ticket primary, and Meyer was restored by a unanimous vote. The municipal primaries of 1878 and 1879 were uncontested, and William Meyer remained Mayor.

Although the political development of Lake Charles was limited during the 1870’s, the town by 1879 was discarding its village characteristics. Except for the panic year of 1873 and the log controversy with the federal government in 1878, the lumber industry during the decade of the seventies increased from 7,800,000 board feet of lumber produced in 1871 to 20,000,000 by 1880. In 1874 an opportunity for foreign lumber trade was opened by French capitalists who were impressed by the high quality of Calcasieu lumber. Subsequently, a movement was initiated to make Lake Charles an official port of entry, and the persistent lumber concerns in the area petitioned Congress to this effect.

The industrial period of the seventies was climaxed by the coming of the railroad in 1879. Before the railroad came, lumber schooners were the major motor transportation, especially between 1870 and 1880. On March 26, 1880, the Lake Charles Echo commented on the elation of the Lake Charles citizenry when it said: “Everyone feels like shouting! At ten o’clock this morning, the gap in the railroad between Lake Charles and Orange (Texas) was closed. Lake Charles is now connected with Houston and all parts of the world. It is almost too wonderful to be true.”

The establishment of the Louisiana Western railway system, on land provided by the City Fathers, “marked the first notable advance in the population and business of Lake Charles.” In 1880 the population was only 800, but by 1890 it had multiplied 400 per cent, reaching a total of 3,260. The period from 1880 to 1890 can be labeled as the “period of northern immigration.” During this period, settlers in great numbers from Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa entered Calcasieu Parish. This immigration strengthened the demographic trend toward a northern cultural climate. According to Miss Maude Reid, this northern influx was the decisive factor in the ethnic separation of Lake Charles from the rest of Southwest Louisiana, and prevented it from bearing the characteristic of a “Southern” town. The vanguard of this influx found a courteous citizenry and a progressive town where new buildings were constantly being erected. The Council of 1880 represented the mercantile, mechanical, and laboring interests of the population but was said “to argue (sic) well for the rest of the interest of Lake Charles.” However, the municipal election still remained a one-ticket affair. In the Presidential election of that year, Lake Charles remained Democratic, but a notable seventy votes were cast for Garfield. At the same time, despite a vigorous campaign by the United Friends of Temperance, organized in October of 1877, Lake Charles also rejected the prohibition amendment by a notable margin.

By the early 1880’s, Lake Charles began even more to feel the results of northern infiltration. The federal government made land available at $1.25 an acre, attracting eastern lumber capitalists. The main company which arrived in 1883, was the American Land and Timber Company. It purchased large amounts of land and began a systematic advertising campaign to attract new immigration and capital. This campaign was spearheaded by J. B. Watkins, an industrialist from Lawrence, Kansas, who through his efforts “caused Lake Charles to be the best advertised city in the Unites States,” and who was largely responsible for securing immigration to Calcasieu Parish. For example, he distributed thousands of pamphlets and circulars, advertising the advantages and resources of the area. In 1886 he spent $2,000 on one-cent postage stamps alone. Backed by English capital, Watkins purchased more than one and a half million acres of prairie and marsh land that lay between the Sabine River and White Lake. In 1884 Watkins hired his brother-in-law, Alexander Thomson, professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State College, to take charge of the engineering of this land purchase. Thomson persuaded Dr. Seaman A. Knapp, President of Iowa Agricultural College in Ames, Iowa, to join him. Knapp, a native of Schroon Lake, New York, accepted the position of investigating the agricultural prospects of the area and of helping to bring in settlers.

After the Civil War, Captain Goos and other leaders were among the first to realize that the problem of labor would have to be solved along new lines. The appeal of a new “Promised Land,” untouched by the confusion of Reconstruction, and the offer of gainful employment in the sawmills attracted many Negros during the 1870’s. But the greatest increase occurred in the 1880’s and 1890’s. This increase in immigration was partly caused by the establishment of commercial relations between Calcasieu and the West and Northwest, attracting many displaced common Negro laborers. The most important motivation, however, was a higher wage. Some Negroes were paid as much as $2.50 to $10.00 per day. Alex Holmes, a sawyer in the Bel Mill for forty-four years, received $8.00 per day for his services. Although the Negro enjoyed suffrage in Lake Charles and was invited to all political rallies, he did not become significant as a voting bloc until later.

Even before the arrival of Watkins in 1883, Lake Charles was a booming town though still small. The political vigor for municipal elections remained dormant until 1883 when a competitive election was held. Two tickets were placed in contention, the first headed by G. A. Fournet and the second headed by Mayor William Meyer. Meyer was re-elected. The spirited campaign came in 1884. During this period, Lake Charles had many saloons and “houses of public entertainment” which attracted countless undesirables. Consequently, the main issue of the campaign was – as the Echo put it – that of protecting the population against “the scores of revelers who make night hideous with their howls, jeers and firearms.”

In 1888 a broader interest began to develop in municipal elections. The citizenry was concerned over better leadership, sanitation problems, and drainage facilities, which would make the town less susceptible to disease. In that election, two tickets were placed before the public – the Democratic ticket topped by Jacob Ryan, and A. L. Reid’s ticket, which was elected by a margin of sixty-four votes. This was the first time that a Democratic ticket was defeated in a Municipal primary. In the Presidential election of 1884, Lake Charles had gone solidly Democratic. There was, however, a distinct trend toward division in the 1888 Presidential primary, following the party division in the municipal election. Cleveland carried Ward 3, but there was a notable indication of Republican leanings. In the 1889 election, the Democratic Party did not present a ticket. The People’s ticket, headed by S. O. Shattuck, was placed in opposition to Reid’s Citizen’s ticket and won the election by eleven votes.

The City Council elected in 1889 contrasted sharply from earlier councils in its awareness of responsibility to the community. Soon after the new council’s election, it was challenged by the Lake Charles Echo to take positive action:

Now, that our newly elected council have (sic) been installed, and the wheels of municipal government freshly greased for another year’s run, it is all important that right at the inception of their administration, they should determine upon some intelligent, progressive policy which will be of material and per inent (sic) benefit to the town. In the neighborhood of $10,000 of annual revenue will be under their control. It is true that all this may be easily frittered away for garbage hauling, dog killing, street repairing, etc. But if our city fathers will resolve upon systematic improvement a portion of this, say $2500, may be set aside for some particular purpose. For example, let them resolve to dig a deep drainage canal from the lake at a central portion of town back to the entrance edge of the settled part, so as to drain into the lake. Let this ditch be planked on bottom and sides, and if necessary on top. Twenty-five hundred dollars will do it. All the central portion of town being drained into this canal by cross ditches, will become much more healthy, and the lots more desirable… It is only necessary to say, the world was not made in a day-your time next. If this be done a permanent drainage will become an issue in our next town election, and those who will have furnished proof of their willingness and ability to utilize town funds for the benefit of the town will have the inside track for election. Five years in such a course will without a dollar of extra tax, make Lakes Charles one of the best drained towns in the South, and will retain her reputation as one of the healthiest. As drainage becomes more perfect, street cleaning will grow cheaper. Drainage, water, protection from fire and the lake front improvement are the most needed improvements for Lake Charles to-day.

Another evidence of the growing community’s increased political awareness was the new revisions to the town charter introduced in 1889, which were designed to deal with municipal rather than rural administration.

The railroad attracted many new sawmills during the 1880’s. In late February of 1889, a meeting was held in Lake Charles concerning the prospect of the Kansas City, Watkins, and Gulf Railroad. In the latter part of June, work began on the second railroad, which was described by the Echo as being “vital to the prosperity of our embryo city.” The most notable advance in the later part of the 1880’s was the appointment of a Deputy Collector of Customs at Calcasieu Pass. This event, desired by the citizenry since the mid 1870’s, caused Lake Charles to become a prosperous port town. The establishment of a second railroad to the port and the maturing issue concerning the dredging and deepening of the Lake Charles channel caused a new exuberance in municipal and political affairs.

The agrarian economy, which had been the principal attraction of early immigration, had undergone a transformation resulting from heavy Northern immigration in the 1880’s. The outlook for the future was promising, as indicated in a letter written in 1889 by the Rev. C. A. King, who had arrived in Lake Charles that year. In this letter, addressed to his son George, King discussed the prospects of an inland harbor for Southwest Louisiana, suggesting that Lake Charles was the only feasible spot for this harbor. “We are,” he wrote, “sure to have deep water and that will make Lake Charles the future great city of Southwest Louisiana.”

Catherine Cole, staff correspondent for the New Orleans Times Picayune, viewed Lake Charles’ potential as a “small point of vantage between New Orleans and the far West,” and saw it as the great lumbering town of the state and of the South. Thus, in many ways, 1889 was a turning point in the history of Lake Charles. Sallier’s settlement and the small isolated village with one store that George H. Well encountered in 1866 had expanded to a nascent city with ten sawmills, three shingle mills, an ice factory, a rice mill, two banks, and a large opera house. As Lake Charles entered the final decade of the nineteenth century, her economic potential was excellent, and her political activity was rapidly maturing.

The writers are deeply indebted to Miss Maude Reid and Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Woodring, who supplied much of the material contained in this chapter.

In 1867, Lake Charles was but a small community, one of the last frontiers to be settled in the state. The most populous sections were the two streets on either side of the court house. One of these was called North Court (now West Kirby); the other, South Court (a continuation of the present Iris Street), which ran along the south lawn of the court house.

The streets ran at right angles from Ryan Street, which was then called Canal Street, an appropriate name, for after a heavy rain the thoroughfare resembled a wide canal, almost impassable to anyone on foot. Canal Street was named for the main thoroughfare of New Orleans, referred to as The City by Lake Charles citizens, who emulated names and customs of the Crescent City.

On South Court were several pioneer homes including the Daniel Leveques and the Bryant Hutchins; the law office of George Wells; the printing shop of the Lake Charles Echo, the town’s only newspaper; the dance hall of J. LeFranc; and the William Hutchins Store, whose entire contents were worth less than a hundred dollars. On North Court Street on the lake-front facing the court house were the Farque Saloon and Madame Corse’s tavern. Homes were scattered here and there along the lakefront, along Canal Street, and at intervals on the edge of the “great prairie” south and east of town.

From the very beginning of settlement, the early pioneers, hardworking and industrious people, joined together to help one another in the necessary tasks of everyday living. If there was a road to be laid out or a cabin to be constructed, all the men gathered to help with the work. They banded together for cemetery workings, logrolling, chimney daubing, and other tasks of pioneer living.

While the men worked, the women prepared jambalaya (a typical Creole dish of rice and meat or fish cooked in a big black iron pot), chicken pot pies, wild turkey, corn pone, beef dumplings, fresh port, sweet potato pies, gumbo, and gallons of strong black coffee.

Food was plentiful. The streams abounded with fish; the woods and prairie bountifully provided prairie chicken, wild turkey, game birds of all description, deer, razorback hogs, and even bear. Wild cattle, grazing on knee-deep rich grass, provided all the beef needed. The plentiful and accessible food made the gathering’s of the early pioneer families a pleasant and enjoyable pastime. During these days, a “pleasure,” such as a meal of fine food, a dance, or a social gathering, followed the group efforts.

This was the era when women engaged in quilting bees, while sipping sassafras tea and discussing the town gossip. And these were the years when women combined their work with recreation. While they worked, they visited, exchanging ideas about cooking, sewing, and other domestic tasks. The weekly wash became a social gathering among neighboring pioneer women. They usually selected a certain day of the week to go down to the lake to wash the family clothing. At a small wooden platform built over the water two, three, or more women gathered, dipped the clothes in and out of the water after soaping them freely with strong homemade lye soap, and beat and smoothed them with a battler (a wooden object, flat on one side and rounded on the other used for this purpose). Then they dried the clothes on the platform.

During these early years of settlement, a strong social consciousness existed among the people and in the community. There was little medical care, much sickness and many deaths. Often, parents died leaving young children with no one to care for them. The children became wards of the Police Jury, which paid individual families about ten dollars a month per child to rear the orphans. Since there were no organized charity groups, the poor and needy received food, clothing and medicine from individual citizens as well as the Police Jury, which did a great deal of welfare work in the community.

The simple way of life existing in the 1860’s and early 1870’s was the result of the social life centering mainly around the house and family. The houses of the early settlers were small, unpainted, and crudely built. But there was always room for visiting friends who might stop by to “pass the evening.”

In 1867 houses were being built of “wide boards” or clapboard, held together with wooden pegs. Often the original house had only one or two rooms. Gradually, as the needs of the family increased, more rooms were added. The kitchen was connected to the other part of the house by a hall or simply a “lean-to.” The master bedroom usually had an immense fireplace which kept the house warm during the winter months. Many of the houses had a main living room used for all social occasions, including weddings and christenings. Funerals were held in this room also.

The early settlers loved to dance, and on Saturday evenings Fais-do-dos were often held in the LaFranc house on South Court Street. Every member of the family, from baby to grandmother, turned out for the dance, which lasted until dawn on Sunday.

At midnight, a large bowl of gumbo, either chicken, duck, shrimp or turkey, was always served. Following this delectable dish—for everyone loved the homemade gumbo-the dancers would “dance on til dawn.” Since there was no means of notifying the people of the gathering, except by word of mouth, a man on horseback would ride through the streets, ringing a bell and crying, “Ball tonight, ball tonight!”

According to Grace Ulmer in her study, Economic and Social Development of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, 1840-1912, burning fat-pine knots furnished the light for these dancers, and fiddlers furnished the music. Whether or not these men had ever played with one another before mattered little, the all-important question being to get music, plenty of it, and a man with endurance.

Dancing started sometime before sunset and was certain to last until sunrise. Contra dances, cotillions, waltzes, and cross-the-corner reels swept steadily on to the music of “Turkey-in-the-Straw,” “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” “The Old Gray Horse Came Tearing Through The Wilderness,” “Dinah,” and “Get Along Liza Jane.”

The prompter of the dance was a local man. The dancers depended on him to set the swift movements of the dance as well as to see that the fire did not get low. One can fancy hearing him calling, “Swing your corners, now your partners, promenade around and put on another piece of pine!” One of the most popular callers of the times was S. O. Shattuck.

In these early days, there were no real social class distinctions. Both barn dances and musicals at which classical music was played and sung were types of entertainment enjoyed by all the citizens. The square dance, Schottische, and Quadrille were the acceptable dances of the day. The round dance, waltz, or any other dance which brought a couple close together was permissible only for a married couple, an engaged couple, or a lady dancing with her father or brother. For this was the Victorian era, and everything - dress, customs, the whole way of life - reflected this “prudish age” as it has been called.

One would think from accounts that the fair folk in this community were a little vague in their dance steps, because in 1877 a dancing school was organized by Professors McClelland and LeBleu. The classes were held in O’Brien’s hall and instruction was given in all waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, schottishes, Spanish dances, cotillions, quadrilles, and fancy dances. The classes met on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

In the 1870’s, when parlor theatricals were popular, a group of friends banded together, calling themselves The Magnolia Dramatic Society. The plays they produced were of a very high moral tone, with lesson teaching their intent. Some notables were The Drunkard and Ten Nights In A Barroom. Their stage, appropriately, was upstairs in the old court house.

During the early seventies, the old Fricke Opera House, the first of its kind in Lake Charles, was quite the place for all types of entertainment. In this opera house, located in the 700 block of Ryan Street, theatrical events were held, as well as weddings, dances, ice-cream parties, and receptions.

Captain Daniel Goos, one of the first settlers in the community, and Mrs. Goos and their fifteen children are fondly remembered by many for their warm hospitality and the numerous social events given in their home in Goosport. The large Goos home or mansion, for so it seemed to the guests, had a third floor which was often referred to as the “ballroom.” Here, dances, weddings, receptions, musicals, and parties were given.

One of the most elaborate affairs held there was the wedding of Della Goos, one of the daughters, and John Albert Bel on December 17, 1879. For this wedding and reception which followed, Captain Goos chartered a boat, Pearl Rivers, from Orange, Texas, to take guests from Lake Charles to Goosport. Over two hundred people from the town attended the affair, during which champagne, wines, and decorated cakes made in Galveston, were served. The guests, after dancing all night, returned to Lake Charles in early morning on the chartered boat.

During the early 1880’s, after Fricke moved away, the Williams Opera House, located in the 900 block of Ryan Street, opened. Dances, theatrical, and local affairs took place there. A gazebo that stood on the lakefront at the foot of Pujo Street was the site for weekly band concerts presented by the Eureka Brass Band, first of its kind in the town.

The 1880’s was the beginning of a period of dramatic activity that lasted fifty years of more - truly a golden age of the theater, an age which saw all the great actors of their day on tour about the country. Coming down from New York, through Washington and the South to New Orleans, there they played in the old Tulane Theater. Closing on Saturday night, they traveled west toward Houston. Because of a Texas blue law that no theatrical performances could be held in Texas on Sunday, Lake Charles became the stopgap between New Orleans and Houston. Thus, Sunday became theater night in Lake Charles.

The array of stars who appeared in the old Williams Opera House is staggering. Such names as James O’Neill, father of the playwright Eugene, and a matinee idol of his day, was one of the many. Madame Mojeska, the great Polish actress of the day, played in MacBeth, and Joseph Jefferson thrilled audiences with his Rip Van Winkle. The Barrymores and the Drews all came to Lake Charles. The men of the town always greeted Lillian Russell when she arrived.

On of the favorite entertainments was the melodrama. How the audience thrilled to such dramas as East Lynne and Bride of the Tomb. According to Miss Reid, as far as the theater was concerned, Lake Charles had everything New York had!

During these years of the eighties and nineties, a more highly organized social life existed. Prior to that time, there were no distinct social classes; but as the influx of people from the Mid-West came, a gradual change was noted in the social life of the community. People began to mix less and to separate into small social groups.

Ladies of this era had begun to have card parties and other types of social affairs, many of which were very formal. The card game of the day was euchre.

In this Victorian era a lady had calling cards on which were painted her name and in the upper left had corner, the day of the week the lady would be at home for “calling.” Since there were no telephones in private homes, this card was the main way the ladies knew the proper time when they could call on one another. The calling was done in the afternoon, and refreshments of tea and cakes were served. In summer, lemonade was often substituted for tea.

In 1884 when the first two telephones arrived here, they created a great deal of excitement and interest among the people. One was installed as a pay phone in the drugstore owned by William Meyer on the southwest corner of Pujo and Ryan. The other one was in the A. Rigmaiden Store at the Railroad Depot. The new instruments that seemed to talk were only to be used for the dissemination of intelligent conversation, the price, ten cents for five minutes.

Once a month a group of men and women presented musicales in the upper floor of the building owned by Gueble and Jolet, which stood at the foot of Pujo Street on the lakefront. The building housed a market on the first floor and on the second floor, a huge hall used by the community for various functions.

During summertime in the late eighties, a Sunday ride for the family, weather permitting, was a ritual. Family buggies and carriages were frequently seen rolling along the lakefront to Walnut Grove (now the Lake Charles Docks). Here, beneath the huge walnut trees, entwined with muscadine vines, families picnicked, socialized with one another, and enjoyed the beauty of the surrounding scenery. And the children engaged in their greatest pleasure, swinging on the muscadine vines.

On Sundays the young men of the town often rented a horse and buggy from either Edgar Ryan (900 block of Bilbo Street) or the Edgar George (600 block of Ryan Street) Livery Stable and took their best girls for a ride to Walnut Grove. Many times they stopped for a walk down Lover’s Lane, the old footbridge crossing Pithon Coulee near the lake. The bridge, overhung with moss-laden cypress trees, was a favorite walk for young swains. Carved in the huge trees and on the wooden bridge railing were interlocked hearts, lovers’ initials, and such amorous expressions as “I love you.”

Often, young unmarrieds took a boat ride up and down the popular coulee. It has been described as perfectly beautiful, lined with century-old cypress trees, wild blue Louisiana iris, water hyacinths, and other flowers native to the area.

The lake was not used as much for recreation then as it is now, because of the many lumber mills built around it and because people had only small pleasure boats. But many enjoyable hours were spent rowing up and down the coulees and the bayous of the town.

In the late 1870’s people began building larger houses and during the 1880’s and 1890’s, townhouses ranged from three-story “mansions,” as they were called, to one-story cottages. All, large or small, were constructed of wood and had galleries or porches. Interiors were planned for comfort and convenience. Many had shutters on the windows, which were closed during the heat of the day in the summer and opened in the late afternoon to derive the benefit of the evening breezes. As families became more prosperous, architectural decorations, such as carved railings, shutters, and square wooden columns were added, and houses were painted.

It was after George Ryan, son of Jacob Ryan, painted his house during the 1870’s that people began to consider using either a white paint or whitewash on their houses. The “new look” of the George Ryan house, located in the 700 block of Ryan Street, created a great deal of excitement among the townspeople who often passed by to see it. Gradually, more and more houses acquired this new look.

Most white families in the eighties and nineties had Negro servants. The Negro family - mother, father, and children - often lived in a house behind the white family’s home. The woman served as the cook for the white family; the man cared for the live-stock and the garden; and the children grew up as the other children of the era. The servants were paid a very modest fee but their food and housing were often furnished by the white family. Following childbirth, the young white mother had a Negro nurse, who stayed on to care for the baby through infancy and early childhood.

The following account given by Miss Reid pictures a typical day in Lake Charles in the early eighties:

The day began very early for the family. The servants awakened us children and our parents as early as 5 or 5:30 A.M. by bringing “café au lait” (coffee with hot milk) to the bedrooms.

One could always tell it was time to get up by the mill whistles which rang loud and clear each morning around 5 A.M. Each mill’s whistle had a different sound, and we children enjoyed guessing which whistle belonged to which mill. Breakfast was served at 7:30 A.M. and what a hearty one it was! The whole family arrived at the breakfast table at the same time, ready and eager for fried ham, grits, eggs, hot biscuits, jellies, jam and red-eye gravy (ham gravy). After breakfast, the children, lunch in hand, were off to school. There were no school cafeterias, of course, so the children carried a lunch of sandwiches - roast beef, ham, chicken, cheese - and an apple, orange, or banana.

During the morning the lady of the house supervised the cleaning, if there were servants; if not, she attended to the housework herself. The laundry was done at home, if there were servants; if not, the clothes were taken to the lake and washed.

The dinner, or main meal, was served at noon. A typical meal began with home-made soup served out of a large tureen, followed by the meat course (roast, chicken, or ham), vegetables, and rice. Following the noon meal, the lady of the house rested for at least half an hour.

For supper, hash was made out of the soup meat. With this was served biscuits, preserves, and milk supplied by the family cow. A large pitcher of milk was an important part of each meal. The cow, along with the horse and buggy were kept in the stable yard behind the house.

The lady of the house shopped approximately three times a week. She purchased meat at one of the meat markets in town, one of which was Reims Market, located in the 600 block of Ryan Street. Fresh vegetables she purchased from a vendor, who each day passed the house in a wagon filled with home-grown garden vegetables. The women knew he was coming when they heard the ringing of his bell. Potatoes, onions, flour, grain, and other household staples they bought at one of the grocery stores, among which was the Palace located in the 800 block of Ryan Street.

The women or the servants walked to store and carried the groceries home. Often the grocer sent a man around to the different houses, where he picked up the grocery lists, returned to the store, filled the orders, and delivered the desired items to the individual households.

The dining table, always covered with a cloth, usually held a large condiment set as its centerpiece. Each member of the family had his or her own napkin ring and always a linen napkin.

The clothing before the turn of the century also reflected the Victorian era. Ladies’ dresses were floor length, tight fitting in the front, and caught and usually heavily pleated over a bustle in the back. Often the party dresses had tight-fitting jackets, elaborately trimmed. And the hats were elegant.

Ladies purchased their clothes from dress-makers and their hats from milliners; some made their own clothes, of course. In addition to a handmade trousseau, every bride-to-be had a hope chest filled with beautiful linens, bedspreads, quilts, and bureau scarves - all made by hand.

A well-known dressmaker and milliner in the 1880’s was Madame Dreyfous, who had a shop in the 800 block of Bilbo Street. She being an artist, many of the ladies patronized her only. The first store to sell women’s clothes was opened in 1882 by Mrs. Julia Muller and was located in the 700 block of Ryan Street.

The ladies wore very modest clothes to church and during the day. They wore dark weaved clothes in the winter and light-colored ones in the summer. They wore hats made to match their dresses; often these hats were elaborately decorated with plumes or flowers.

Many ladies wore wrappers in the morning. These were long dresses, all in one piece and buttoned down the front. They were as plain or as elaborate as the lady desired. In the afternoon the ladies wore gingham, calico or “blue guinea” dresses. All the little girls had aprons, some handsomely decorated, that were worn over their dresses.

For many years a man’s apparel included a Prince Albert, which was a long-tail double-breasted coat. This coat he wore only on special dress occasions.

For a number of years the widows of the community observed a very distinct mourning period originating from a French-Creole custom. For one year after her husband’s death the bereaved widow wore and outfit called widow’s weeds. It consisted of a long black veil hung from a small black hat, a black dress, black stockings and shoes. She retired from all social life during this period.

During the second year of mourning, she wore lavender and other pastel colors. At this time she began to go out more often in public. However, she only attended women’s club meetings, church, and simple social activities. She attended no dances, or balls. If, in a few years, the widow remarried, she and her husband might have been the recipients of a shivaree, a common French-Creole custom prior to the turn of the century. When a window or widower remarried, their friends stood outside the newlywed’s house, blowing on tin horns and beating on pans and kettles to make discordant noises. They continued this serenade until the newly-married couple invited them in for refreshments of wine and cake.

It is interesting to note how the people were notified of a death during this era. Small black-bordered printed obituary notices tacked on trees, fences, posts, and poles all around the town served as invitations to the funeral. Since communications were limited (there were only a few telephones and only one weekly newspaper), the obituary notice offered the best means for letting people know who had died and when and where the funeral would be.

Among the other customs of the day was the Roman Catholic celebration on All Saints’ Day. Following Mass, at which everyone was given a candle, the Catholics walked in procession to the cemetery on Common and Iris Streets. There was lighted the candles and placed one on each grave, where it continued to burn throughout the day and night.

During this era church congregations gave pound parties to which people brought pounds of staples to be used by the minister and his family to supplement the minister’s meager salary. Among other church socials given were oyster suppers, balloon ascensions, band concerts, and barn dances. It was also a common practice for the ladies-aid societies to give necktie parties. Before the party, the young ladies would decide what dress they were going to wear and then they would make a necktie of the same material. When they reached the party, they put all the neckties in large boxes. Then the gentlemen at the party bought these boxes. Each gentleman’s partner for the evening was the girl who wore the dress to match the tie the gentleman had purchased sight unseen.

One entertainment which netted seventy-four dollars for the Episcopalians was a moonlight excursion on the steamer-ferry, Hazel. A party of one hundred twenty-five persons from Lake Charles, Lockport, and Westlake enjoyed this outing. When the Hazel arrived at Lockport, the party was ushered to a scene of merrymaking - a pretty grove lighted with Japanese lanterns and set with tables and chairs that lured the thirsty on. At these tables the gay and happy throng enjoyed the cakes, ices, and drinks dispensed among them by “sweet sixteens” dressed in virgin white. After having these refreshments the party proceeded to a spacious hall nearby. Here they defied the intense heat as they danced to the music furnished by a string band till the musical whistle of the Hazel warned them at 1:00 A.M. that the hour of departure was at hand.

Another attractive party was the grand pink lawn party featuring a strawberry and ice cream festival given May 1, 1889, at the home of Mrs. J. E. Loxley. Grace Ulmer described this party thusly:

The evening was beautiful and cool enough to be pleasant. At an early hour the magnificent mansion of Mrs. Loxley and the beautiful grounds surrounding it were lighted with Japanese lanterns, making it a most attractive place. The interior of the house was lavishly decorated with roses and pink ornaments and the souvenir room looked for all the world as if the fairies had been there and decorated it.

Miss Gussie Goodlett was the presiding priestess and dispenser of things. There was music for the grown-ups in the parlor and games for the children outdoors. Old and young participated. Strawberry ice cream, cakes and sugar plums were served. Between ten and eleven o’clock a fire alarm was sounded which dispersed the crowd enjoying refreshments.

An annual community affair was the May Day celebration held at Perkins Grove, known as Margaret Place today. Much frivolity prevailed at this festivity. Early records show that one May Day celebration held was a water fete. All people having sail boats or skiffs were invited to participate. Following the water event, a soiree was held at the home of Jacob Ryan. No special arrangements were made for the music, but as usual in those days, anyone playing an instrument, was invited to bring it and take part in the music.

After the incorporation of the city of Lake Charles in 1867, a feeling of community spirit existed among the people and brought about the formation of many organizations. Perhaps the most prominent such organization in Lake Charles before the turn of the century was that of the Fire Department. It was considered quite an honor to belong, and regular dues had to be met.

The first volunteer fire department was organized in 1897, and the first fire ordinance passed March 3 of that year. It was also very much of a social organization. On one occasion the Fire Department gave a grand ball at the Temperance Hall; its entertainment committee made extensive preparations for this affair.

Each year on March 4 a Fireman’s Day Parade was held. It being quite an event, the whole town turned out for it. During these days a large bell located in the City Hall sounded when there was a fire. This alarm was the signal for the men of the town to turn out “dressed as they were” to fight the fire.

The first Mardi Gras group was organized February 21, 1882. The Royal Knights of Revelry, as the group was called, serenaded the young ladies to be invited to the ball and handed them an invitation on which was written the name of their escort.

The Masons, having been active since 1859, had erected their first temple in 1869 at its present site. The building had become a center for community activities and served as a meeting place for different groups during the week. Various religious denominations were allowed to use the building for Sunday services. The first Masonic Temple was used to house the first public school in Lake Charles. It was conducted by John McNeese.

Horse racing being then a popular sport among the men, a number of lumbermen formed the Hoo-Hoo Racing Club. The race track was located east on Broad Street about two and one-half miles from the center of town.

Another organization of great importance to the gentlemen of the town was the Rod and Gun Club which awarded prizes to the best marksman. It held meetings to discuss the best guns, the best fishing and other subjects of similar nature so important to the men.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was another active organization in the nineties. Mr. A. M. Mayo was the first president of the society officially formed in 1890. The group reported abuses of children to the Police Jury, which placed these children with other families or called on the proper law authorities to handle the situation.

Among some of the earliest women’s clubs organized in Lake Charles and still in existence today are the Review Club and the Enterprise Club. The Review Club, formed as a study club on January 14, 1893, is the oldest women’s study club in the town and the oldest existing study club in the Louisiana Federation.

The Enterprise Club was organized as the first civic women’s club on November 23, 1898. Among the early projects of this club was the beautification of Orange Grove Cemetery (now Graceland) and the placement of a water trough for horses at the court house square. In 1901 the Enterprise ladies were made custodians of seven and one-half acres on South Ryan Street for a park (now Drew Park). The Enterprise Club is the only club in the State that has the honor of having a street named for it.

The story of life in this frontier during the period from 1867 until the turn of the century comes to a close as the 1900’s emerge, bringing a new era and a new way of living in the community.

More and more people continued to settle in the town, claiming a population of 6,680 in 1900. At this time Lake Charles had one home for orphans, the Baptist Orphanage, located on the corner of Bank and Seventh Streets where Landry Memorial High School stands today. The orphanage cared for both boys and girls and was in full operation at the turn of the century.

A more formal and sophisticated way of life began developing the 1900’s. Such social activities as teas, garden parties, and dances reflected this trend of sophistication. Sunday dinner at the Rigmaiden Hotel (800 block of Ryan) was a pleasant occasion for the family. Numerous social affairs were held at the new downtown hotel, the Majestic, built on Pujo Street in 1904 by a group of businessmen at a cost of $60,000. This hotel became noted throughout Southwest Louisiana for its delicious food, wonderful entertainment, and warm hospitality. Many can remember the Majestic’s long wide veranda and the inviting easy chairs near the white columns of this veranda. For entertainment, visitors staying there enjoyed a night at the Arcade, the new theater in town.

Lake Charles theater-goers, accustomed to the best in show business, felt deprived when the old Williams Opera House became dilapidated, was condemned as unsafe, and closed in the early 1900’s. Thus, one can image the enthusiasm among these people when J. L. White announced in 1910 that he had acquired a lease from the late Mathilde Miller for the purpose of erecting a new theater to be called the Arcade in the 800 block of Ryan Street. Over one hundred firms and individuals contributed in amounts from ten dollars to four hundred and fifty dollars to help make this theater possible. The people of Lake Charles took a personal interest in this building project, following every aspect of its progress closely from the laying of the foundation to the smoothing of the plaster.

On opening night, September 26, 1910, though work had been rushed so that the theater would be ready to open on schedule, only three of the eight boxes were completed and much of the carpet was not down. Notwithstanding, on this opening night amid great excitement Sidney Drew appeared in the comedy Billy.

Next day the Lake Charles American Press carried these headlines: “Opening of the New Arcade was Brilliant Social Event” and went on to say “the pretty women in evening and dressy gowns made the scene quite festive, giving a decided metropolitan air to the event.”

Ladies’ fashions at this time were influenced by the Gibson Girl. Clothing, hair styles, and habits reflecting this new mode were copied by the women in Lake Charles. Influenced by Charles Dana Gibson, ladies throughout the world began swimming, playing tennis, riding horseback (side saddle), and bicycling. Women wore their hair soft and swept into a dainty chignon. This was the age of the slim waist and low cut bodice. As it was the fashion for the women to look natural, the ladies wore no lipstick or finger-nail polish.

Horse and buggies were still the mode of transportation. But automobiles did appear on the scene in Lake Charles around 1910. Cars, today considered an everyday necessity, were a much-desired luxury to the people in the 1900’s. The leading makes at the time were Overland, Buick, Ford, Oldsmobile, Stanley Steamer, and the Locomobile. To be taken for a ride in one of these new machines was a most exciting experience.

There were very few cars here at the time, not so much because of the cost, but because it was impossible to drive them on the muddy streets in and around town. However, even though Lake Charles still had dirt streets and was not quite ready for the rapid advances of science, there was an airplane meet here in 1911. It was the first of its kind in this section of the country, and it was believed by the peo0ple that it would not be long before the airplane would become an important factor in transportation.

During this time, deluxe railroad accommodations on the Southern Pacific were available from Lake Charles to New Orleans. Travelers and shoppers who boarded the Pullman car in the evening retired. Next morning they were in The City.

Water travel, however, was still the most accessible means of transportation in the area. One of the favorite pastimes was to board the old stern-wheel steamer, the Borealis Rex, in Lake Charles, ride to Big Lake, and spend the weekend there visiting the families who owned summer homes.

Big Lake was a favorite resort at the time, boasting a hotel, a restaurant and two dance halls. One of these dance halls was at the end of the long pier where the Borealis Rex docked. Owned by Captain A. B. McCain, the Rex, delivering passengers, mail, and freight between Lake Charles and Cameron, steamed up and down the Calcasieu River until sunk by the 1918 hurricane.

Aside from these pleasure excursions and other social events, in 1919 a group of ladies found time to organize the Merry Matrons Embroidery Club, a social handwork club, still in existence today. The popular men’s club of the day was the Elks Club, located where the Association of Commerce building presently stands on Broad Street. The Royal Orchestra, a local Negro band, played for many dances held there. Older men gathered at the club to play cards and dominoes, while younger members took boxing instructions in the club’s gymnasium.

Prior to World War I, Gordon Michie and his wife, known to everyone as Miss Emma, moved to Lake Charles to manage the Majestic Hotel. Under their management the hotel continued to be the center of social events. Dance-club affairs and subscription dances, always well chaperoned, were frequently given in the hotel’s large ballroom. Groups of young men reserved this room, hired an orchestra, and sold tickets to a selected group of young married couples and bachelors. By this method the bill for the dance was paid. Dances always started with the “Grand March,” and they were usually program dances. According to the custom a lady danced the first, last, and every fourth number with her escort; she was free to dance the other numbers with some other gentleman.

No decorations were needed for dances held at the Majestic, for it was decorated at all times to suit the changing seasons. Adorning the ballroom, one of the most spacious to be found in the Southwest, were a curly-birch paneled wainscoting and stately Grecian columns.

To the Arcade came the best of vaudeville during these years. A favorite of the men was the Al G. Fields minstrels, which performed every year.

Ladies, prior to World War I, wore ankle-length dresses and laced or high-button shoes. Skirts had become shorter in order that they clear the pedals on bicycles and in automobiles. Men wore stiff straw hats and high stiff button-on collars.

This era, before the war, was one of easy and carefree living. There was very little poverty and much friendliness existed among neighbors.

The citizens turned out in large numbers for the unveiling of the Confederate Memorial Monument on the lawn of the court house, June 3, 1915. The United Daughters of the Confederacy, chartered in 1889, had charge of the dedicatory ceremonies.

With the war, came another influx of new people from all over the country, affecting the social way of life in the community. Lake Charles became the home of the Gerstner Air Field, (completely demolished in 1918 by the hurricane), the first government-owned field of this type in the world. Officers from France, England, and other countries were sent here to learn to fly. The many soldiers stationed at the field, located southeast of the town, received a warm welcome by the community. The citizens extended much hospitality to these young men. One place of entertainment at the time was the Lake Charles Country Club, which moved in 1918 from a location at Prien Lake to its present site on the lake.

Then came prohibition, and ladies began to drink alcoholic beverages, a thing unheard of in the past. Morals had declined all over the country, and Lake Charles was no exception. The 1920’s was the reign of the flapper with her short skirts, fringed dresses, cloche hats and feathered boas. She bobbed her hair to the dismay of the men. A gentleman was heard to say, “A woman who would bob her hair would do anything.”

At night men still wore white ties, full dress suits, and dinner jackets; and ladies still wore long dresses. But the chaperone was less in evidence at social functions. Women now had more freedom.

At the Arcade Theater, John Phillip Sousa moved audiences with his stirring marches. Dustin Farnum brought The Virginian to life. Rudolph Ganz conducted the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1922. Blossom Time came in 1924. The great Ruth St. Denis and her husband Ted Shawn brought their flashing American, Indian, and Oriental dancers here; and the unconventional Isadora Duncan mesmerized dance lovers with her “free” aesthetic style. Fritzi Scheff sang “Kiss Me Again”; Margaret Anglin played in La Giaconda; and Ethel Barrymore in The Love Duel. A parade of fine silent movies, among them The Birth of a Nation, played there, also.

With the twenties came an increased interest among the people in the social problems and conditions that existed in the town. Community-minded men and women volunteered their services to the Civilian Relief organization, a part of the American Red Cross, which provided the needy and the impoverished with clothes, food, and medicine. Even after organized charity agencies and groups existed here, the Civilian Relief continued to offer care for emergency cases until taken over by some other group. In 1920 under the supervision of the Red Cross, the first public health nurse opened an office in Lake Charles. She was no other than our own Miss Maude Reid. A year later the public health nurse became a part of the Lake Charles City School system, which still offers this medical service.

During the twenties the community began to become more and more aware of the social problems that existed and the need to help the poor, the retarded, the homeless, the ignorant, and the aged. Since 1920 numerous charitable and welfare organizations have arisen in the community. These, plus the state and government welfare programs, have helped to alleviate many of the social problems in the community.

During the three years 1920, 1921, and 1927, the Philadelphia Athletics held their spring training in Lake Charles. The team, its manager “Connie Mack,” and baseball stars such as “Babe” Ruth enjoyed the hospitality of the Majestic Hotel.

The official opening of the Port of Lake Charles in November of 1926 created a great deal of interest in the area. Shipping had actually started the previous April, when the Sewanee Point [Sewall’s], the first ship to enter the port, tied up at the docks. This was an exciting event for a group of Lake Charles citizens who had driven to Port Arthur, where they boarded the Sewanee Point and made the trip to Lake Charles, thus being passengers on the first ship to enter the Port.

During these years, auction bridge card parties were a very popular form of entertaining among the ladies. Card groups met once a week, usually in the afternoon. Refreshments, served in mid-afternoon, were more like luncheons. Many of these bridge groups also met once a month at night and invited the husbands to play cards. They served supper during the evening. At these affairs, the ladies wore evening dresses, and the men, dinner jackets.

Ladies had been buying apparel from the Muller’s store since 1882, but in the 1900’s they were also ordering clothing from Chas-A-Stevens and Brother’s in Chicago, and from Bellas Hess and Company in New York City.

In the winter of 1925, thirteen ladies met in the home of Mrs. J. W. Baker on the corner of Kirkman and Clarence Streets to draw up the charter of the Calcasieu Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The following year, 1926, a group, inspired by the late Rosa Hart, met in the home of Mrs. T. A. Dees (known to everyone as Miss Annabel) on Ford Street to organize a Little Theater. Miss Hart, who served as its director for approximately thirty years, presented the first play on February 24, 1927, at the Episcopal Parish House.

Then came the depression. The banks were closed in Lake Charles as elsewhere. Local men lost rice farms and other valuable holdings. Accompanying this depression was the decline of road shows and vaudeville; activity at the Little Theater was discontinued, and other entertaining was cut to a minimum.

Food was still cheap, however. A pound of sugar was only five cents; a loaf of bread, five cents; and a pound of butter, twenty-five cents. Eggs were ten cents a dozen and coffee, twenty-four cents a pound. Therefore, families could and did enjoy such outings as picnics, fishing and crabbing.

Radios becoming a common possession, families sat up until late at night when radio reception was at its best. They listened to Little Jack Little, and at 3 A. M., to Harry Snodgrass, an inmate in the Missouri State Prison, who came on the air playing on the piano his theme song, “Three O’Clock in the Morning.” The idol of the air was Rudy Vallee.

In the late 1920’s, Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt was a guest at the Majestic Hotel. In 1932, he was elected President of the United States. As a result of his New Deal projects, the local economy began to recover. The Junior Welfare League was organized in 1933 and held a Charity Ball to raise money for its welfare projects.

This era was the beginning of they heyday of the big-name bands. The records of Paul Whiteman, Louis Armstrong, Red Nichols, Herbie Kaye, Jan Garber, Guy Lombardo, and the Dorsey brothers were popular in Lake Charles. Tea dances became a new form of entertainment.

Couples went to the Arcade Theater to see Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald movies; and in 1939 to see Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh in Gone With The Wind. They listened to Eddie Cantor, Fred Allen, and Kate Smith on the radio. The shell Beach Pleasure Pier was frequented in the daytime for swimming and in the evening for dances, prize fights, and wrestling matches.

The Lake Charles Community Concert Association, organized in the early 1930’s, continued offering the community an annual cultural season of visiting professional artists. The concert series was presented in the Lake Charles High School auditorium. The Little Theater, having acquired the old Wells Fargo Stable on Bilbo Street in 1937, converted it into a theater and opened the 1938-1939 season there with the production, Outward Bound.

The educational and cultural development of the entire area was advanced by the founding of Lake Charles Junior College in 1939 (which became John McNeese Junior College in 1940 and in 1950, McNeese State College). The numerous cultural contributions offered by the college since its establishment are countless. Today, “The Messiah” directed since its inception in 1940 by the Dean of Fine Arts, Dr. Francis Bulber, is presented annually; also, a yearly opera workshop conducted during the summer session at the college, and two music festivals presented annually. Since 1947 a spring operetta has been presented yearly by the college and the Lion’s Club of Lake Charles to provide fine arts scholarships to deserving youths. A well-rounded art education, including sculpture, painting and drawing, is offered by the art department of the college.

The speech department sponsors yearly a Play and Speech Festival, a number of one-act plays, debates, and a series of dramas presented by the student group, the Bayou Players. Since the first series in 1945 the Players have performed ten Shakespeare and three Moliere plays as well as modern American and European educational plays. The radio and television studio is another offering of the speech department. The college Lyceum series sponsors annually professionals who present recitals, concerts, and lectures. The McNeese Review, an annual publication, serves as an outlet for scholarly articles. These are only a few of the many contributions being made in the Lake Charles community by McNeese State College.

When the college was established in 1939, American entry into World War II was only two years away. With the war came the rationing of food, gasoline, automobile tires, and household necessities. These shortages cut deeply into entertainments for the duration of the war. Local women folded bandages, assisted in the sale of United States Bonds and Stamps, and worked for the Red Cross and other war projects.

Night clubs having mushroomed in the late thirties and early forties, Southwest Louisiana became one vast Las Vegas. Two of the most popular night clubs in the area were “Bat” Gormley’s, located on Highway 90 between Lake Charles and Sulphur, and The Grove, located between Vinton and Orange.

Young people were dancing the jitterbug in the Big Apple to the recorded music of Benny Goodman, Harry James, Kay Kyser, and Glenn Miller. The card game of the day was contract bridge. Women were wearing their hair shoulder length; many adopting the “page boy” style. Skirts were worn mid-calf in length.

In April of 1940 the first Southwest Louisiana Livestock Show took place in Lake Charles in the McNeese State College Arena. The late Arthur L. Gayle, Sr. served as the first president of the new association. Five parishes were included in the show, with seventy-nine beef cattle on exhibit. During the recent 1967 show, now the Southwest District Fat Stock Show and Rodeo, Incorporated, nine hundred sixty eight animals were on exhibit. Thirteen parishes are presently included in the annual event, the purpose being to improve the quality of livestock and to develop leaders in the livestock industry through the 4-H and the FFA members who exhibit animals in the show.

During the following year, 1941, the Lake Charles Recreation Commission was established and began offering recreational opportunities to the community. Owing to the lack of buildings, the early programs were mostly outdoors activities held at the Goosport playground, the Second Ward playground, Drew Park, Locke Park, East End playground, and the Powell Hall playground. At the time there were no centers or swimming pools. Today, the recreation commission has expanded to include eleven playgrounds; five with centers and three with swimming pools. A wide variety of activities, both indoor and outdoor, are now offered to the public by the commission.

In 1941 the Lake Charles Air Force Base was in full swing and getting bigger all the time. Military notables, among them Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower, on the staff of General Walter Kruger, visited in the Majestic Hotel.

With the war over in 1945 and the economy booming in Lake Charles, residents began entertaining again. Ladies attended luncheons, morning coffees (a new hour for entertaining that started in the late 1930’s), and small supper parties.

Joining the casts of plays as guests of the Little Theater were such stars as Edward Everett Horton and Hurd Hatfield. In 1948 Life magazine sent a staff writer and a photographer to cover the production of The Great Big Doorstep. Their account of it appeared in the June 14, 1948, issue of Life.

Between 1946 and 1947, although styles had not changed measurably, skirts dropped to a new low - just above the ankle - low enough to make the preceding year’s wardrobe outdated. Though there were formal evening cocktail parties, for the most part entertaining, fashions, and the way of living had become more informal. Cook-outs, barbecues, and patio parties were the vogue.

A revival of square dancing brought dancers dressed in Western frontier costumes to the Country Club. The favorite caller was Carl “Doc” Journell from Houston. Groups of Lake Charles dancers even attended a Square Dance and Folk Dance Festival in the Houston Coliseum. Everyone was square dancing!

In 1949 the Pioneer Building, the tallest building in the city, was built and the pioneer club organized. This men’s club became a mecca for dances, cocktail parties, dinner parties, and social affairs of all types.

Lake Charles now boasted a population of more than 40,000. As the air base continued to grow, many new families settled here. In addition, the industrial boom had hit Lake Charles, and the fast growing plant development brought more and more people to the community. It is not hard to visualize how housing became a problem resulting in a residential building boom.

Beginning in the fifties the year-round centrally air-conditioned and centrally-heated home began to be predominant. Modern conveniences such as dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, etc., were found in many households. As a result women found they had more leisure time to contribute to outside activities.

Men and women found themselves involved in all types of club work—civic, cultural, educational, and social. There were over one hundred organized clubs listed with the Association of Commerce. This was the beginning of the frantic pace of living that still exists today.

Ladies wore their hair in simple coiffures. Skirts were still mid-calf, and ballerina length formals were popular. Men’s suits were single breasted and had wide lapels. Couples danced Latin American steps, among which were the Cha Cha, Rumba, and Samba. In addition to contract bridge, canasta and Bolivia became popular card games.

Theater-goers were thrilled during these early 1950’s by the guest star appearances of two noted actors, Jeffery Lynn and Steve Cochran, at the Little Theater. Mr. Lynn performed in Mr. Roberts in October of 1953 and Mr. Cochran starred in Detective Story the following October of 1954.

Television, now the national pastime, became more accessible to Lake Charles when KPLC Radio Station expanded to include television in September of 1954. This new communication medium brought worlds closer together and has continued to remain a fascination pastime for people of all ages.

During the mid-1950’s several Great Books discussion groups were formed, the Calcasieu Forum being the first such group. Also, at this time, the Pioneer Club held annual Mardi Gras celebrations.

In 1957 Art Associates, a group formed to bring visual arts to Lake Charles, was officially introduced at a reception in the Majestic Hotel. Through the years this club has continued to exhibit local and traveling art shows open free of charge to the public. This period was the beginning of what may be called the cultural “explosion” in Lake Charles.

In December of 1958 during a run of Inherit The Wind, the Lake Charles Little Theater on Bilbo Street burned to the ground. Therefore, the final performance of Inherit The Wind was given in the McNeese State College Auditorium, which since its completion in 1940, has served as a civic as well as a college auditorium. The Little Theater then moved its activities to the Arcade, where its performances were given for eight years. Also, in 1958 the Lake Charles Air Force Base was dedicated as Chennault Air Force Base in memory of General Claire Chennault.

The Lake Charles Civic Symphony was organized by the Junior Welfare League, and the first concert season presented in 1958-1959. The first free youth concert was given by the Symphony Orchestra in cooperation with the League during the spring of 1959.

With the sixties came a new music - rock ‘n roll. Young couples began dancing the twist, the frug, and the jerk to the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Ladies’ fashions were changing. Skirts became shorter. Bouffant hair-dos became fashionable, and ladies began teasing their hair into high upswept coiffures.

Lake Charles suffered a recession following the closing of Chennault Air Base in 1963. Many families moved from the community, and the city’s economy dropped. With foresight and planning, community leaders encouraged more new industries to open plants here; and again people from all over the country began arriving to make this community their home. The economy recovered and is still moving forward. Shopping centers have mushroomed in all sections of town; the fast pace of living has increased.

Informal entertaining continued at home but cocktail parties, teas, coffees, and luncheons were also given at the Country Club, the Pioneer Club, and the Chateau Charles. In 1963 the new Country Club building was completed and became the center of many social affairs. Dance clubs flourished. Also, that same year the Lake Charles Ballet Society was formed; and in December of 1963 it presented a local production of Tschaikowsky’s fairy-tale ballet, The Nutcracker in the Arcade Theater. The Ballet Society continues to offer an annual season of dance concert performances.

Also, in December of 1963, the Imperial Calcasieu Historical Museum, sponsored by the Junior Welfare League, moved into the remodeled sixty-five year old stable at 1019 Lake Shore Drive, where it opened its doors to the public.

The following year, the Krewe of Contraband presented its first Mardi Gras Ball at the Lake Charles Country Club. Reigning as king and queen of this ball were Rudolph E. Krause and Miss Jeanne Bel.

In early 1965 the beloved landmark, the Majestic Hotel, now outdated and in need of repairs, was demolished.

Locally, the year 1966 ushered in the jet age. Trans - Texas introduced jet air travel at eh new Municipal Airport, opened in December, 1961. In the fall off 1966 the Little Theater opened the season in its new home - the remodeled chapel at the deactivated Chennault Air Force Base. Community Concerts continue to be a source of cultural entertainment to some 2,000 members.

Years ago, young people dressed as small adults; today, youth has created its own styles. Young men’s fashions have taken on a new “mod” look, influenced by London’s Carnaby Street. Long hair, polka dot and paisley shirts; hip-hugger, bell bottom trousers and loud colors are “in”. Double - breasted jackets are back in style. For the girls the miniskirt has become the fashion of the day. Young people now dance to the “folk-rock” music of numerous local teen-age bands. For the past few years the new sound in popular music around the country has been created by Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass.

The space age of 1967 is a sharp contrast to the horse and buggy days at the turn of the century. People then read with interest about travelers to New Orleans; people of today look forward to the first trip to the moon. Indeed, the miniskirt is a far cry from the fashions of the Victorian era, as is rock ‘n roll from the square dance and waltz music of the past, and the private social affairs from the community Fais-Do-Do.

Throughout this one hundred-year history of social development, it is apparent that the people of Lake Charles, although industrious and hardworking, still found time for social gatherings and cultural endeavors, thereby paving the way for today’s and tomorrow’s cultural progress and attainments.

That portion of “Imperial” Saint Landry that became “Imperial” Calcasieu in 1840 contained one of the finest longleaf pine (pinus palustris) stands of timber in the world. The Census of 1880 reckoned this growth at 4,219 million or approximately sixteen percent of the estimated 26,588 million board feet of merchantable longleaf pine in Louisiana. To the north of Calcasieu, Vernon Parish, with approximate growth of 3,741 million board feet, was the second largest in the state. Vernon Parish supplied much timber to the sawmills centered in Lake Charles.

The pine timber of these two parishes was part of a vast forest stretching west and southwest from the Red River Valley to the Sabine River and extending into eastern Texas. Southward for about one hundred miles the stand increased in width until it formed an irregular line from Lake Charles westward to Sabine River. Portions of the parishes of Natchitoches, Rapides, and Saint Landry were included in the 4,500 square miles constituting this magnificent forest.

The longleaf pine forest of these parishes was notably pure, having eighty per cent or more of pine growth. (A stand is “pure” if eighty per cent of the trees in the main crown canopy are of a single species.) Yielding from twelve to thirty thousand board feet of lumber per acre over whole townships, the trees from which such a production was possible were from 150 to 200 years old. These giants of the forest had a mean height of 110 feet and averaged twenty inches in diameter. Some of the larger trees, with an age of from 250 to 300 years, had trucks of thirty inches.

The lumber from the stately longleaf pine is suited for many uses. Its attractive appearance, along with its heaviness, hardness, strength, and freedom from warping or checking, makes it useful for such dissimilar purposes as bridge timbers, ship and railroad-car construction, furniture, siding, and interior house furnishings. This versatility created a demand for “Calcasieu pine” which, because of its superior quality, became a marketing hallmark.

It was no accident that Lake Charles became a center for the production and marketing of pine lumber in the period following the Civil War. Advantageously located on the lake from which the town gets its name and through which flows the Calcasieu River with its many tributaries extending far into the pine belt and to the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Charles early developed into a sawmill focus. Logs were brought down the Calcasieu River and rafted in the lake preparatory to being converted into lumber. Here, too, operated schooners taking lumber to Gulf ports and elsewhere. Calcasieu Parish, free from the fraud, violence, intimidation, and other disturbances of the reconstruction period, gained for its chief town the distinction of being the first great center of logging and lumber production in Louisiana by 1884. By 1900 ten mills operated within a three-mile radius of the Lake Charles area.

Because of the great demand for lumber to rebuild the war-torn areas of the South following the Civil War and the industrial boom in the North at the same time, high prices made it possible for mill-owners to apply the latest developments in sawmill technology. Such improvements as gang and circular saws greatly accelerated the manufacturing process and reduced production costs. Later, in 1889, the band saw was used for the first time. Such other developments as the endless chain, operating along a ramp carrying logs from the water to the inside of the mill, the “kicker” which throws logs from the ramp to the log deck without stopping the chain, and the “nigger,” a device armed with fangs of steel to turn the log on the carrier, were improvements made in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

Southwest Louisiana presented no topographical breaks which might have posed real obstacles to logging. The highest elevations in the pine belt occur in southwestern Sabine and northern Vernon Parishes, where they exceed 450 feet in some places. From these hills the terrain slopes southward to the twenty-five foot contour line roughly marking the southern limit of longleaf pine. In almost all portions of the belt there is the appearance of low, gently rolling hills, and according to one writer, “This region represents the easiest logging of any in the United States and Canada.”

Log transportation was a spring occupation along the southwestern streams. Calcasieu River could be counted on for at least one freshet a year, usually in June. The flow from these freshets could at times be disastrous. In 1885, a single high water stage of that river carried between forty and fifty thousand logs southward. Although several booms were stretched across the stream, many of the logs could not be stopped and they went all the way to the Gulf.

Cutting the timber in the early phase of Calcasieu lumbering took place within several hundred feet of the stream, the distance that could be satisfactorily covered by mule or ox teams. So long as a supply of readily available timber was found along streams, this method sufficed, but by the early 1880’s the problem of depletion along the waterways was becoming apparent.

The problem was solved by building narrow-gauge roads into the forests. Only higher prices for lumber could justify the expense. Continued demand, however, caused prices to rise, making feasible the building of these expensive adjuncts to logging. Timber in vast quantities was available, but the problem had been one of getting the logs to the rivers. Some millmen favored canals, other would erect dams on the creeks to float logs from high points, while still others thought of tramroads operated by mule power. It was left to one of the pioneers of the industry, A. J. Perkins, of the firm Moore, Perkins, & Company, to build the Calcasieu and Vernon in 1882-the first railroad built in the area to exploit the timber resources. Starting from White Bluff on Hickory Branch Creek, a tributary of the Calcasieu River, the railroad eventually reached Leesville, parish seat of Vernon Parish. By 1886 there were four narrow-gauge railroads totaling thirty miles and penetrating the yellow pine forests in various directions. This development made logging an extensive operation in Southwest Louisiana. Experienced logmen knew that it did not pay to “snake” in logs for a distance of more than 220 yards. To overcome this problem and tap the timber resources farther away, portable switches were laid at right angles from the mainline into the forest where blocks of timber were cut out. The switches were then moved about a quarter of a mile down the line to cut out another block. Until 1895, all of the mills operating in Lake Charles and along the Calcasieu River drew their entire supply of timber within a radius of not more than thirty miles distance-a testimonial to the luxuriance of the Calcasieu forest.

Lumbering, from the cutting of the tree to the stacking of the lumber, was an arduous but interesting process. First came the woodsmen whose duty it was to saw or chop the tree down and cut it into “sticks” of sixteen, eighteen, twenty, or twenty-four foot lengths, ready to be hauled to the railway and loaded upon flatcars. Each log was hauled to the railway by means of a huge high-wheeled cart, drawn by mules or oxen. The heavy end of the log was lifted under the cart by heavy draw chains, leaving the smaller end to drag along the ground. Railroad cars, loaded by means of cables and carrying from sixteen to eighteen logs, took their burden to the water’s edge and unloaded with a splash. Logs attached together end to end by means of short ropes or chains secured to pegs encircled the free logs to form a raft. This raft was then towed down the river by a tugboat to the mills surrounding the lake. Booms of fifty thousand or more logs were a common sight in the waters of Lake Charles.

Logging was an occupation apart from milling. In the mid-1880’s only two sawmills of the area, the Calcasieu Lumber Company, and Moore, Perkins, & Company, were dependent solely upon their own timber lands to supply their needs. The other milling firms purchased their supply of logs from independent loggers, who were generally not very careful about where they obtained them. According to one writer, the waterways of Louisiana harbored some of the more unscrupulous lumbermen in the South. These men stole timber on government lands inland from Atchafalaya Bay and along the Calcasieu and Pearl Rivers. A report made by the Surveyor General of Louisiana in 1877 explained the method of operation of some of the spoilers of the forests. Many loggers affected to believe, he said, that after homestead entries had been made, with or without settlement, they were at liberty to cut and remove all the timber from the land. Calcasieu Parish was singled out as a case in point. Here, “hundreds of men mostly poor and ignorant make no concealment of the sales they have made and prices they have received for the privilege of cutting all valuable pine from their respective tracts.” Obtaining 160-acre tracts, possible under both state and federal law, the loggers, using their own or fictitious names-and certainly with no intention of retaining the land after the timber was removed-proceeded to obtain money advances from local mills for supplying logs. The practice had become so widespread that a special Federal agent, Murray A. Carter, was sent to the Calcasieu area in the spring of 1877, “to ascertain the facts…and obtain all data necessary to enable the United States district attorney to institute proper proceedings to seize timber or lumber, to recover value of same, and to prosecute for fine and imprisonment.” The execution of this order precipitated what the local newspapers called the “Calcasieu Log War.”

Acting with vigor, Carter seized over 100,000 logs allegedly cut on government-owed land and brought upon himself threats against his life. Fearing the possibility of violence, the Federal authorities in New Orleans dispatched the revenue cutter Dix with eighty soldiers to the Calcasieu area. The loggers, protesting their innocence of government charges, claimed that nine-tenth of the logs seized were cut on privately-owned lands. They were indignant over the chain boom stretched across the west fork of Calcasieu River intended to intercept government-owned logs. Such a blockade of the river, they maintained, was not only illegal but it also prevented legitimately-cut logs from being floated to the mills. Such government action, they further maintained, caused great suffering to them and their families. H. C. Gill, who had the support of his fellow millmen, sized up the log situation thusly: “The whole business of our district is now stopped,” he said, “not a wheel is turning nor a mill going, and all labor is idle. The parish is stagnant, and merchants cannot pay their bill under this condition of things.” Gill castigated the Federal authorities for penalizing honest loggers by filing information in the courts against parties who never were in the log business.

The log imbroglio continued on into 1878. Confiscated logs were sold at a profit by the government, and logmen and millmen remained indignant. They maintained that the government had acted in an oppressive and arbitrary manner toward the citizens of Calcasieu, had disregarded their rights, and had been misled by false representations by agents. They further questioned the legality of the blockade of rivers within the state by Federal agents. A petition embodying the controversial issues was sent to Congressman J. H. Acklen, who represented the people of Southwest Louisiana. Congress, acting upon a resolution submitted by Acklen, ordered an investigation of the whole controversy. Excerpted portions of the resulting report submitted to Congress and appearing in a Lake Charles newspaper exonerated the Federal agents from all charges preferred against them by citizens of Calcasieu. Actually, the agents were commended for recovering property unlawfully taken from the public domain, but an apology was made to the unwitting sufferers of the affair. Blame was placed on employers who supposedly encouraged the poor people of Calcasieu to cut government-owed timber at low prices and then compelled them to receive payment in supplies at exorbitant prices. The report defended the agents against the charges of illegally blockading streams in intrastate commerce. “It does not appear that vessels were at any time prevented from going up or down any of the navigable streams in Calcasieu Parish,” the report emphasized. Though the people of the area were dissatisfied with the report, and resentments continued to smolder, the so-called log war had come to an end.

Notwithstanding the fact that mills continued to depend upon independent loggers for their supply of logs, a gradual shift to mill-owned timberlands became apparent in the 1880’s and thereafter. This shift came about when northern lumbermen began to invade the virgin forests of the South. For many years the growing population of the United States had made increasingly heavy demands of the northern forest areas from the New England coast westward to the Lake States. Imminent exhaustion compelled the industry to move southward. This movement ushered in the middle phase of lumbering in Louisiana. Large scale operations, now the order of the day, required constant supplies of logs which could effectively be met by purchasing timbered lands on a massive scale. Experienced and wealthy northern lumber barons moved in and began to invest in yellow pine lands-either as speculative ventures or as a means of producing lumber for an expanding market. Among these land speculators was Isaac Stephenson, Jr., one of the first capitalists to come to the Southwest Louisiana area, who purchased over 300,000 acres of pine land for a million dollars in the southern part of Rapides and the northern part of Calcasieu Parishes. At about the same time J. D. Lacey & Company from Michigan acquired 160,000 acres of timbered lands in Calcasieu, Vernon, and Rapides. A third purchase of 19,283 acres of longleaf pine lands in the same general area was made by the Wright Blodgett Company of Saginaw, Michigan, for $120,523.94. Other Calcasieu firms and independent millmen-some of who were natives of long standing-who acquired vast acreages in the 1880’s were the Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Company; Lock, Moore, & Company; M. T. Jones & Company; H. C. Drew; W. B. Morris; and J. G. Powell.

Lumbermen generally paid fair wages to their laborers and good prices to those furnishing logs from their own lands. Independent loggers received from $5.50 to $6.00 a day for furnishing a thousand feet of logs, while choppers working on company-owned land were paid twenty cents for each tree cut down, averaging from $2.50 to $3.50 a day; raftsmen, $2.00 a day; and teamsters, the lowest paid of the lot, $1.50 a day. Wages rose somewhat toward the end of the century.

The cluster of mills around Lake Charles made an ever-increasing demand upon the loggers. The market for lumber following the Civil War created a boom. Calcasieu early felt the effects of this boom. Although only one small mill, that of Jacob Ryan and James Hodges, located on the east bank of Lake Charles, was in operation in the parish in 1866, a significant development followed within a decade. If any one man is to be singled out as the “father” of the Calcasieu lumber industry, that man should certainly be Daniel J. Goos, a German immigrant from Schleswig-Holstein, who, in a roundabout way, came to Lake Charles in 1855 to explore the possibilities of establishing a mill. Impressed with the giants stands of timber in the area, along with the easy means of access to the Gulf for marketing purposes, Goos dismantled his mill in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, loaded it aboard three schooners, and made his way to Calcasieu country. Within a short time thereafter he had established one of the first significant sawmills west of New Orleans. The mill was located in an area north of Lake Charles which was in time called Goosport in his honor. Although forced to cease operations during and immediately following the Civil War, by the end of the 1860’s, the Goos mill was producing more than 300,000 board feet of lumber monthly. Following closely behind Goos were other enterprising and far-visioned men, who, like Goos, saw possibilities in the opening phase of the industry. Among these were George Lock and W. H. Norris (both schooner captains), A. J. Perkins, and L .C. Dees. By 1869 the reported monthly production of these lumbermen approximated 1,217,000 board feet of lumber shipped principally to Gulf ports in 128 schooners.

Except for the panic of 1873, which affected the whole country, and the log controversy with the Federal government in 1877-78, the decade of the 1870’s witnessed yearly increases in lumber production, as the following statistics indicate:

YEAR	LOGS CUT	BOARD FEET OF LUMBER PRODUCED
1871	26,000	7,800,000
1872	35,000	10,500,000
1873	12,500	3,750,000
1874	30,000	9,000,000
1875	43,500	13,050,000
1876	36,000	10,800,000
1877	-	2,500,000
1878	16,500	4,950,000
1879	55,000	16,500,000
1880	67,000	20,100,000
1881	44,000	13,200,000

Although the above figures seem impressive, Charles Mohr, a specialist in forestry who visited the area in the early 1880’s, was of the opinion that the timber resources of Southwest Louisiana had scarcely been touched. It was in this decade of the 1880’s, however, that northern lumbermen began to eye with interest the vast possibilities of southern forests.

Referred to as “Michigan men” by the local inhabitants, these northern capitalists had exhausted the timber resources of Michigan, last of the Lake States to be exploited, and began to move into Southwest Louisiana. Among these men were R. H. Nason, William E. Ramsey, C. W. Penoyer, and N. B. Bradley. These entrepreneurs ushered in what might be termed the middle period in the lumber industry in Calcasieu.

The impact of northern initiative began to be felt in the early 1890’s. Most of the operating mills in 1884 were largely owned and operated by those who had earlier inaugurated the industry. A list of mill owners, with their daily production, reveals the extent of the industry that year.

	BOARD FEET
Perkins & Miller	30,000
Lock, Moore, & Company	45,000
W. B. Norris	35,000
H. C. Drew	20,000
W. L. Hutchins	25,000
R. J. Cessford	25,000
Burleson Brothers	25,000
Calcasieu Lumber Company	45,000
A. H. Moss	40,000
Hampton & Miller	20,000
Total	330,000

Assuming a five-day week (this was not entirely so, as some sawmills operated on Saturdays and Sundays), yearly production for 1884 would approximate 79,200,000 board feet, or a two-thirds increase over the production of 1881. At the end of 1884, 501,593 acres of longleaf pine lands had passed mostly into the hands of northern and eastern investors.

The lumber industry in Southwest Louisiana received its first great impetus for larger and better mills and a more extended market when R. H. Nason and his associates acquired for $23,000 the Goos mill property in 1883, and formed the Calcasieu Lumber Company. Capitalized at $250,000, within two years the company was producing at the rate of 45,000 board feet of lumber a day. Later, in 1886, the company was reorganized as the Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Company, composed of “some of the largest lumber manufacturers of Michigan.” William E. Ramsey was made president of the company and N. B. Bradley became vice-president. The company, with a capitalization of $500,000, in time had two mills-the Michigan Mill and the Mt. Hope Mill-in operation on the site of the former Goos mill. The two mills had a combined yearly capacity of 50,000,000 board feet of lumber which could be increased to 75,000,000 by night runs. Equipped with the latest improved machinery, the Michigan Mill was powered by a 350-horsepower steam engine operating one band and two circular saws. Such other devices as edgers, trimmers, slashers, and “line rollers” that could carry lumber to all parts of the mill were all used in the mill. Steel tramways reaching to all points of the large lumberyards carried the finished product directly from the saw to the waiting railway cars or to the river to be loaded on schooners. The Mt. Hope Mill, though less extensive than its sister mill, was as complete. It is significant that the Bradley-Ramsey mills had in 1895 a yearly potential almost equal to that of all the other mills operating in the Calcasieu area in 1884. The mills employed some five hundred workers by 1895.

The J. A. Bel Lumber Company, located on the northeast shore of Lake Charles, developed into the second largest mill in Southwest Louisiana before the end of the century. Only the Bradley-Ramsey mill exceeded it in size. The story of this company is closely interwoven with the personality and business genius of its founder, J. A. Bel. A native of New Orleans, Bel came to the Calcasieu country at the age of fifteen, became an employee of George Lock, the successful pioneer lumberman, and thus received his apprenticeship in the lumber business. In 1885, at the age of twenty-eight, he became the manager of the A. H. Moss Mill. According to the terms of the contract, Bel was to receive a salary of $125.00 a month plus one third of the net profits of the business. Several years later in 1888, Moss sold his interest in the business to M. T. Jones of Houston and Charles Bunker of Boston. These two men became associated with Bel under the firm name of M. T. Jones & Company. When Bel assumed management, production averaged 25,000 board feet a day. By modernizing the plant with new machinery, Bel made daily production soar to 55,000 board feet within four years. In 1894 the plant was again reorganized under a new name, Bel-Bunker Lumber Company, and operated as such for two years, after which time it finally became the J. A. Bel Lumber Company. When Jones sold his interest to Bel in 1899, the firm came under Bel’s sole ownership. The company, making a specialty of long timbers, boasted of sawing logs measuring seventy feet in length-a record for the area. In 1895 production had increased to a daily capacity of 85,000 board feet; and on one occasion the mill set another record by sawing 192,000 feet in ten hours and forty minutes. This was enough lumber to fill twenty-five railroad cars. Such results were obtained by the use of a circular saw powered by a 400-horsepower Corliss engine. The normal employment of the company was about three hundred laborers.

A smaller mill located on the western shore (now West Lake) of Lake Charles was the Perkins & Miller Lumber Company. Established in 1870 by A. J. Perkins, the mill, equipped with the latest machinery, had a capacity of 60,000 board feet by 1888. A planer with a capacity of 45,000 feet of lumber a day could dress 6 x 18 timbers on all four sides in one operation. Another small mill worthy of mention was the Drew Mill, founded by H. C. Drew in 1878, and located on the south shore of the lake. J. G. Powell, who operated the mill for Drew under contract, later became an associate of Drew under the firm name of Drew & Powell. When Drew sold his interest to Powell in the latter part of the 1890’s, the mill assumed the name of its sole owner: Powell Lumber Company. The capacity of the mill, which in 1888 was 30,000 board feet a day, almost doubled by the end of the century.

Statistics of 1895 showed a total annual production of 140,000,000 board feet of lumber produced by nine mills in and around Lake Charles. These mills had a combined employment of 1,300 workers receiving $540,000 a year. By the end of the century, ten mills were in operation.

Labor presented no real problem to the mill operators. Northern lumbermen brought with them most of the skilled workers and supervisory personnel. However, the majority of the workers, both white and Negro, were recruited from among the local inhabitants. Some Swedes, brought in from the Lake states, were found scattered in lumber camps in both Texas and Western Louisiana. Mexicans were occasionally employed, but they reportedly proved unreliable for the most part. For the poor hill farmers, the choice between eking out an existence on the poor soil of Southwest Louisiana or excepting a cash wage of $1.50 for an eleven-hour day was not a difficult one. Jobs were always available in the timber camps and the sawmills. Skilled workers commanded higher wages. Sawyers, for instance, received $3.00 a day; lumber markers, $2.00; planers, $75.00 to $100.00 a month; and planer feeders, $2.00 a day.

Harmony usually characterized working conditions in the mills despite the rough types attracted to this industry. The sole exception to this harmony was in the spring of 1879, when a strike was called in demand of a ten-hour day. Although the strike lasted only two days with nothing apparently gained, six mills out of seven temporarily were forced to cease operations.

Prior to 1880, when the Southern Pacific Railroad was extended through Southwest Louisiana, all lumber exports were made by water. In this period, an extensive coastwise trade from New Orleans to Tampico (Mexico) developed. Galveston became a distributing point for the bulk of Calcasieu lumber. In 1878 the Galveston News reported that 20,000,000 board feet of Calcasieu longleaf pine had been purchased by Galveston distributors paying $18.00 per thousand for first quality pine and $16.00 for second quality. The same report announced that shipping rates had been reduced from $7.50 per thousand to $3.50. A few years earlier, the keeper of the lighthouse at Calcasieu Pass had counted ninety-eight vessels carrying 1,257,000 board feet because of the necessity of clearing the shallow bars near the mouth of the Calcasieu River.

In 1874 French capitalists attempted to open direct communications with the Calcasieu lumber trade by sending a vessel to Lake Charles for a sample cargo. So impressed were they with the high quality of the lumber that they started a movement for making Lake Charles a port of entry. It had been customary for ships consigned to the Calcasieu country to proceed first to New Orleans to pick up a pilot familiar with the Gulf coast shoals, then proceed to Morgan City to obtain clearance papers, pay duties if any, and then move on the Lake Charles. Such a procedure was expensive and scarcely made such a trade venture profitable. It was this impasse that led lumbermen to petition Congress for making Lake Charles a port of entry in the late 1870’s. In 1875 a shipment of lumber to Liverpool had “proved highly remunerative to both consigners and consignees.” And, according to the Lake Charles newspaper announcing the event, “we are reliably informed that before next summer a heavy and permanent lumber trade from Calcasieu to England will be inaugurated.” This optimism proved a bit premature.

The completion of the railroad through Southwest Louisiana in 1880 gave a vast impetus to the lumber industry by opening markets in the hinterland. This event came at a time when northern lumbermen began moving southward and at a time when the industry was establishing yearly production records. In the period following 1880, rail transportation supplemented rather than supplanted water transportation. For in 1881 large quantities of lumber were being shipped to the Mexican ports of Tampico and Tuxpan, and Calcasieu lumbermen were thinking of opening trade with the five Central American republics. These countries were receiving their lumber supplies from Alabama and Florida. To divert this trade to Calcasieu became the ardent ambition of Lake Charles lumbermen.

Rail transportation proved to be more expensive than water transportation. As long as the differential in freight rates continued, schooner captains felt little competition. However, when the railroads began to make concessions to the lumbermen of Calcasieu, the captains vigorously petitioned the Federal government to dredge a deeper channel through the shallow passes of Calcasieu River so as to allow larger vessels to operate. Larger vessels would cut overhead expenses and permit better rates to shippers. With the lowering of railroad freight rates, new markets were opened. Shipments to England by way of New Orleans in 1886 accounted for 150 carloads of Calcasieu lumber.

Western Texas, then in a stage of rapid development, began to use large quantities of the area’s products, and by the end of the century, this area had become the lumbermen’s greatest market. Increased use of rail transportation was bound to affect water transportation; but in 1895 the Bel-Bunker Company could boast of owning its own tug and barge line to Galveston and other points along the Texas coast. In that year the company shipped to Texas market sixteen barges with capacities varying from 200,000 to 250,000 board feet of lumber. Although Texas supplied the largest market for the Bel-Bunker lumber mill, the company found purchases for its product in the northwestern states. Demand for lumber had become so great that millmen were complaining in the fall of 1895 that the railroads were unable to supply them with the necessary cars with which to fill their orders.

By the end of the century, after the shallow passes had been deepened by the Federal authority, cargoes of lumber were being shipped to places as far away as South Africa, Europe, and other ports. Furthermore, the national boom period beginning in 1897 was being felt in the lumber industry of Calcasieu.

Significant, though falling far below the longleaf pine industry in economic importance, was the milling of cypress lumber. This lumber in Southwest Louisiana was used principally for the manufacture of shingles and cisterns. In the early days of the industry, cypress (taxodium distichum) was cut in anticipation of the June spring-tide. Logging of cypress, a swamp product, differed somewhat from that of pine, a growth of the uplands. Through the dark winter days and the bleak days of spring, drenched by cold rains or chilled by icy winds, loggers toiled in the swamps, felling timber in anticipation of the yearly floods. Then the work of floating logs out through the creeks or specially-dug canals to the main stream commenced. Should the floods fail to materialize, as sometimes happened, mills had to shut down for months at a time, entailing heavy losses to both loggers and millmen.

The advance of technology toward the end of the century relieved the cypress mills from the weather’s inconstancy. The timber was hauled out to the river by means of pull-boats anchored along the streams. Engines aboard these boats alternately turned two drums. The larger drum carried an inch cable which “snaked” logs from the swamps. At the same time it unwound a light wire rope which had previously been passed through a pulley where the logs were being cut. When the log splashed in the water, the main drum was ungeared, and the smaller one, now in motion, towed the large cable back to the scene where more logs were awaiting their turn. Flat-bottomed boats equipped with windlass in the foreground were also used by lumbermen to retrieve sunken cypress logs from the bottom of streams.

Although some cypress was produced on the banks of the Mermentau River and marketed locally, it was in Lake Charles that the industry assumed its largest proportions. Among the cypress mills operating in Lake Charles was the W. B. Norris Mill, which, departing from the usual production of shingles, milled over a million board feet of lumber a month. Most of its product, consisting of bridge material and crossties, was sold almost entirely to the Southern Pacific Company. It was the only mill in Southwest Louisiana producing this type of product. Mills owned by Thomas Hansen and William Meyer produced shingles exclusively. The Hansen mill, somewhat smaller, had a daily capacity of 35,000. Both mills were located on the east shore of the lake. A third mill, belonging to H. A. Mims and located on the Calcasieu River, had a daily production of 35,000 shingles.

Eight million shingles were shipped out of Lake Charles in 1886. Nine years later, this figure had increased to 64,500,000 produced from 5,180,000 feet of logs floated down the Calcasieu River.

The Poe Shingle Mill, built in the early 1890’s became the largest in Southwest Louisiana. Located on the Calcasieu River at the foot of the main Lake Charles thoroughfare, the mill produced 20,000,000 shingles annually and found markets in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. It owned extensive cypress lands and was equipped with its own facilities to get the logs to the mill.

The demands for southern yellow pine increased with the demand for lumber. By the end of the century thirty-seven per cent of the softwood cut in the United States was yellow pine. “Imperial” Calcasieu undoubtedly produced a significant part of this amount. Yet, according to one student of the area, the longleaf pine district had scarcely been touched by loggers. The greatest development in the industry was to come in the early part of the twentieth century – the later phase of Calcasieu lumbering.

In this chapter, the writer himself has confined himself to the lumber industry alone. Pulp wood, turpentine, and other products of the forest are not considered here. The firm of Frank Shutts & Sons, which dates back to 1886 has been connected with the sawmill industry for over three-quarters of a century, at one time making a specialty of serving the lumber and logging interests. This service consisted of locating and building of two of the three main-line railways in the area served by the Lake Charles sawmills, the building and operation of tap lines and tramroads, and the supervision of logging operations. The firm has also acted as agents for many large owners of forested lands as Rice University since 1907, and has made surveys and estimates for the Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Company in the early 1890’s. Citation of the above connections is given only to show that this firm has had ample experience with the sawmilling and logging industry in this area.

Regardless of the author’s experience, without the assistance of many other persons who have contributed information, this chapter could not have been written. The chapter is incomplete, and will, perhaps, appear as such to the highly technical men who are striving so diligently to reforest denuded areas of Louisiana. Much credit is due to the Louisiana Forestry Association, the Louisiana Forestry Commission, and the men who have worked to bring about the amazing results that have been obtained by these agencies; to the legislators of State and Federal governments who enacted the laws of equitable taxation of forested lands; to those who have perfected the equipment for the various methods of reseeding, which include machine planting, hand planting, and aerial planting. The author wishes to give credit to the editorial committee of the Louisiana Forestry Association; to the late Henry Hardtner, who started the work that brought continuity to the lumber industry; and to the Louisiana Polytechnic Institute at Ruston and to the men who head the forestry department. He also gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to Miss Maude Reid for her great assistance in furnishing pictures and factual accounts of the mills that operated in and around Lake Charles; to Mr. Charles V. Holbrook for his accounts of the sawmills, particularly the Long-Bell Lumber complex and to Mr. Walter Barnes and Mr. Lock Paret, both of whom have done a magnificent job in reforestation.

For other pertinent information, he wishes to thank the Louisiana State Library at Baton Rouge, the Lake Charles Public Library and its reference librarian, Miss Irene Pope; Mr. James E. Mixon, the State Forester of Louisiana; and Mr. Donald L. McFatter, the District Forester.

Between the beginning of this century and World War I, Lake Charles, which was then a small city, was the center of the long-leaf pine lumber industry on the Gulf Coast, as emphasized in the previous chapter. Saturday, being payday for the men from the front, where the forest cutting was taking place, the town was crowded with these men. Every barber shop chair on Ryan Street was filled, and long lines of men waited for a haircut, a shave, and a tonic. Those waiting were handed ticket designating their turn to freshen up their looks and to get the pine pitch out of their hair and off their faces. Numerous bathtubs in the back of shops had signs hung overhead stating definitely that “men in tubs retain their places” in the waiting line. Special trains and boats brought these men to Lake Charles from the front, where the timber was being cut, for a night “on the town.” Ryan Street, particularly on the east side, between Pujo and Division Streets, was lined with saloons and the swinging entrance doors were constantly on the move. It was not considered proper or safe for a lady to walk down the east side of Ryan Street on Saturday evenings. The Lake Charles Street Railway, built in 1906, doubled its schedule, putting on trailer cars or extra trolley cars for the run from the Southern Pacific depot to the red-light district at the end of Boulevard Street. After midnight the fare was doubled; and the men paying it probably did not know whether they were giving the conductor a nickel or a dime for they knew not what they were doing. Among them, as recorded by James Boyd in his Fifty Years in the South Pine Industry, were men of unusual ancestral or educational background:

Some peculiar characters were found amongst the many drifters who came to work. A brother of an English Baronet was a watchman for years. The son of an English Countess worked here as a laborer. Another watchman here for some year or two, later turned up in the middle of the west as president of an insurance company. Many of the laborers were well read and educated men, down and out for various reasons.

The manufacture of lumber was on the boom, and Paul Bunyan, like an avenging angel, came down from Michigan with his great blue ox to ride astride the remaining virgin long-leaf pine forest.

A glance back to the birth of the industry reveals that as early as the third quarter of the eighteenth century, according to Florence F. Smith in her study, A Hundred Years of Lumbering in Louisiana: 1865-1965, “Aubry, on Ulloa’s (first Spanish Governor of Louisiana) orders, posted a commercial decree on September 6, 1766, permitting French ships to bring goods to Louisiana from Martinique and Santo Domingo provided they carried return cargoes of lumber and other products of the colony.” However, since no mention of sawmills is included in the early Spanish reports, it must be assumed that they did not come into their own until the nineteenth century with the advent of the schooner or windjammer-type of sailing vessels.

Schooner captains who sailed from Lake Charles to Mexico, South America, or the east coast of the United States, hauled cargoes of lumber to market. As was indicated earlier, sawmilling in Calcasieu Parish in the early eighties was an entirely different proposition from the industry as it is carried on today. The larger portion of the output was shipped by water through Calcasieu Pass by schooners carrying from 20,000 to 100,000 feet of lumber or more. Because of the shallow water in the Pass and Calcasieu Lake, the larger vessels had to have their decks lightened in order to navigate the passage. There were fifteen to twenty schooners running regularly in the trade. It was not an unusual site to see a dozen schooners anchored in Lake Charles and at Lockport at one time. Realizing that lumber was a lucrative business, the captains of these vessels decided to open their own mills. They, then, hired others to sail their boats and haul their lumber.

In the early eighties, the author’s mother was engaged to open a school at Calcasieu Post Office, located just south of Moss Lake on the Calcasieu River. She was to teach the children from the families of the schooner operators. It was probably one of the first schools established in this vicinity outside of Lake Charles.

The schooner captains were joined by European and Yankee investors – all of whom remained here in Southwest Louisiana to become the leading businessmen of Lake Charles. These men built modern mills. At the beginning, their crude sawmills were placed along the river with only the thought of proximity to standing timber as a primary requirement to location.

Next to arrive in answer to the call of timber were the financiers of Michigan. These men had been in the lumber business there but moved to Lake Charles when the timber of the Great Lakes area had been exhausted. Actually, the forests of Michigan had been denuded; and so forsaking their fallow fields and failing to profit from their experience, these men proceeded to repeat their pattern of promiscuous cutting of timber.

There was a “gold rush” in Louisiana – the rush to cut virgin long-leaf yellow pine. However, these men and their methods belong to another era, previous to that with which this chapter is concerned. But the author feels that a sketchy background should be mentioned to set the stage for the next act – the twentieth century performance.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, twenty-one sawmills operated in and around Lake Charles. Worthy of mention here are the mills which were built in Allen Parish (the northeast quarter of old Imperial Calcasieu). There were a number of them in this area and particularly in and around Oakdale. These mills have all exhausted their timber supplies and closed down with the exception of the Hillyer-Deutsch-Edwards Oakdale Mill. J. B. Edwards and Parish Fuller operate a combination pine and hardwood mill. Because they learned early that only through conservation, a reforestation orcharding of timber and treating it as a crop, together with the method they had developed of selective cutting and trimming out nonmerchantable growth from the better timber, they still own and operate this very successful business. They are to be commended on what they have done not only for Oakdale but also the state of Louisiana.

Long-Bell Lumber Company, which purchased two mills in Lake Charles, the Bradley-Ramsey Mill and the Mount Hope Mill, built and operated probably the greatest combination of large sawmills in the South. They controlled not only the Lake Charles mills but many others in Imperial Calcasieu. The cut capacity of the Lake Charles Mill, which they purchased in about 1907, was about 150,000 board feet per day. The supply of timber was exhausted in 1924. S. T. Woodring, general manager of these operations in this area, was much interested in the growth and prosperity of Lake Charles. He came to Lake Charles in 1906 and died in 1921. Woodring was a director of the parent company, which besides owning the Lake Charles mills, controlled and operated the Stevenson Ludington and Van Shack, which was built in 1903 and sold to Ludington Lumber Company (Long-Bell) in 1911. The capacity of cut was 125,000 board feet per day; this mill exhausted its supply of timber in 1924. The Hudson River Lumber Company, which was built in DeRidder in 1903 and had a capacity of 125,000 board feet, closed down in the year 1926. The King-Ryder Lumber Company, built at Bon Ami in 1901, had a capacity of 150,000 board feet per day. Its timber holdings were exhausted in 1925. The Longville Lumber Company, located a short distance north of Lake Charles, was built in 1907. Probably one of the largest mills in the South, it had a capacity of 200,000 board feet per day. This mill burned to the ground in 1921 and was not rebuilt, since the Long-Bell Lumber Company was moving to the Pacific Northwest and building a gigantic mill at Longview, Washington. All of the above mentioned mills were controlled and owned principally by the Long-Bell complex. After the completion of the deep-water port of Lake Charles, the Long-Bell Company, from 1927 to about 1929, brought in large square timbers from their gigantic fir operations on the Colombia River and resawed them into usable dimensions for use in this area. This had long been the dream of Woodring and others who were well aware that the exhaustion of timber resources in Southwest Louisiana was rapidly approaching.

Since automation had not yet arrived even in the most modern mills, some of the larger mills employed almost two hundred men. The eight-wheel log wagon had replaced the two-wheel slip-tongue ox cart formerly used to load the timber.

No unemployment problems existed in those days of “flatheads” (nickname for the men who cut the timber), sawyers, and saw filers. The flatheads stayed in the woods, working from four o’clock in the morning until dark or “can to can’t see.” Flatheads could make between five and ten dollars per day; a good sawyer could earn up to fifteen dollars per day. Sawmill hours then were from daylight to dark, and these hours applied also to the office force. The labor was principally colored, except for the river loading which was handled by Swedish and German sailors who had arrived in this country on lumber vessels. Labor was paid daily in checks which could be used in the commissary, and these checks were usually cashed once a month.

At 5:30 in the morning the great chorus, “The Sound of Music of Lake Charles,” was the sawmill whistles. They summoned the men to work, each whistle emitting a sound differing from the other one.

What caused this boom in the industry? Certainly, one must consider the high quality of the timber in the area, the great demand for building material in the decades prior to and after World War I, transportation facilities, and the advances in the industry’s technology. In many ways the very cause of the boom eventually led to the downfall of the industry.

One of the mechanisms brought in as a result of railroad lines was the steam skidder. This contrivance was used in conjunction with the steam loader, which picked up the logs and placed them on flatcars. Although this method of cutting speeded up the cutting and loading processes, thus reducing the problems of haulers and sawyers relying on the whims of weather, it destroyed everything in its wake. The steam skidder was superior in the amount of timber it could cut and load; but because it also cut the young trees, devastation of the forests lay in its path.

The steam catapult was next introduced to operate the carriage in the mill which forced the logs through the saws. Previous to this the saw carriages were shuttled back and forth with a series of pulleys. The steam piston-driven carriages were known as shotgun feed or shotgun carriages; and the men who rode them were nimble indeed and had to have a good sense of balance to hang on to their levers. The sawyers who operated these high-speed log carriers, driving them through the saws, were skilled men and received high pay for their labors. The saw filer sharpened saws that cut lumber from logs. The output of the mill and the quality of the cutting of the logs depended upon his knowledge and skill. It is of current interest that the basic premise of this piece of equipment is now used in launching jet planes from aircraft carriers.

These tools of progress were ironically implements of doom; for preceding these methods, cutting was done selectively. The selective method enabled the land to reforest itself. Reforestation will be considered later.

In 1913 Henry Hardtner, according to Lloyd P. Blackwell in his study, Fifty Years of Forestry in Louisiana, turned his attention to forestry work on his contract lands…His first job was one of fire protection.

As Henry Hardtner was signing a conservation contract with the State of Louisiana in 1913 for protecting the forest lands at Urania and for managing them under progressive practices of forestry, he was recognizing that the old growth of virgin timber was on its way out and that the future supply of lumber would have to come from a new forest deliberately planted, deliberately treated, and deliberately managed if he were to keep his sawmill running, his sawmill town alive, and forest products and its related industries an important segment of Louisiana’s economy. His problems were also Louisiana’s.

Although reforestation was a result of fire protection it had another important impact: it formed the basis for the setting up of Louisiana’s first professional state forester in 1918. By 1924, the Clarke-McNary Law was passed which allowed “matching Federal money for fire protection.”

By a 1944 Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Forestry Commission was created. According to Blackwell’s report, “another job facing forestry fifty years ago was how to restock cut-over acres to trees.” At Urania this undertaking was no problem, since Hardtner had instituted a seed-tree system on his well-stocked timber lands for reproducing what his liked to call his baby trees. Urania had never found it necessary to resort to planting for its new crop of trees.

Urania was the utopian example set for many lumber companies in Louisiana. Programs were begun by many groups, and seedling nurseries were incorporated to provide planting stock. By 1941 many companies were producing planting stock from the nurseries of the Louisiana Forestry Commission. The commission produced moderately-priced, high-quality seedlings.

At the start of this new era an excerpt from Ed Kerr’s Pine Tree Cowboys is to the point:

In 1942, rumors about the war were flying thick and fast; not about the war that was going on in Europe and Japan, but about the war that was brewing in Calcasieu Parish. “I heard he was coming three months ago. Reckon there’s anything to it?” “Sure, it is. I saw him over there on Edgewood looking over the whole area last week. John’s right, and that ain’t all. He’s gonna fence the whole place and try to raise pine trees all over the land where we are grazing our cattle and sheep.” “Well, maybe he’ll plant some pine trees, but fires are liable to keep those pine trees from growing.”

The man they were talking about was G. Lock Paret, the new vice-president and manager of Lock-Moore & Company and the Edgewood Land & Logging Company, who owned approximately 75,000 acres in Calcasieu and Beauregard Parishes. The company cut timber and shipped lumber from 1886 to 1929, when the mill cut out. During the next 12 years, the 75,000 acre holding produced nothing. The first seven oil fields were brought in during 1938, but the land itself was used for nothing else.

In 1942, the board of directors put Lock Paret in charge of the holding in an attempt to make the land start producing something. The company assets were in such a state at the time that it owed two years’ back taxes and there was not enough money to pay Paret’s first two weeks salary. As he had had much experience in the oil fields, both as a roughneck and on the business end, Paret soon leased out every acre of company land to oil companies and the land started producing rent money right away…The first thing he did was put a large track of land in the Perkins vicinity under fence, and in 1945, he started planting his first pine seedlings.

The landowners did what they said they were going to do…fences were cut and fires started in Paret’s plantations. It was beginning to look like the old sheep and cattle wars of another day. But then something happened to change all this when the first growing season was over. All of a sudden neighbors found Paret’s gates open to them and not only did they now have use of the range but they had a better range with improved pasture. Not only did Paret allow cattle and sheep on his plantation land but he went so far as to put notices in the newspapers asking people to graze their cattle and sheep within his fences. One of his notices went like this: “We both desire and appreciate our neighbors’ running their animals on our land so that the grass growth will be kept to a minimum. It is our opinion, and we have told the people in our section, that after our trees get of sufficient size so that they will not be killed by fires, then if in that event the people will designate the areas they desire burned, we will at the proper time, when fires do not damage our trees, burn our acreage under the supervision of the Louisiana Forestry Commission. It is our opinion that after our land gets into production, it should be burned every four or five years, and it is our intent to do so. However, we need six to eight years growing time before this can be done without killing our trees, and all burning must be done under correct weather conditions.

“We realize that the cattle and sheep people in Beauregard Parish have an investment in the future welfare of the parish as well as we have. We also realize that for our company or any other large company to retain control of our property and bring it into production that there must be co-operation between all concerned. Reforestation is an extremely expensive undertaking and unless some insurance can be obtained that the trees planted will eventually reach maturity, there is no incentive to attempt reforestation.”

This history would not be complete without mentioning the effort of Rice University in reforestation. This University owns some 50,000 acres of what was, through selective buying by William M. Rice, the finest stands of dense long-leaf yellow pine that had existed in the state. Like others in the lumber business they were so heavily taxed that they were forced to cut their valuable holdings as the Edgewood Land & Logging Company had been forced to do before them. Mr. Rice bought his timber land immediately after the Civil War, and in 1891 he and Mrs. Rice deeded it to a foundation for the establishment of a University of higher learning to be located in Houston, Texas. Mr. Rice was murdered in 1900, and these timber holdings were held intact until 1910. At that time the University Board, headed by Captain Baker, was forced to cut this timber, not only because of high taxes but also because the money derived from these timber holding was needed to buy the campus in Houston, erect the buildings, and open the University in 1912. An Oberlin tract extending from Kinder north between the forks of the main Calcasieu River and the Whiskey Chitto was cut by the Peavey-Byrnes Lumber Company. The Merryville tract in Beauregard Parish was cut by the American Lumber Company. The mill was built and operated by a man named Sam Parks of Houston, Texas. Attempts were made to assist nature to reseed the Rice holdings. Fences were built to keep out the sheep and the cattle but these were immediately destroyed by the sheep and cattle men. Guards were hired and frequent inspections made to protect the young seedlings but all to no avail, for fires were set and fences cut. In 1946 Rice University, under the direction of Harry Hanson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees in Houston, employed a trained forester, Walter Barnes, and appropriated the money to start a scientific reforestation program. The University does not have the problem that privately owned corporations have, in that time is not as important to a concern which goes on forever as it is to a privately owned timber holding corporation. One is reminded of the story of a new parish agent who tried to introduce the raising of high-bred hogs to take the place of the piney woods razorback. The local farmer listened to the parish agent’s talk on the fast growth of high-bred hogs as compared with the slow growth of razorbacks. He then announced to the agent, “Well, what is time to a razorback hog? He has plenty of it.”

The reforestation program of Rice University, under the direction of Barnes, is progressing beautifully. He and his men have now reseeded approximately 30,000 acres of which some 10,000 acres are about ready for harvesting. From this time on, it is of note that the word harvesting is used, since from this point on, timber must be considered as a crop which must be carefully nurtured. The experience of Rice University with its denuded and cut-over waste lands runs almost parallel with that of the Edgewood Land and Logging Company.

So through various methods, such as selective cutting, direct seedings and aerial reseeding, reforestation has occurred. This latest method, aerial reseeding, was one devised by the late Bill Rose of Lake Charles, George Fox of Kisatchie Forest, and Bob Mitchell from Hillyer-Deutsch-Edwards Lumber Company; it is by far the most economical, for one man in one Piper Cub plane is able to seed 1,000 acres of cut-over land per day at a total cost of from four to five dollars per acre. Planting pine seedlings in the same space would cost approximately fifteen dollars per acre and take almost a thousand man-days.

The magnitude of the sawmill operation within the limits of old Imperial Calcasieu is so great that no complete history of it has ever been written, nor is it possible that any complete document will ever be compiled. But herein can be given examples and general methods that were applied to the cutting of the timber and the great reforestation effort now being made by many persons. Credit should be given to many, particularly those who have been responsible for the rebirth of the timber industry. Much credit must be given to Henry Hardtner. He has been aptly called the father of the reforestation movement. Without his effort the conservation of timber would not be as developed as it is today.

But a glance back to the golden era reveals the cause that aided in its demise-taxes. In 1913 all forest lands were subject to a general property tax requiring an assessment, a tax on land, and an assessment tax on timber, the result being an acceleration of cut timber inasmuch as the tax assessors wanted what money there could be realized while the timber lasted; therefore the landowners had to cut to meet tax payments. It was, indeed, a vicious cycle. These tax laws did not make it practical or attractive for landowners to choose to reforest.

On a local level improvements in mill machinery, particularly in the type of saws that cut the timber, had arrived. Band saws and gang saws replaced the small circular saws which were first used in the little mills, thereby increasing the production of lumber. And the advent of the steam catapult, previously mentioned, cutting was at a maximum.

As long as the supply of logs was towed down the river to the mills located on the main-line railroads, logs were drawn up from the river by endless chains having lugs to keep them from slipping. At that time all lumber was taken from saws to dry kilns on hand dollies. An interesting comparison in today’s large mills such as Warehauser, Long-Bell, and others on the West Coast is that the lumber is not touched by hand but is automatically conveyed through the mills and then to the dry kilns.

So noting the importance the railroads played in hauling the lumber, one must recognize the double entendre taking place at this time. There was a Federal law which allowed tramroads, tap lines, and short-line railroads to incorporate themselves into separate companies for operation under the regulations of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Stockholders in tap line companies were, of course, the mill owners. Whereas they had been using their tram roads to haul logs to river dumps, or roll ways, to be towed to the mills in and around Lake Charles, they were now able, through the passage of this Interstate Commerce Commission regulation, to receive a division of freight rates. This, in actuality, paid for all operation of the tram roads, and, as a result, the mills were moved out to the timber. New towns were built; and all this activity was directed away from Lake Charles. One examples of this type of activity is the town of Emad, built by the Peavey-Byrnes Company. It was not built on the Missouri-Pacific Railroad but out in the timber being cut. Again the same company, in 1916, built the town of Peason, ten miles east of the Kansas City Southern Railroad, just north of Leesville in the area now occupied by Hodges Gardens. The Long-Bell Lumber Company moved its principal operation from Lake Charles, this line being later purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, as were many other tap lines. The Calcasieu-Vernon and Shreveport Railroad, which originally brought logs to Perkins and Miller’s mills and to Lock-Moore and Company in Westlake and Lockport, later sold out to the Kansas City Southern Railroad. This sale resulted in numerous sawmills being located along the tracks of the Kansas City Southern Railroad.

The tax burden on timber was not alleviated until 1944 when, over a presidential veto of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Senate and Congress passed the law giving capital gain treatment to timber owners.

In order to present a complete picture, exact chronological order is not possible; but it is felt that a presentation of the problem, or premise, had been made, thereby showing its overall effect on the industry and its outcome in Lake Charles, in particular.

Thus, having reviewed lumber generally in Louisiana and touched many important facts in relationship to its existence in Lake Charles, one might ask, “What did lumber contribute as a lasting memento to the city?”

The owners and operators of the mills got together and because of the inability to get repair parts for sawmills, they established in Lake Charles what was probably the biggest hardware company for handling mill machinery parts and other requirements that ever existed in Louisiana, the possible exception being A. Baldwin and Company in New Orleans. Nowhere in Southwest Louisiana could be found as complete a stock of hardware as was carried by Murray-Brooks Company in Lake Charles. Bill Murray operated this large supply house, which only a few years ago converted from hardware to oil supplies and pipeline equipment. It was recently sold to the Republic Steel Company.

Another contribution was the old Majestic Hotel, which was located at the northeast corner of Pujo and Bilbo. It was built by the lumber executives of the area in 1904. The hotel prided itself not only in its size but also the cuisine. It was a place with an extremely large dining room, where the timber barons could entertain in a style they considered consistent with their positions in society.

At the beginning of the century, banks were organized and built by the lumber interests. The Calcasieu National Bank, the First National Bank, and the Lake Charles Bank were all operated to handle the financial needs of the timbermen and farmers.

Color and style, things done in the grand manner, these contributions to the socio-economic life of Lake Charles have left their mark. Although lacking in formal tradition, this area adapts to change more readily than other communities of comparable size. We might, therefore, capsule this social contribution of the lumber days and title it Pioneer Spirit, a spirit that still prevails.

In conclusion a brief review of what has been stated is perhaps in order. In essence lumber mills were ambulatory, first locating on the lower river, where they were easily accessible to the small schooners that transported the manufactured products. They, of course, built on the southern edge of the long-leaf pine belt, where there was good timber close to the Calcasieu River. Their production was small, and what little was distributed locally was hauled away from the mill in wagons. With the coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the mills moved up to Lake Charles and floated their logs down the river. They were on the Southern Pacific mainline, where they could ship their manufactured products by rail either to New Orleans or Galveston for reloading on steamships at these ports. After the accessible timber had been cut away from the river, the mills began to move away from Lake Charles into the dense timber belts. This removal was, of course, after the construction of the two north-south railroads serving the Port of Lake Charles had been built.

Following the ruling of the Interstate Commerce Commission regarding the division of freight rates between tap lines and tramroads, the mills again moved out away from the mainline railroads, usually about ten miles, in order to qualify for this division of freight rates. High taxes, mechanical handling and hauling of the logs to the mills speeded the destruction of the forests. Who is to say which of the aforementioned factors contributed most to the killing of the industry? This author gives priority to two: confiscatory taxes and the more modern methods of harvesting the timber. Since both have been reevaluated and adjusted to a more practical existence, the golden era has been given a chance at resurrection. New life to a native resource, rebirth in the form of a paper pulp industry, the awareness of value, and need for protection of forests offer much hope for the future in the redevelopment of a healthy and thriving lumber industry for Lake Charles and the rest of Louisiana.

Modern industry started coming to Lake Charles in 1933 with the announcement that Mathieson Alkali Works (now Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation) would build a chemical plant on Calcasieu River. The second phase of industry’s migration came with commencement of Continental Oil Company’s original refinery, the construction of which was started in 1940 and completed in 1941, with an initial production capacity of 7,000 barrels. The third phase, which is still continuing, commenced with the decision of the Cities Service Company in 1942 to build its original basic refinery on the Lake Charles ship channel.

The third phase was the commencement of today’s modern Industrial Revolution in the Calcasieu area. From its beginning, with three companies participating and with the capital outlay of less than $100 million, these things have happened: The number of participating companies has increased from three to eighteen. The number of separate and distinct plants or units has increased from three to more than forty-five, with a half dozen more announced and still others on the drawing boards and certain to come. The capital outlay has jumped from less than $100 million to $835,754,285. And the replacement value, as of today’s dollars, is approximately $1,528,200,000.

The economic impact on the community is illustrated when it is considered that the employees of the major industries of the Calcasieu area now total in excess of 9,186. And the annual payroll has reached a total of more than $60,000,000. Compared in another way, Calcasieu’s farm income of 1940 was five times that of its manufacturing payroll, whereas ten years later, in 1950, its manufacturing payroll was five times that of the 1940 agricultural income. As of the present time the industrial payrolls of Calcasieu Parish are approximately twelve times that of the 1940 farm income. And although farm income has increased two and one-half times, industrial payrolls are five times that of present farm income.

Not only has the economic picture changed, but with it has come a change in the entire social, cultural, educational, and political horizons of Lake Charles and its trade territory. Among the educational by-products was the construction during the decade 1940-1950 of a total of thirty-four new public school buildings. The movement has not slowed down. On the contrary, it has continued and is continuing apace.

Among the announced new industries for the Lake Charles area for 1966-67 are: A $65,000,000 pulp and paper mill at DeRidder; Gulf States’ newest $42,000,000 expansion of its electric generating facilities; Pittsburgh Plate Glass’ new $37,000,000 mercury cell chlorine-caustic power complex; Louisiana Polymer’s new polyethylene plant; Crosby Chemical’s 50,000 tons per year oil distillation plant at DeRidder; a gas processing plant to be located on the Southeastern limits of Lake Charles by Coastal States Gas Producing Company; an $8 million urea plant at the Olin Mathieson complex, this being the last of a $45 million expansion program commenced in 1965. Some $30 million of new projects are under way by Cities Service; $60 million by PPG Industries; $42 million in expansions by Gulf States Utilities Company; and a number of smaller, unannounced additions that are on the drawing boards, as well as several projects that are still in the tentative stage, awaiting final decisions.

All the above, with the exception of two forest products industries announced for Beauregard Parish, are resource-based industries relating almost exclusively to oil, chemicals, and petrochemicals, with the necessary electric generating power needed therefore. Indicating a move toward diversification is the recent location here of Lockheed Aircraft Service Corporation, which holds hope of employing in excess of a thousand employees, depending on the development of the national and world economies.

There is a tendency to overlook industries that are based and can and will be based on considerations other than petroleum resources. Among these are the existing industries related to the rice industry, located in the Lake Charles area; the burgeoning forest industry now entering, as Lock Paret once said, into its Golden Era; the commercial fisheries industries, now in its infancy, but which, with the new trend toward the “farming of the seas,” will become one of the area’s greatest and most productive types of industry. There are many others.

But before this discussion is projected too far into the potentials of the future, it is perhaps apropos to return to industries that come from the great cornucopia of natural resources which first made it possible for Lake Charles to take its place on America’s industrial horizon. Its area comprises one of the richest sections, not only in Louisiana but also in the entire Western Hemisphere.

This section has always had its oil, gas, salt, sulphur, shell, and freshwater; its hill lands for the perpetual growth of forests and its prairie lands for the grazing of cattle as well as for the production of rice and soy beans. But we have not always utilized these resources, for in some instances we did not know of their presence; and in other instances we did not know how to adapt the potential to the production of the existing wealth.

For a millennium or more fifty acres of the richest land in the world lay on the outskirts of what is now Sulphur, a town some twelve miles west of Lake Charles. But the Lake Charles settlers did not have the knowledge or the know-how that would enable them to lift sulphur - “the stone that burns” - from its thousand feet of overburden and put it to the use of man. It took the genius of Herman Frasch to devise an economically feasible method of melting the sulphur with hot boiling water and to lift it to the surface as a liquid from the bowels of the earth to solidify on top of the ground, and thus to revolutionize the sulphur industry of the world.

Then there was brought forth nearly $200 million worth of sulphur, nearly $100 million of oil, and additional wealth from gas and salt brine - all from fifty acres of land - because of the fertile brain of one man, plus the determination of one woman (Sarah Hewitt, sister of the far-famed Peter Cooper) who insisted that she “believed that Mr. Frasch was a good engineer, and knew what he was doing; and that if all the men withdrew from the undertaking, she alone would finance it.” And so from this combination of brain, determination, and fifty acres of land came nearly $300 million of wealth. This is $6 million per acre; and if we consider that this area was a part of the Louisiana Purchase, then Jefferson paid Napoleon four cents an acre for a vast empire - a tiny portion of which developed into the second most profitable investment ever made in America. And the end is not yet. For it is known that new sulphur wells to new veins are being drilled; and there are those who predict that these will produce two-thirds as much as the original production which was exhausted in the late twenties.

Thus there could be added to this fabulous story, as a sequel, in the opinion of some experts, an additional $100 million. This one example was and is but a forerunner of what has since happened and what will happen to point the way to riches far greater than the stories of gold that French and Spanish explorers of America carried back to their homeland four hundred years ago.

But wealth unfound, undiscovered, unproduced, unprocessed and undelivered profits nothing. So to do all this, plus utilizing the raw materials for conversion into finished consumer products, the ingenuity of man and the determination of women must be applied. This, then, is the point at which the people of Lake Charles and Calcasieu lived and labored “their finest hour.”

For in the middle twenties, the older of our citizens can remember that our only industry of the early days, sometimes referred to as “sawmilling” and sometimes as “lumbering,” was “cutting out” and “getting out.” And the area was facing a prospect of cut-over lands, black stumps, poverty, privation, welfare, and destitution. The horizons were dark with evil omen and a bleak and desolate future. But there were men of great vision and of ingenuity born of common sense. And they reasoned that a God-made river and man-made tools and dredges could be made to accommodate the greatest of ships that ply the seas. So it was that in that “darkest hour before a brilliant dawn” they sat about digging a channel to the sea. And this channel was to transform the entire future not only of Lake Charles but also the whole of Southwest Louisiana.

The highly knowledgeable U. S. Engineers said the plan “was not economically feasible;” and it was therefore turned down, and no federal funds were allowed. But a courageous group of amateurs with determination had the admirable courage to dig down into their pockets and pay for their own deep water channel - the first thus constructed in the entire country.

Even then the path upward into Lake Charles’ predestined future was not an easy one. The first ocean-going ship landed at the new Port of Lake Charles in 1926. But it was not until 1933 - seven years later - that the first major industrial plant was announced for the ship channel which the U. S. Engineers said “wouldn’t work.” Seven more years went by before the second plant - a small 7,000 barrel per day refinery - was announced for the channel.

The corporations announcing these two industries - Mathieson Alkali Works (now Olin Mathieson) and Continental Oil Company - were real pioneers in the blazing of a trail which was to lead to one of the great industrial centers of the Gulf Coast. Hence Lake Charles is, and most properly should be, grateful to these two concerns, which, like Lake Charles’ own leaders of that day, were willing to take a risk and to travel uncharted courses, and which could, at the same time, view with clarity and prescience the wisdom of selecting this new base of operations.

We have moved forward so rapidly in the telling of this story that we must now retrace certain steps and check the industries built between Conoco’s basic refinery in 1941 and those built as late as 1966. There must be therefore, a reversion to the third phase of Lake Charles’ “Industrial Revolution,” which commenced with the Cities Service refinery and the government-built plants that were constructed during the World War II days of 1942 through 1945. This spectacular development is attributed by some to the folly of Hitler’s Germany and the “War Lords of Japan.”

Thus commenced a phenomenon resulting from war-time need and the willingness of a community to take full advantage of an opportunity that was knocking at the door. The U.S. Government was looking desperately for a site and a concern upon which and by which a basic oil refinery could be built “that would keep a thousand bombers over Germany every night.” The government found the man in W. Alton Jones, President of Cities Service. And it found in Lake Charles not only the site for a plant that would furnish high octane gasoline but also other war materials as well.

Contrary to opinion in uninformed circles, the refinery was never a government operation. It was financed, it is true, by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation; but shortly after the end of the war private banking interests took up the loan, and the government’s only participation, as banker, came to an end.

Because Cities Service had a terminal at St. Rose in St. Charles Parish, the original plan was to locate the plant there. But the required additional supply of crude oil was under contract to other refining companies and could not, therefore, be made available for the new project. It was then that Cities Service shifted its sights to the Texas Gulf Coast area. At about this time the administration then in office in Baton Rouge, headed by a Lake Charles man, found out about the project, and moved in to convince Cities Service that Lake Charles - not Texas - had the superior site.

But there was still a big hurdle. For Louisiana still had the one cent per barrel oil refining tax imposed during the Huey Long days, as well as other tax obstacles making Lake Charles the less desirable location from a tax standpoint. Then began one of those dramatic chapters in the life of a community, a chapter that changed the entire future destiny of Lake Charles. After a hard fight and a close vote in the Legislature, the one cent refining tax was removed. And in addition the Police Jury of Calcasieu Parish called an election to permit the taxpaying voters of Calcasieu Parish to vote a 10-year tax exemption. The tax exemption was voted overwhelmingly - almost unanimously - by the voters of the entire parish.

The “high octane refinery” was under way by 1942 and was completed in early 1944; and it did, in fact, keep “a thousand bombers over Germany every night” until the final capitulation of Hitler’s cohorts. Then it went on to keep the supplies moving to the Pacific theatre of operations.

The U. S. Government was so impressed by the desirability of the Lake Charles location that the Defense Plant Corporation supplemented the Cities Service Refinery with butadiene, synthetic rubber, anhydrous ammonia, and magnesium plants, as well as an electric generating plant and a railroad. And it was well on its way with a toluene plant when the secret of the atomic bomb was discovered. This plant, only parts of the foundation for which were completed, became the only “war casualty.”

What happened to the other government-owned plants after the war is a modern day inspiring example of “converting swords into ploughshares.” Cities Service bought the butadiene plant; and today, as a part of the Columbian Carbon (PCI) complex, it is furnishing raw materials for synthetic rubber. Firestone purchased the synthetic rubber plant, and it is now producing 210,000 tons of synthetic rubber annually for peacetime uses. Matheison purchased the anhydrous ammonia plant, and it thus became the first of several local plants for manufacture of commercial fertilizer. Columbia Southern Chemical Corporation (now PPG Industries) purchased the magnesium plant and converted it into a chemical plant. It is now one of ten Lake Charles plants owned and operated here by PPG. Gulf States Utilities Company bought the electric generating plant, thereby increasing the generating capacity to serve local industry. More recently this particular plant was sold to PPG Industries, near which it is located. And, finally, the Kansas City Southern and Southern Pacific railroads purchased the DPC railroad. This line now serves the entire Calcasieu Ship Channel Industrial complex.

Thus, because of the “madness of Hitler” and the ambitions of Japan, aided by an alert state and local leadership, Lake Charles has become one of three great industrial centers of Louisiana and one of seven on the Gulf Coast and in the Southwest. For example, because Japan overran most of the natural rubber producing countries of the world, Lake Charles today has seventy-nine acres of land upon which a rubber plant operates which can out produce in man-made rubber what is required by 1,200,000 acres of rubber trees to produce in natural rubber in other lands.

The petroleum, chemical, and petrochemical plants dominate the industrial skyline of Lake Charles. And while the spotlight is focused upon this particular type of industry in Calcasieu Parish and Southwest Louisiana, manufacturing plants are by no means limited to this group of industries, as has already been pointed out. While, in some instances, their names may not appear on the letterheads or on the signboards at the gate entrance, the following companies - most of them nationally know - are identified with or represented in this rapidly growing complex of oil refining, chemical and petrochemical processing, and manufacturing plants, namely:

Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, representing a huge merger of Olin Industries and Mathieson Alkali Works, Incorporated; Continental Oil Company; Continental Carbon Company; Lake Charles Petro-Chemical Complex (Conoco); Stauffer Chemical Company, the multi-million dollar gas processing plant at Grand Chenier, operated by Conoco; and the Conoco-operated CATC marine division, including in addition to Continental, the Atlantic Refining Company, the Tidewater Oil Company, and the Cities Service Oil Company.

In addition to the above are the Cities Service Oil Company; the Cit-Con Oil Corporation, owned jointly by Cities Service and Conoco; the Columbian Carbon Company, operating a group of petrochemical plants formerly known as Petroleum Chemicals, Inc. (PCI); and the Calcasieu Chemicals, Inc. (one of whose stockholders is Sears Roebuck and Company); and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. Among the later arrivals are the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company’s ever-growing complex, now totaling ten separate plants or units, formerly known as Columbia Southern Chemical Corporation; Hercules, Inc., formerly known as Hercules Powder Company; the Davison Chemical Company Division of W. R. Grace and Company; Lone Star Cement Corporation, which has fifteen offices throughout the nation; and the Louisiana Polymers, Inc., a subsidiary of National Distilleries, Inc. Also there are the expanded facilities and plants of Gulf States Utilities Company and United Gas Corporation, recently acquired by Pennzoil, and the Lockheed Aircraft Service Corporation.

Expanding into the natural trade territory of Lake Charles, consisting of the seven parishes lying to the east and the north, the Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry advises that, limiting its statistics to the post-war period 1946-1966, inclusive (which eliminates much of the big industrial construction at Lake Charles built before and during World War II), tax exemptions for new industries totaled a capital outlay of $595,667,826, with 11,438 new permanent jobs. The area referred to includes not merely industries of the type located on the ship channel but also those processing the products of the farms, forests, and the sea.

Now it is time to return to the resource-based plants depending on the supplies of oil and gas, and of salt, shell, sulphur, and the ever-necessary supplies of fresh water, and huge supplies of reasonably priced fuel. Following the two pioneers, Mathieson and Conoco, there came the great explosion of heavy industry on the banks of the Calcasieu River and Ship Channel, for which the vision of our older citizens had made possible the site back in the middle twenties.

The first investment of Mathieson Alkali Works, later merged into Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, was a modest $7,000,000 back in 1934. This was used to build plants for the production of caustic soda, soda ash, and other chemicals. There was a 50% increase in soda ash capacity in 1940, accompanied by a synthetic salt cake installation. During the war years Mathieson built and operated an anhydrous ammonia plant, later purchasing the same from the Defense Plant Corporation.

In 1947 the company’s soda ash capacity was doubled, and its name was changed to Mathieson Chemical Corporation. A sodium nitrate plant was put in operation in 1948, concurrently with the operation of the nitric acid plant which, too, had been acquired from DPC. Mathieson and Olin built a hydrazine plant in 1953 which was operated under the name MATHOLIN. In 1954 the merger of Mathieson and Olin Industries took place, under the present name “Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation.”

In 1964 Olin Mathieson built the world’s largest ammonia plant, along with a 450 tons per day urea plant, which later was put in operation in the summer of 1966. From a small beginning, Mathieson has catapulted its size and output into a large complex serving the Gulf Coast as well as points in the Mid-West. The judgment of Mathieson proved amazingly correct, for the company’s employees have multiplied six times, and its Lake Charles capital outlay is now nearly ten times that of 1934. Since its merger with Olin, it has become one of the world’s big industries; it has grown remarkably in both size and diversification and is now represented in almost every part of the world.

In September of 1966 Conoco celebrated twenty-five years of operations at Lake Charles. Its decision to come to Lake Charles was made during the presidency of the late Dan Moran. From an initial capacity of 7,000 barrels, its refinery now has a capacity of 61,000 barrels a day, or nearly nine times its original capacity.

Like other oil companies, this one, too, has gone heavily into petrochemicals. In recent years it has added a petrochemical plant and is now engaged in two other major petrochemical projects - an ethylene plant, which will be operated by Conoco; and a vinyl chloride monomer plant, jointly with Stauffer Chemical Company, but which will be operated by Stauffer. Continental is producing both synthetic detergents and industrial alcohols.

Conoco’s investments in the Lake Charles area total more than $100 million. Conoco pays in taxes annually on all its Louisiana operations - as distinguished from its Lake Charles operations - a total of nearly $11,500,000. It adds to the state’s economy each year, exclusive of maintenance and normal operating expenses, for the entire state, a total of $60 million.

This company is part owner and the operator of the famous CATC tidelands oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico, with a headquarters in Lake Charles for these offshore operations. Two other companies interested in this venture are the Atlantic Refining Company and the Tidewater Oil Company and Cities Service Oil Company. These operations began in 1954, when the first drilling platform was anchored in West Cameron Block Number 192.

In addition to the drilling work, itself, which is contracted out, CATC has sixty-eight company employees; and there are presently anchored in the Cameron area a total of seventeen platforms. A total payroll of approximately $600,000 annually results from these operations, and this for the “company employees alone.” The replaceable value of the seventeen platforms is approximately $600,000 each, or a total of $10,200,000.

The Cameron off-shore drilling operations are among the most prolific and extensive along the Louisiana coast, and the operations are among the most fantastic mining operations of our day.

At the turn of the century Lake Charles lost to Texas what has developed to be an entire city - Port Arthur, Texas. It was then that the promoters of a railroad were trying to find an outlet to the Gulf of Mexico. And following the custom of the early “railroading days,” the promoters asked Vernon and Calcasieu Parishes (now consisting of the Parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and Jefferson Davis) to vote a tax to help build the road so the main line would run through Calcasieu and on to the Gulf through Cameron. Vernon agreed, but Calcasieu refused. Therefore, Port Arthur, a city of 100,000 people, developed.

It took nearly a half century for Lake Charles to even the score with Texas. The original Cities Service Refinery was about to go to Texas, as related above. When Louisiana’s governing officials heard of the plans, they made a strong plea for the location to be at Lake Charles. They were given the answer that there were three available locations on the Texas coast, any one of which would cost the company from $400,000 to $750,000 less per year in taxes than would be called for at Lake Charles.

The untold story is that Louisiana’s Governor (without any legal authority whatever) went to New York and made a firm commitment to Cities’ officials that Louisiana’s Legislature would repeal the prohibitive one cent per barrel oil refining tax; the Police Jury of Calcasieu would call an “industrial tax exemption election;” and, in the absence of the authority which the Board of Commerce and Industry now has to grant such exemptions, the people would vote such exemption, for all except the small 5.75 mills of state taxes -which right the people then had under another statute.

All this was done; success attended each step; and the location of the refinery that was “to keep a thousand bombers over Germany each night” became, in the language of the lawyer, a fait accompli. Hence one of the world’s great oil refineries rose from the banks of the Calcasieu, on lands the title to portions of which emanated from the Spanish Rio Hondo land grants, from the then government of Mexico. And there spread from the basic refinery, thus built, a huge complex of oil and chemical plants. With the prosperity thereby generated, the town of 21,000 people of 1940 became with its suburbs a city of 100,000 as of 1967, although much of the suburban area has never been taken into the city limits.

The Lake Charles Operations of Cities Service Oil Company comprises one of the largest petroleum manufacturing complexes in the world. Here they are joined by Columbian Carbon Company, another major 100%-owned subsidiary of Cities Service Company, in the ownership of plants in the complex.

This complex consists of the basic refinery, the petrochemical plants (plural) of Columbian Carbon Company, the lubricating oil refinery of Cit-Con Oil Corporation, the Columbian Carbon’s butyl rubber plant, and the Calcasieu Chemical Corporation. All plants are managed and operated by Cities Service Oil Company personnel, and 2,450 men and women share in the work.

Cities Service operations pay more then $4-1/2 million in state and local taxes, of which $3 million is paid to Calcasieu Parish. All the plants represent an investment approaching $350 million; and it has been estimated that the replaceable value “would approach a billion dollars.” Cities’ payroll is approximately $22 million. The company purchases approximately $20 million in miscellaneous operating materials and supplies, mostly from local business, each year. And the company’s bill for public utilities exceeds $15 million a year.

“After two decades,” says one Cities official, “Cities Service regards itself as an old resident, but one with new ideas for growth and expansion.” The company’s first installation went into operation in 1944 with a $67 million investment. Today, in this Centennial year of 1967, there are four plants which with many units others would designate as separate plants add up to between twelve and fifteen plants or units, with a total invested outlay of more than a third of a billion dollars. Some $30 million more will be added this year, when the new projects under way are completed.

So impressed were the government’s DPC and procurement officials with the site selection made by Cities Service that the government itself built five other wartime industrial plants, plus an electric generating plant and a railroad to serve them. And, as has been mentioned elsewhere in this article, all of these have been purchased by private enterprise and are operating today. Among these was the butadiene, now owned by Columbian Carbon and operated by Cities Service. Others are the Firestone rubber plant, operated by that company’s Synthetic Rubber and Latex Company; a magnesium plant, which was purchased by what is now PPG Industries and converted into a chemical plant, which serves as the nucleus of a giant chemical complex within itself; and an anhydrous ammonia plant and nitric acid plant, both of which were acquired by Olin Mathieson.

The electric generating plant is now a part of PPG Industries; and the railroad, now owned and operated by Kansas City Southern and Southern Pacific railroads, has been lengthened to serve the new industries to the south.

Construction of this plant began October 1, 1942, and its first production began September 1, 1943. Cold rubber production commenced in September, 1948. Its basic raw materials are butadiene, a portion of which it gets from Cities Service; and styrene, both of which are petroleum hydrocarbons. The plant’s initial capacity was 60,000 long tons annually. It is now 210,000 long tons - or nearly four times as great.

Synthetic rubber is shipped from the Lake Charles plant to a large number of rubber consuming companies in the U. S. and to eighteen foreign countries. Over a million pounds of synthetic rubber is shipped through the Port of Lake Charles each month, and another five to six million pounds are stored in the Port’s warehouses pending shipment to U. S. plants.

This plant was purchased by Firestone from the DPC in 1955 for approximately $13 million; and in recent years the company has spent several million dollars enlarging the capacity. Expansion in this plant, as in the other plants on the Lake Charles Ship Channel, continued apace. In 1966 Firestone started a project to produce a new type of synthetic rubber known as polybutadiene, the physical qualities of which are almost identical with those of natural rubber. Firestone employs 635 people in its Lake Charles operations; and its total annual payroll is approximately $5,000,000. Firestone has another operation at Orange, Texas; a close relationship exists between the two plants.

This company, generally referred to as PPG, has a remarkable distinction in the Lake Charles industrial community. It is located on the site and uses some of the buildings formerly occupied by the government-owned wartime magnesium plant. It was generally conceded that the magnesium plant would not continue to operate as such after World War II. But not many people, if any in the local community, could visualize the conversion of the magnesium plant into a chemical plant for the manufacture of chlorine, caustic soda, and hydrogen. Not only did this happen, but the PPG plant has served as the nucleus of a complex in which are located ten separate and distinct plants.

Whereas prior to 1960 only three products were manufactured in the local plant, since that time eight new products have been added, namely: ethylene dichloride, methyl chloroform, sodium chlorate, isopropyl percarbonate, hydrogen chloride, perchlorethylene, trichloroethylene, and ethyl chloride. To these, vinyl chloride and silica pigments are being added.

The year 1966 was the biggest year of all for the growth of PPG’s Lake Charles operations. More than $60 million was appropriated for new units and expansion of new facilities. Of that figure $37 million was allocated for the construction of a mercury cell chlorine plant, including a large power generating unit, the largest single appropriation ever granted to the company’s chemical division. A silica pigments plan received a $10 million appropriation, and $7.5 million was allocated for expansion of the vinyl chloride plant still under construction.

The raw materials used at the Lake Charles operations are salt, fuel, ethylene, and sand. And it is an interesting fact that PPG is the largest seller of chlorine in the country; and that the Lake Charles plant is one of its larger producers.

The company opened with only 300 employees, while, as of January, 1967, this number had increased to 730 with an annual payroll of $5,500,000. At the present time there are 700 construction workers engaged on various construction projects. “Many factors,” says a company spokesman, “are responsible for the rapid growth and diversification of PPG. Among them are abundant raw material sources in the Lake Charles area, water transportation, and technical and production talent.”

The location of Davison Chemical Corporation’s synthetic catalyst plant on the Lake Charles Ship Channel is one of those amazing success stories that happen once in a decade, or generation. Back in 1951 two representatives of the company came to town on a Wednesday and had lunch with the then president of a large existing industry. This local official turned the two representatives over to a knowledgeable representative of his company.

There then followed a conference at which the following requirements were outlined: 1) We need a site on deep water. 2) We must have assurance of an industrial tax exemption. 3) We need a railroad built to the proposed construction site. 4) And we need assurance and clearance from your Stream Control Commission that our operation constitutes no prohibited waste disposal. The local representative assured Davison’s representatives that all these could be met. “How long will this take?” came the first question. “How long will you be here?” came the answer in the form of a question.

Since the representatives wanted to get back on the return trip by Saturday, they figured that if all the answers could be forthcoming in two weeks, that would be sufficient. The local representative nonchalantly said: “I think we can get this all done by Saturday.” The Davison people being somewhat nonplussed, decided that they would explore to see if the local man knew what he was talking about; so they probed a little further. “What site do you have in mind?” “Vincent’s Landing,” came the reply. Whereupon the visitors were quite sure this was impossible, and, without having previously said so, they replied: “We’ve tried that site before without any luck.”

But to make a long story short, the commitments of the Stream Control Commission and the Department of Commerce and Industry - for waste disposal clearance and industrial tax exemption - were secured the first day. The realtor the local man had in mind was out of town and would not be back until Friday night. “So,” said the local representative, “we’ll work on the railroad next.” A telephone call was placed and it took a half day to get the call through to the railroad people. Finally it came through about noon of the second day. “Heck, yes, I’ll give ‘em a road. I’ll be in New York next week; so just let me know who you see down in Baltimore and I’ll go down there and close the deal.” The man speaking was the railroad’s President.

Listening to one end of the conversation, the Davison representatives asked: “What did they say?” “He said he’d build the railroad and would be down in Baltimore from New York next week to see the proper party.” At that point they began to think the thing was really going to work. It did. That afternoon the real estate man came in. He got one signature on an option Friday night. He went to Texas and got the other the following day, Saturday. On Sunday morning - one day late - they were back on their way to Baltimore.

This is the story of the birth of another industry for Lake Charles. Option for the site was taken in July, 1951. The purchase was made in August of the same year. Construction was commenced January, 1952, and was completed February, 1953. And the dedication of Davison Chemical Company’s synthetic catalyst plant was held April 28, 1953. It was merged with W. R. Grace and Company on May 13, 1954.

The plant manufactures synthetic petroleum cracking catalyst and sodium silicates. It employs 175 people and has an annual payroll of $1,250,000, or thereabouts. The Lake Charles plant supplies nearly all the major petroleum refineries on the Gulf Coast and surrounding areas, as well as the West Coast, Mexico, South America, and Puerto Rico. A company spokesman says: “A wide variety of catalysts have been made over the years in order to meet the expanding and varied requirements of the petroleum industry.” The Davison Chemical Division of Grace, like other industry on the Lake Charles Ship Channel, is undergoing an expansion program. And the spokesman goes onto say that this “Present expansion will enable Davison to continue to meet the ever-expanding demands for petroleum catalysts. We look forward to a bright future in the Lake Charles Industrial Area, and are proud to help celebrate Lake Charles’ Centennial.”

The orators of a prior generation were wont to speak in flowery language of the magnificent structures of steel and stone. In this day and time stone has been supplanted by cement and concrete. And the first utilizations of the atomic bomb go far to prove that the most reliable and durable of building materials appear to be these same materials which have been known for centuries.

So it was not unnatural that cement plants should follow the path of industry to the banks of the Calcasieu. While it has been serving the area since 1925, the Lone Star Cement Corporation was the first to build a complete cement plant based at Lake Charles to serve the growing industrial community. The decision to locate here was made in the mid-fifties; construction was started in January of 1956; the mill was completed in the summer of 1957; and the first cement was shipped in August of that year.

Lone Star now has 135 employees with an annual payroll of nearly a million dollars. It uses each year enough natural gas to heat 5,000 homes and enough electricity to serve a thousand homes. Its supply costs for a year approach one and one-half million dollars, and its freight bills exceed a million dollars annually. The company’s most important raw materials are obtained locally. The clay comes from Lone Star’s operations on its own property, while the shell comes from nearby shell deposits, largely from the abundant deposits in the coastal waters. Thus the area combines the advantages of local resources: a ready supply of natural gas, an ample sufficiency of electric power generated in the area, and the superior transportation combined in rail and water.

The method of handling the shell deposits reveals still another story of the ingenuity of man being applied to God-given resources. For many years prior to Lone Star’s plant location here, Mathieson had been getting its supply of shell from the coastal waters. But there was a waste in that there was a residue of non-usable “fines”- non-usable, that is, so far as Mathieson was concerned. But a method was devised for saving these “fines” and directing them to Lone Star for use in the manufacture of cement. Hereby still one more example of “waste material” was converted into an asset-this time for the manufacture of cement.

Hercules has long been a name in American industry; but it was not until the company’s decision to expand its diversification into the petrochemicals that Lake Charles was selected in 1959 as its site for a polypropylene plant to manufacture what was described as “a new breed of plastics able to compete with metal, wood, glass, and other materials in a vast multitude of new applications.”

Out of the laboratories of the company at Wilmington, Delaware, came the methods and processes that were to place new products on the market under the trade names of “Hi-fax” and “Pro-fax.” Pro-fax has found widespread acceptance in such uses as fiber, film, and industrial moldings, while Hi-fax is used for detergent bottles, kitchen ware, shotgun shells, house wares, and many similar uses.

And so Hercules’ first plant was located at Lake Charles, among other reasons, because across the road in the PCI (now Columbian Carbon) complex was a ready supply of propylene. And so, “On April 6, 1961, against the background of construction of the plant’s second unit, the original plant was dedicated at a formal ceremony.” And there was thus told, by closed circuit television from Lake Charles to New York City, where Hercules executives and editors of business and trade publications witnessed the occasion, the story which was to herald the birth of still another miracle product in the every-increasing myriad of products that come from the hydrocarbons of gas and oil.

As one miracle produces another, it was not long before the new product “Herculon” came into existence, made at the polypropylene plant at Lake Charles. Other Hercules plants in Virginia, Georgia, and Terre Haute, Indiana, manufacture film and fiber, one of the chief consumer products of which is carpeting. This emanates from the polypropylene made by Hercules at Lake Charles, which in turn is made from propylene manufactured by Columbian Carbon, across the road and which in turn is derived from products and by-products furnished by Cities Service Oil Company across another road.

Hercules employs 300 people, not including construction employees, which range from 25 to 75, and has a total annual payroll of $2,470,000.

Still in the construction stage is Louisiana Polymers, Inc., a subsidiary of National Distilleries, Inc., which most people associate with Scotch and Bourbon. This is but another example of the amazing diversification of American industry - the theory being that to have safely sound business operations in the economic world, it is wise not to put all one’s eggs in one basket.

This concern is but yet another example of diversification in the industrial field. According to the Louisiana public records, Louisiana Polymers has secured a tax exemption from the state’s Board of Commerce and Industry in the sum of $13,500,000 and is building a polyethylene plant near the Cities Service complex.

Louisiana Polymers should be completed in another year and will, according to the industrial tax exemption application, employ about 150 persons with an annual payroll of over one million dollars.

Back in the early days of World War II, stimulated by the momentum of the war, there was established here an Air Force Base to train the pilots of the heavy bombers that were to take on the best of German Luftwaffe and Japan’s fanatical Kamikaze with their fatalistic oriental disregard of human life. The local base performed a magnificent mission. And then, as was natural to citizens of a free world, they folded their tents at the end of war and went back to the peaceful pursuits of life. But they found that the erstwhile Russian allies had once again taken up the gun and sword - thus compelling the United States, also, to reactivate its camps of war.

And so the old air field was converted into the Chennault Air Force Base, as a so-called permanent air field. And then, yielding to the natural peaceful impulses of a peaceful people, Uncle Sam closed it down once again. And thus was created what is considered as the second local economic “casualties of war.” So began a psychological recession from which Lake Charles has only as of now completely recovered.

It was then that Lockheed Aircraft Service Company came in. It started with nine employees in 1965. It now has 650 employees, with an annual payroll of $3,500,000. Lockheed’s economic mission is to do a job of aircraft maintenance, modification, and assembly. It specializes in jet aircraft, domestic, and military. Lockheed thus gives us another example of industrial diversification. It has a good potential for the future. And the possibility of increasing its size by several times is good. It is - least one forgets - about halfway between the NASA operations at Houston and New Orleans; and the possibilities would, therefore, seem unlimited. Lockheed then represents another great stride, for it helps Lake Charles toward its great and natural industrial destiny.

Two of the absolute requirements of modern industry are fuel and electric power. “The marvel of incandescent electric lighting came to Lake Charles in 1892, a mere thirteen years after Thomas Edison startled the world by perfecting the first electric lamp and generating system to make lights practical.” Lake Charles’ first actor in this drama was J. A. Landry, who organized the first utilities company for the city in 1926.

What possessed the ingenious minds of Gulf States’ executives to select the costal territory from southeast Texas to a point below Baton Rouge is, to this writer, unknown. He does know that General Robert E. Wood of Sears, Roebuck & Co., some years later, predicted that this coastal area, with additions to the east and the west, and extending back a hundred miles, would become one of the richest pieces of real estate in the world. Certain it is that this company serves three out of the seven great petrochemical complexes of the Gulf Coast - namely, the “Golden Triangle” of Texas; the Lake Charles Ship Channel complex; the Baton Rouge industrial empire (said to be the greatest concentration of big industry in the entire South); and a portion of a fourth, the Lower Mississippi complex, which is often referred to as The Ruhr Valley of America.

Gulf States started modestly at Lake Charles. In 1948 it bought DPC’s 35,000 kilowatt “Riverside Plant” for $2.4 million, added a unit in 1948 with 40,000 KW capacity, and then built the huge Roy S. Nelson Power Plant near Westlake in 1956. This plant was designed to accommodate one million kilowatts of generating capability. The first unit was built in 1956-1959 to produce 111,000 kilowatts; the second unit was completed in 1959, which with the first, gave a total of 222,000 kilowatts; and the third for 162,000 KW was added in 1960. Gulf States Utilities disposed of its Riverside Plant to PPG, as noted above; but the company’s present local capacity is 384,000 kilowatts. The company’s present investment at Lake Charles is $52,679,000; and there is scheduled for 1970 an additional outlay of $42,000,000. The company employs 309 people and has a total annual payroll of $2, 272, 000.

Because of Gulf States’ foresight and the advantage of its wide system and interlocking arrangements, this writer is advised that no industry has ever been lost to Lake Charles because of a lack of electric power.

United Gas is the natural gas distributing system for all domestic and commercial consumers in the Lake Charles area, as well as the distributor of 76 billion cubic feet of gas annually to Lake Charles industry, as measured by its 1966 sales. United acquired the distributing system of Gulf States Utilities Company on June 29, 1931. It has a total payroll of sixty-one employees for Lake Charles proper; and, in addition, it has the franchises for the other communities of Southwest Louisiana.

In addition to the industries which are dependent on the oil and mineral resources, there are those which are related to the farms, the forest, and the sea. A check of those which relate to the rice industry reveals a total of ninety-five processing plants in the Lake Charles area. These include twenty-three rice mills, with employees in excess of 600 and an annual payroll in excess of $2,000,000. The area has a total of seventy commercial rice dryers, in addition to the individually owned dryers and those owned by groups of small farmers, not commercially operated. In addition, there are two rice parboiling plants with investments of approximately $400, 000 each.

No effect has been made to tabulate or list an inventory of small industries which process other types of farm crops, or of those which manufacture and sell to the farmers the fertilizers, insecticides, tools, and implements which are necessary for the operations of the farmer. These, in the nature of things, are difficult to differentiate from concerns which are not exclusively manufacturers but are more in the nature of distributors. Nor has the writer attempted to delve into the processing of other farm crops, such as cotton gins, compresses, packing extraction of vegetable oils, operation of creameries or other commercial or industrial operations.

As an indication of the growth of agricultural industries in the Lake Charles area, total loans of $730,000 have been made to thirteen small “agri-dustrial industries” by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture since the year 1962. This is out of a total of $2,728,358 made to such small industries for the entire state during the same period of time.

It is quite obvious that if the revolving fund for this purpose were increased, as has long been advocated by Commissioner Dave L. Pearce, this field would grow by leaps and bounds, thus adding great diversification to our agricultural industries.

Before the subject of farm industries is dispensed with, and particularly those related to the one crop of rice, it is well to consider how little has been done with this remarkable crop and how much remains to be done. Never should it be forgotten that Lake Charles is the number one rice port of the nation, as well as the headquarters of the American Rice Growers Association.

Too, so much progress has been made in the mechanization and modernization of the methods of production and processing of this highly important world food that less than a year ago the rice experts of the world gathered here to hold their first world conference on rice ever held in the United States. Since rice is the most nearly universal food crop of the world and 65% of its people eat rice as a part of their daily, staple diet, the industrial possibilities in the processing of this commodity are unlimited.

It is not an exaggeration to say that as Winston Churchill, during World War II, used the English language as the greatest military and diplomatic weapon of that era, so can we, if we choose, to use rice as the greatest military and diplomatic weapon in this day and for centuries to come. Though it might be a slight oversimplification, it does not stretch the facts too far to say that the Vietnam War is a war for food - that is, a war over rice.

This is true because Southeast Asia is the figurative bread basket of Asia and the Far East. Only the Southeast Asian countries and the United States are surplus rice-producing countries. China and India are not; Japan and the Philippines are not. And producers here in this country have hardly scratched the surface so far as our rice-producing potential is concerned. For a country which eats very little of the rice it produces, the people in this area have an unusually large number of rice mills, rice dryers, and specialized rice processing plants. Not counting the non-commercial rice dryers that serve only one or a few farms, the Lake Charles area now has a total of 109 such industries.

When the world market is considered, the potential for additional mills and plants is terrific. Rice quotas here are but a fraction of what could be produced were the restrictions taken off. The ingenuity of the Southwest Louisiana rice farmer, with better seed strains and better fertilization, has trebled the rice production per acre since this writer came to the rice country of Louisiana in the middle twenties. The rate of production per acre is still increasing. With the local advantages, and a little common sense on the part of the agricultural bureaucrats in Washington, this area could supply much of the food needs of the United States’ allies in Southeast Asia and the world. Perhaps one day they will learn.

After this consideration of the one crop long identified with the Far East, it is time to discuss yet another product of the Orient, the soy bean, which is rapidly transforming the agricultural pattern of this section and which is probably the most versatile of all farm crops known to man. Unbelievable as it may sound, the United States is today producing 90% of the world’s crop of soy beans, which once was an exclusively Asiatic crop. And yet, Southwest Louisianans have only in the last few years commenced the commercial production of this most amazing product of the farm.

This product is so described because it is an oil; it is both food for humanity in certain sections of the world and feed for domestic animals throughout the world. It is a protein and a hydrocarbon, from which thousands of industrial products may be, and in other sections of the world, are being manufactured. Admittedly for Southwest Louisiana this is an industry extending into the future, and not existing in the present. But it is on its way. Already the tonnage it provides is making the Gulf ports - when added to grains that come down the tributaries of the Mississippi - the chief grain ports of the nation.

In the same category are the packing plants from the increasing herds of beef cattle. Leather production, too, goes in this category. Here a cow can be grazed on one acre, compared to the twenty acres needed in certain portions of the so-called cattle country of the West.

While it is true that there are industries that do not depend upon the existence or the ready growth of natural resources or other raw materials, it is also true that the surest and easiest road to industrialization is the existence of natural resources and the ability to produce and harvest, or otherwise retrieve, such raw materials. And in this field, it must be admitted that this area is only in the infancy of its economic development.

For many years there has existed in this area the industries that process the products of the Gulf and of its bays, inlets, and sounds, as well as some of the larger salt water lakes. Included in this category are the packing, canning, and freezing of oysters, shrimp, crabmeat, and other types of edible fish. This is a growing industry, but it has not yet reached the point where it is of major importance insofar as total employees and payrolls are concerned.

There is, however, in this area a new development known as the commercial processing of a specie of fish recently found to exist in commercial quantities in the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico. This industry, known as the menhaden plants, is sometimes referred to as “pogie plants.” Two such plants have for some years been in operation at Cameron, a short distance south of Lake Charles, and a third is under construction. The two existing plants are the Louisiana Menhaden Company and the Gulf Menhaden plant. The former was built in 1945 and involved an original capital outlay of $500,000, with a present replaceable value of $1,250,000. Those employed in the plant total seventy-five, and the annual payroll is $300, 000, with another outlay of $360,000 annually for the employees who operate the boats. The boats themselves represent an investment of more than $2,000,000 and employ 136 men. The products manufactured, or which result from the processing, are fish meal, fish oil, and fish solubles. Though at this writing there is no available statistical information on the investment and operations of Gulf Menhaden nor of the new plant under construction, it may be assumed that these operations are of comparable size.

While the menhaden business is relatively new to the people of the Gulf Coast, it is one of the oldest commercial fisheries operations in America. In fact, the early explorers and pioneers of this country found that the Indians were using the menhaden as fertilizer for their corn and other crops. And the importance of this fish can be readily seen when it is explained that the menhaden catch is at the present time 45% of America’s total of all species landed in the United States each year. And the annual menhaden catch now goes beyond one million tons.

So great has this industry grown nationwide that the menhaden now supply 75% of all the fish meal, 80% of the marine oils, and 80% of all the fish solubles produced in the United States. In a typical year this rich resource yields over 224,000 tons of fish meal, 21 million gallons of fish oil, and 102,000 tons of solubles.

Menhaden is rich in high quality protein, minerals, and other essential nutrients; coupled with the unidentified growth factors, these properties make it an excellent food ingredient for poultry, hogs, mink, and other animals. The valuable protein or amino acid content of fish meal, represented by the high proportion of methionine and lysine, creates a great demand for it as a high-efficiency broiler feed. It is also significant in the growth and reproduction of swine, and the fish solubles are valuable in feeds.

The oil from menhaden is used in the manufacture of paints, resins, putties, caulking compounds, lubricants, brake blocks, soaps, pharmaceuticals, and tanning leather. It also is used in lipstick. It tempers saw blades. Buildings, factories, ships, and bridges are preserved with its rust-resistant paints. Because of menhaden oil, varnish dries faster, ink writes better, and linoleum wears longer.

And, what is important to any area, it adds significantly to the economy, creating direct employment for thousands aboard the vessels and in the processing plants. By creating thousands of additional jobs in allied industries, such as boat building, machinery, net and twine manufacturing, and plant construction, the menhaden fishery makes a substantial contribution to the domestic economy.

The example of menhaden gives strength to the suggestion that many of the problems of the future in providing more jobs, in adding more food and feed, and in providing the most versatile products yet known - by “the farming of the sea” - can be solved. And if the rate of population growth continues at the pace the world is now experiencing, there will be a need, as many of the experts predict, for these new areas with their hitherto unknown produce to supply the needs of a burgeoning humanity.

So, once again, this community’s ability to produce or recover the natural resources or raw materials that are either available or can be made available to it, is one of the tests that will determine whether it will be a community filled with diversified industries. Hence it is important that it depend, not merely on the liquid, solid and gaseous minerals but that it also look to the farm, the forest, and the sea.

A great researcher once said to this writer: “That land is rich which has both natural gas and pine trees.” This area has both. But in addition it has a multitude of other things. It has been said that from three resources alone - water, air, and the hydrocarbons of brown coal - Germany was making, in its chemical plants, before World War II, a total of 25 thousand commercial consumer products. This locality’s great natural mineral wealth has already been considered; and herein nature has given us all the tools of the chemist’s art - the hydrocarbons of oil and gas, salt, sulphur, shell, and an abundance of fresh water. And, too, this locale can do with petroleum all that Germany ever did with brown coal, and infinitely more, and with much greater facility.

The potential from the farms and the sea has also been considered. Now, it is time to note two examples of what the forests that lie to the north of us have done, and are doing. One is the example of Oakdale, Elizabeth, and Ward 5 of Allen Parish. The other is DeRidder and Ward 2 of Beauregard Parish.

At the present time Ward 5 of Allen Parish has an annual industrial payroll of $13,786,000. This is ten times as much as Calcasieu Parish had in 1940. It has a total of 2,153 industrial workers in six forest industries. Twenty-five years ago one could have counted on the fingers of one hand the number of people in that parish who would have dreamed that such progress could have been made.

Today three large paper mills are being considered for Beauregard Parish, with something of the order of 1,250 employees in the plants and in the woods for one of them. If two out of the three are constructed, they might well be sufficient to make DeRidder one of the larger of the state’s medium cities over the next ten to fifteen years if we count in the inevitable suburbs that are making up so large a part of America’s residential areas of today. It is said that one railroad is getting ready to serve five new paper mills in the west Louisiana and east Texas area. Twenty-five years ago people would have called anyone crazy who made predictions that such things would happen.

It might be interesting to note that in addition to the large forest industries located in the Lake Charles area such as pulp and paper mills, furniture dimension stock, pine plywood plants and sawmills, there are a great variety and diversity of small forest industries, totaling thirty-two, including both pine and hardwood manufacturing and processing lumber, posts, poles and piling, tall oil, farm craft, gum producers, turpentine, wood distillation, pine chemicals, boxes, fur wood treating, and the like.

In the early twenties there were a dozen large sawmills, averaging a daily production of 150,000 board feet. So great was the production and the employment that Ringling Brothers Circus once passed up Lake Charles and went to DeRidder for its “show” because there were more people within a given radius of DeRidder than of Lake Charles. There will be fewer plants and fewer employees from the second crop, but there will be higher pay and greater diversification, and, therefore, greater prosperity.

At one time there were more than a hundred such industries in South Louisiana from the Atchafalaya to the Sabine, and with the timber recession this number decreased appreciably. But now with the increase of timber growth, these industries are once again on the rise. And as has been seen here in Lake Charles, industry breeds industry. So will it be in the new forests that lie to the north of the city.

So the area will have prosperity upon its ship channel - prosperity to the east and the west in the new agricultural crops and in the processing thereof. It will have prosperity to the south, prosperity born of still more industries that process the seafoods and marine life, much of which - like the anchovies recently discovered in the Gulf - have never before been heard of, much less discovered. Also there will be industry and prosperity to the north of the city when the trees are harvested and manufactured into paper pulp, craft paper, paper boxes and packages, newsprint, fence posts, then poles, then piling, then sawlogs, and also lumber pine plywood, and the dozens of products that were not dreamed of , much less manufactured, a quarter century ago.

But because one man, Henry Hardtner, with a vision went “crying in the wilderness,” and started the movement nearly fifty years ago, others were converted. The army of converts grew, and the genius of man’s brain was applied to the products that God made possible. So there is going on today in north and west and southeast Louisiana an anti-poverty program not born of Washington bureaucrats, but of man’s determination, that is lifting areas of welfare and desolation into lands of progress and prosperity. For jobs are being created, and the beneficiaries thereof are going home at night with a feeling of personal accomplishment that permits them, with pride, to look their fellow man in the face and say: “This I have done.”

But one should not limit himself to the past examples of forest industries alone. Jennings and Jeff Davis Parish are on their way to becoming one of the most diversified industrial sections of this area. It is close enough to take advantage of the supplies of seafood and marine occupations. Barge and ship building have a great future. Processing of rice and soy beans is taking a new lease on life. Industries for the supplying of the farmers’ and the oil drillers’ needs are growing by leaps and bounds. And Jeff Davis Parish already has one of the soundest economies in the entire state. And certainly it is one of the most desirable places in which to live from the standpoint of culture, education, recreation, and diversified religious advantages.

The people of this area planted ten dollar rice in the year following World War I and harvested one dollar rice. They saw the lumber mills “cut out and get out” in the middle twenties and they saw the resulting desolation and ruin that covered the land. They saw the gradual lessening of “on-shore oil,” but these things did not deter them. They went on to build the world’s most superior rice industry. They planted and protected a new crop of trees and are now entering the Golden Era of forest industries. They moved from the land into the sea and there discovered far richer reservoirs of oil and gas than had ever been known upon the land.

No land was ever more abundantly blessed; and no people were ever more determined. The future was bright, indeed, with undiscovered wealth a hundred years ago. It is richer by far today, and the horizons of the future were never more brilliant.

The writer of this chapter feels deeply indebted to Elmer E. Shutts, who has been port engineer since its inception, and who, with the aid of J. Frank Coleman of New Orleans, helped in determining the original location site of the facility; and who has continued to serve as engineer to the present time. This writer is indeed most grateful to him for many of the facts set forth in this chapter.

The writer also expresses his indebtedness to Stacey Bender, Directors of Trade Development for the Port of Lake Charles, and to the present Director of the Port, Howard M. Neely, for the information and assistance they rendered in furnishing data herein. This chapter could hardly have been prepared without their assistance.

A number of articles concerning the creation and development of the deep water channels in Calcasieu Parish, and the development of the Port of Lake Charles as a permanent port serving the Gulf Coast have been written. If these articles were available to the general public this chapter would be of no value, as the creation and development of Lake Charles as a port and the facilities that have been added to the community’s growth are fully set forth therein.

The writer feels that this chapter cannot enlarge on these articles to any great extent except as to the later developments of the port and that there must be due credit given to those several men mentioned above who have so ably heretofore presented these facts. The writer also feels that he was an integral factor in the development of the port for a period of twenty years and is familiar enough, therefore, to have checked the accuracy of the articles relied upon.

Lake Charles, for a number of years, was a small growing community. Although blessed with a beautiful lake and with the Calcasieu River, with a depth of approximately sixty feet, the only use made of these waterways in the early years was for floating of timber and some slight commerce by schooners and small boats. During the years prior to 1910, the Calcasieu River and its head-waters in the rich Louisiana forest lands, though flowing circuitously, did have enough depth through Lake Charles, Calcasieu Lake, the relatively narrow spit of land on which Cameron is located, and lastly, enough depth through Calcasieu Pass before emptying into the deep-water Gulf of Mexico to make it possible for Lake Charles to have a slight interchange of commerce by water with other parts of the world. Loggers tumbled the timber from the dense forests into the Calcasieu River whose current floated this timber down-river to a sawmill, where makeshift piers, flimsy according to modern standards, permitted loading of the finished lumber at numerous berths, into the small hold, and on the tiny decks of shallow-draft schooners. There were about twenty-one sawmills that could use the facilities of this river.

The Morgan, Louisiana and Texas Railroad commenced to serve the Lake Charles area in 1880, and the sawmills hastened to locate on rail sidings at points near the river so that inland movement of lumber could be initiated on a volume basis. With the construction of the Watkins Railroad in 1887, later to become part of the Missouri Pacific System, and the Kansas City Southern Lines in 1896, the shipment of lumber increased by both land and water. Therefore, it took only a few more years to strip the forests of the timber.

The first proposal for a rail line interchange with water transportation came to no effect. Jabez B. Watkins, the builder of the Watkins railroad from Alexandria, proposed a deep-water port at Calcasieu Pass, but planned to by-pass Lake Charles entirely. Plans to improve the navigability of the Calcasieu Pass to accommodate ocean-going vessels up to twenty feet of draft were completed, and a track right-of-way and terminal plans were drawn. But inability to attract financial assistance forced Watkins to alter his plans.

In 1900 the Kansas City Southern Lines, planning to make Lake Charles their southerly terminus for connecting them with deep water, requested the city officials to float a tax issue of $100,000 and devote the proceeds to the plan. Because opposition developed, the tax met defeat; therefore, the railroad abandoned its plans to make Lake Charles a deep-water port and turned to Port Arthur, Texas instead.

As the sawmills closed, the three rail lines into Lake Charles vied with one another for freight, and nothing further was done with water development. However, in approximately 1916, through the efforts of the Association of Commerce, a committee was formed in an effort to interest the Federal Government in developing a port through Calcasieu Pass. This support the Government refused to give, explaining that to do so was impractical; hence the millions that such a project entailed were not forthcoming. At that time the War Department, through its Corps of Engineers, repeatedly stated that it would not build a deep-water channel to the Gulf, since it was already maintaining the one at Sabine Pass. Beaumont, Texas, to the west had already been established as a port, using the Neches River to connect with the Sabine.

Lake Charles, at that time, had become the center of rice production; and its shipments, therefore, were being discriminated against because of higher inland transportation costs. Therefore, the Lake Charles Association of Commerce, after the war in 1918 had been concluded, took up plans for obtaining some method of deep-water access from Lake Charles to the Gulf. In the early part of 1921, while the creation of a Navigation District had been under study, a Constitutional Convention was held and the worlds “Navigation District” were eliminated from the new Constitution. However, there was included in the rights given to parishes the right to make other works of public improvement; and what these works were was set forth in a Special Act of the Legislature in September, 1921. This Act gave the parish a right to vote bonds for deepening and/or widening of river channels or canals operated by the government and to obtain rights-of-way for these and also made it possible for Calcasieu Parish to call such an election.

Urged by a number of energetic and foresighted civic leaders, the Police Jury of the parish called the election. Many resident taxpayers banded together in a strong unified effort to urge the carrying of the proposal to issue bonds as above set forth so that the parish could build its own ship channel for the benefit of its citizens. A bond issue was voted for $2,750,000 to build the ship channel by deepening the river at certain spots, ones which would connect with a spot on the Intracoastal Canal that led to the Sabine River. Rights-of-way were obtained to deepen the canal. The bottom width was set at 125 feet; the side slopes were one on one in marsh areas and two on one through the ridges. The project depth was thirty feet with a two-foot overcut, the United States Government having control of the entire work that was being done on the entire project.

The local taxpayers were in favor of the above method inasmuch as they knew that they could not maintain a channel directly to the Gulf but did know that with their funds they could construct a channel 22½ miles straight east-west, thereby intersecting the Sabine-Neches waterway just below the city of Orange. It would have been possible for approximately the same cost to have constructed this Lake Charles channel to Calcasieu Pass and to have shortened the distance to the open sea by over forty miles had this small community been able to maintain this Pass.

When the bond issue was passed, the work on the channel was delayed by litigation which was brought on to hold the vote illegal and thereby prevent the issuance of the bonds. By Supreme Court decision the election was held to be valid and the Court specifically set forth the right of the parish to bond and tax for construction of navigation canals and improvement of the river and to purchase rights-of-way inasmuch as such purchase was for a public purpose, notwithstanding the federal government’s ownership of right-of-way and control over the river to be improved.

The channel construction, which had been delayed because of litigation, was then started and was to cost in round figures approximately five million dollars. It was completed at the end of 1926. However, prior thereto, in October, 1926, Kelly-Weber & Company brought the first boat through the channel. This demonstrated the community’s ability, not only to build a ship channel, but to utilize it for sea-borne commerce.

Before dealing with the actual creation and operation of the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District, an effort will be made to set forth the development of the channel directly from Lake Charles through Calcasieu Pass. In 1928 the tonnage of the port had increased to such an extent that the federal government took over the ship channel for maintenance, thus relieving the community of that expense. From 1928 to 1933 the people of Lake Charles pled with the authorities in Washington for a refund to cover the construction costs of the channel. Consistently, the government turned down the request.

In the year 1934 those connected with the port came to the conclusion that the government would never refund the money spent by the local citizens on the original Lake Charles ship channel. In that year began the second and equally important, or perhaps more important, phase of the port development. It was then decided to abandon the refunding idea and to begin a campaign requesting the government to construct a direct channel to and through Calcasieu Pass. The first construction and operation of the Lake Charles ship channel was built with local funds and went by way of Sabine Pass. The second construction was what is known as the direct channel out of Calcasieu Pass.

In the late fall of 1938 the Engineering Department of the Port authorities, which made a firsthand study of Baltic ports, was in Poland when the Munich Treaty was signed. The port authorities agreed with the Engineering Department that the construction as set up by the United States Engineers would, before its completion, be stopped by a world conflict. Every effort, therefore, was made to convince the engineers that construction should be stepped up in order to achieve a completion date by 1941. This effort being successful, the channel through Calcasieu Pass was completed in 1941.

In October, 1956, a petition was presented by the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District to the Board of Engineers in Washington, requesting that the channel be deepened from 34 feet to 40 feet project depth and from a width of 250 feet in the bottom to 400 feet in width. Voluminous information of ships and ship tonnage was presented in this petition. In order to justify any large river and harbor improvement, the petitioners must definitely show that the savings by such an improvement money-wise would be sufficient to amortize the cost of the project in twenty years. This is an inflexible rule laid down by the Corps of Engineers and the Congress. The ruling in the first petition submitted by Lake Charles reflected a total first cost of $16,756,500 Federal costs and $7,961,000 of local or non-federal costs. It also showed after taking maintenance into consideration that the benefits-to-cost ratio was 0.5 whereas it had to be 1.0 or greater. The portion from the east end of the docks to Westlake was approved as being justified.

The Port of Lake Charles, on July 1, 1959, petitioned to the Army Engineers in Washington for a reconsideration of the earlier unfavorable report. Ships and tonnage and cargo values had increased sufficiently from October, 1956, to July, 1959, so that the port authorities felt that they were justified in presenting a petition for reconsideration. This was accomplished. Much information was presented bringing all figures up to date. Again, hearings were held in the nation’s capital, before numerous committees in Congress and the United States Board of Engineers. The ratio of benefits-to-cost had increased sufficiently to satisfy the requirements.

On April 15, 1960, the United States Engineers approved the deepening of the channel; and on May 5, 1960, the Corps of Engineers advised that it approved the depth of 40-feet and the width of 400 feet for the channel. Funds were approved in that year; Congress had approved Omnibus Public Works Authorization Bill making available seventeen million dollars for the deepening of the ship channel; and the President signed the bill. Congress, since that time, saw that the necessary appropriations were made; and, therefore, the work was carried on and eventually completed. At this writing all but a slight part near the Pass from Westlake to a point six miles out in the Gulf of Mexico is practically complete. From the inception of this project to its completion will have covered a period of ten years of hard and unremitting labor on the part of those interested in the improvement of this navigation channel which has made the Port of Lake Charles what it is today.

It was a task that people living here dreamed and worked to accomplish for almost a hundred years. Many civic-minded citizens who helped to carry on this work have not lived to see its completion.

While the preceding part of this chapter has dealt with the construction of the two ship channels by which Lake Charles was made a port and the deepening thereof, the following part of this chapter will deal with the creation of the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District and the development of the Port of Lake Charles by and through its port authorities.

After work had been started on the 30-foot channel to connect the Calcasieu and Sabine rivers, it was determined that it would be necessary to create a Harbor and Terminal District to begin handling all of the port’s business by the time the channel work would be completed. The Louisiana Legislature passed an act known as Act 67 of 1924, creating the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District, which was also approved by a Constitutional amendment. This Act created the territorial limits of the District as it existed in 1924, at which time the original District comprised the City of Lake Charles and extended in every direction about three miles beyond the city limits. It also included an approximately three-mile wide strip of land centering on the Calcasieu and running south to the southern boundary of Calcasieu Parish. Subsequent thereto, some additional subdivisions to the west and north were included, the complete description of which is very full in detail and would add nothing to this chapter except to those who might be interested. This description can be found in Louisiana Revised Statutes 34:201, which sets forth the boundaries.

The business of the Port of Lake Charles is administered by a Board of five men which according to the original Act the governor was to appoint in overlapping terms. Since July 29, 1964, the governor has made these appointments in overlapping terms, selecting the commissioners to be appointed upon the basis of a nominating council which was composed of one member from each of the following named groups or combinations of groups or organizations, namely:

3. The central office of the American Rice Growers Co-operative Association at Lake Charles, Louisiana

5. The state senators and representatives in the legislature representing the Parish of Calcasieu.

Full details on the method of procedure are set forth in Louisiana Revised Statutes 34:203.

This amendment was passed in 1964, but after having been in operation for two years, was attacked as being unconstitutional and has been so held by the lower Courts. So far the case has not been appealed and the Governor has since appointed two members under the prior Act.

The powers of the Board are set forth in Louisiana Revised Statutes 34:203 and are as follows:

To regulate the commerce and traffic of the harbor and terminal district in such a manner as may in its judgment be best for the public interest; it has all the rights, privileges and immunities granted to corporations in Louisiana; it may own and administer, contract for, construct, operate and maintain docks, landings, wharves, sheds, elevators, locks, slips, canals, laterals, basins, warehouses, belt and connecting railroads, works of public improvement and all other property structures, equipment and facilities necessary or useful for port, harbor and terminal purposes, including buildings and equipment for the accommodation of passengers and the handling, storage, transportation and delivery of freight, express and mail; it may dredge and maintain shipways, channels, canals, slips, basins, and turning basins; it may establish, operate and maintain in cooperation with the federal government, the State of Louisiana and its various agencies, subdivisions and public bodies, navigable waterway systems; it may acquire land necessary for the business of the district; it may acquire industrial plant sites and necessary property or appurtenances therefore, and it may acquire or construct industrial plant buildings with necessary machinery and equipment within the district; it may lease or sublease for processing, manufacturing, commercial and business purposes, lands or buildings owned, acquired or leased as lessee by it, which leases may run for any term not exceeding forty years at a fixed rental, but may run for a term not exceeding ninety-nine years provided they shall contain a clause or clauses for readjustment of the rentals upon the expiration of a primary term of forty years, and it may ratify, confirm and approve any such leases heretofore granted by it; it may borrow from any person or corporation using or renting any land, dock, warehouse or any other facility of such district such sums as shall be necessary to improve the same according to plans and specifications approved by it, and it may erect and construct such improvement, and agree that the loan therefore shall be liquidated by deducting from the rent, dock, wharf or toll charges payable for such property, a percentage thereof to be agreed on, subject, however, to any covenants or agreements made with the holders of revenue bonds issued under the authority hereinafter set forth; it may maintain proper depths of water to accommodate the business of the district; it may provide mechanical facilities and equipment for use in connection with such wharves, sheds, docks, elevators, warehouses and other structures; it may provide light, water and police protection for the district and for all harbor and terminal facilities situated therein; it may make and collect reasonable charges for the use of all structures, works and facilities administered by the board, and for any and all services rendered by it; it may regulate, reasonably, the fees and charges to be made by privately owned wharves, docks, warehouses, elevators and other facilities within the limits of the district when the same are offered for the use of the public; it may borrow funds for the business of the district; it may levy and collect taxes; it may mortgage properties constructed or acquired by the district and it may mortgage and pledge any lease or leases and the rents, income and other advantages arising out of any lease or leases granted, assigned or subleased by it; it may incur debt and issue bonds for its needs in the manner provided by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana.

All buildings, railroads, wharves, elevators and other structures, equipment and facilities herein referred to are declared to be works of public improvement and title thereto vest in the public.

After the original Act, there was subsequently added by legislation the right for the board to acquire by purchase, donation, expropriation, lease, or otherwise any and all lands in the district needed for railways, warehouses, docks, wharves, sheds, buildings, canals, channels, slips, basins, and other facilities to be owned and operated by the board; or to lease to others for manufacturing, commercial and business purposes to promote the industrial development of the district; and to provide for the payment of such land out of the funds under its control not otherwise specially appropriated. It has the right to do work with its own force and equipment as provided by law.

The Board has authority to charge a reasonable fee to each vessel arriving in ballast or carrying cargo of any kind. It may also charge for each copy of any certificate issued by it or its deputies for inspecting hatches, surveying cargoes, and the like. The master of each vessel shall, however, be furnished free one copy of all surveys upon his vessel or cargo. The board may, when necessary, levy annually on taxable property situated in the district an ad valorem tax not to exceed two and one-half mills on the dollar. All funds derived in this manner may be used for any expenses or purposes of the board.

The board has the right to borrow money, from time to time, and to issue certificates of indebtedness therefore to be secured by dedication and pledge of the revenues from (1) any fees authorized under this Part, (2) any taxes authorized under this Section, provided that the term of any such loan shall not exceed five years and the amount thereof shall not exceed that portion of the anticipated revenues authorized to be dedicated and pledged to the payment thereof.

The board is authorized to incur debt and issue negotiable bonds to acquire lands for the uses of the district and to provide funds for the making and construction of the public works and improvements as outlined in the Act. This can be done only after an election where the district’s property owners approve the board’s recommendations.

The board may, upon its own initiative, call a special election and submit to qualified taxpaying voters of the district the question of incurring such debt and issuing negotiable bonds. The board shall call such special elections when requested to do so by petition in writing signed by one-fourth of the property taxpayers eligible to vote at such an election.

All such elections and all proceedings for the issuance and sale of bonds shall be called, held, and conducted in accordance with the laws authorizing the issuance of bonds for such purposes by other political subdivisions which are authorized to incur debt and issue bonds of like character. The provisions of such laws shall govern and control all elections held here-under insofar as the same may be applicable thereto.

In 1930, the Board was also given by constitutional amendment 1/20^th of 1% of the sales tax collected in the State to be applied by the Board on any outstanding indebtedness or as it should see fit. This was later limited as to its use.

In 1925, with work on the westward deep-water channel progressing, the Board called for and the people voted for a bond issue of half a million dollars for the construction of the first port facility. The Board requested all three railroads to construct and operate a rail line to the port, to no avail. The Board then built its own line, consisting of five miles of main line rail, as well as yards, to support and serve the first general cargo facilities connecting with the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

The people of Lake Charles realized that they had made a tremendous investment in the construction of the ship channel and the port facilities, but they did not rest on their laurels. Even before the completion of this construction, every businessman in this area began a diligent campaign to secure cargo and shippers to use their investment. Within seven months after the opening of the Port, an additional one-half million dollars was voted to add to the port facilities. Seven hundred and fifty feet was added to the length of the first unit, and the width of the wharf including the original construction was increased from 110 feet to 180 feet. The covered areas of the transit sheds were increased to 220,000 square feet of floor space. Ship berths were provided for four ships, whereas, the original construction accommodated two.

In 1931, the port authorities by bond issue duly authorized by the taxpayers added a third wharf unti 1600 feet long and 200 feet wide at a cost of $700,000.00, and since said date the following sums have been authorized and are being spent, to-wit:

April 4, 1960, $13,000,000 was authorized, the bonds for which having all been now sold and the money therefrom being used for development of port facilities.

The type of wharf construction used in the Port of Lake Charles was in many respects similar to that which the New Orleans Dock Board used on the Mississippi River. The back portion of these wharf structures consists of concrete floor placed on hydraulically pumped sand fills. The front or shipside portion is open wharf on creosoted piling in eighty by ten foot centers. A thirty-two foot front apron is used on which two marginal or apron tracks are carried. These tracks are very helpful, particularly in handling export lumber, which can be loaded directly from car to ship. Two depressed tracks in the rear or on the shore side of the wharf are always used. The width of the transit shed in the first two units was 140 feet. The last unit, however, was increased to 160 feet. Modern methods of handling cargo on pallets with finger-lift trucks will, without question, lead to the construction of transit sheds of greater widths. A width of 200 feet will be entirely practicable, whereas back in 1926, such a width would have been too great for hand trucking. No gantry cranes for loading and unloading ships are used. All cargo is handled with the ship’s gear with the possible exception of barges which are unloaded with locomotive cranes on the marginal railroad track.

In adopting this type of construction for port facilities at Lake Charles, the port authorities always kept in mind the necessity of getting the greatest possible spread of semi-permanent construction with the monies available. They also had to keep down the cost of handling cargo and speed up the time of loading and unloading ships in order to expedite their movement and to keep all charges as low as possible. The port authorities have adopted and used the type of wharf built parallel with the river bank rather than to construct slips. This method is not only considerably cheaper but also the use of tugs for docking is not necessary.

The Lake Charles Harbor authorities decided in the beginning that in order to help development of industry they would not exercise any right whereby they might have to take over all water front property and to assess a fee against such industry which might locate in the Port of Lake Charles for handling their product over their own facilities. They decided to let industry develop unhampered and to secure and own as a private right any dock facilities necessary for the handling of manufactured products.

The dock board from its beginning encouraged in every way possible the establishment of private industries which, without cost to them, could use the ship channel for their specialized needs. Encouragement of the port authorities given to industrial plants in the construction of private terminals and the lack of any public authority exercised over these terminals has been the reason for a large expansion program in wharf construction other than the public facilities.

Out of the early development of the port a number of terminals were erected along the channel. Some of these are as follows:

Continental Oil Company - two terminals with an additional one under construction

The chemical industry had been started in Lake Charles with the construction of the Mathieson Alkali plant here in 1933, and it was along the lines of chemical and petroleum industry that the industry was sought after. An unbelievable $225 million in industrial development was functioning in Lake Charles at war’s end in 1945. The Cities Service Company built a high octane refinery; Firestone constructed a latex plant; and the Defense Plant Corporation, in cooperation with the Rubber Reserve Corporation and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, built a butadiene plant, an ammonia production facility, a magnesium plant, and an oxidation unit.

With the cessation of hostilities, some plants were rededicated to a return to peacetime production, but the conversion was readily accomplished, and the foresight of the Lake Charles planners again paid off. Continental Oil Company’s giant refinery grandfathered a petro-chemical complex that is still expanding. And temporary plants for uneconomical but necessary war production were avoided.

Because of the deep water channel, among the numerous plants which, in addition to the ones above cited, have been built and are located in the District are as follows:

The total value of all the plants so built are now valued at approximately one billion dollars.

The result stands to the lasting benefit of Lake Charles and also as a monument to the imagination, ability, and energy of the planners. For Lake Charles did not experience the tremendous economic dislocation that hundreds of other communities all over the nation suffered because of the closing of war production plants.

Since the war the port facilities have developed in rapid strides. Since it was desirous that the port fulfill its obligation to the area population and also serve its commerce both economically and expeditiously, special facilities were established. A million-gallon creosote storage tank with shipside pipe lines accommodates the wood-preserving industry which has barge tonnage originating as far away as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Freighters pump coconut oil from the Philippines into a customized facility from which area manufacturers are supplied with this essential ingredient for soap and for margarine and for other food products. The phosphate rock and barite ore grinding plant, located west of the ship channel, performs custom grinding and is the only one of its kind in the nation. This installation - a new departure in public port facilities – receives, stores, grinds, and ships phosphate rock, and like raw materials emanating from Florida. Barite ore is stockpiled and custom ground for oil well drilling mud.

A petroleum coke bulk handling plant was built to service this volume by-product of Lake Charles industry for export. An expanded demand for this type of facility will soon be met with the construction of one of the most modern bulk handling plants on the Gulf Coast; in this project the Economic Development Administration is participating up to 50 per cent of the cost.

The general cargo facilities have during this period of both industrial and port expansion not been neglected. The port has berths for ten vessels and two barges and simultaneous berthing, and those modern piers and transit sheds are supported by fourteen back-of-the-waterfront storage warehouses, supplied by both rail and truck access.

Between 1956 and 1958, a wharf and transit shed was built on Contraband Bayou, while another wharf was constructed from the mouth of Contraband Bayou extending north to the third unit of the public docks known as transit sheds four and five.

This nation’s largest automotive importer, Volkswagon Corporation of America, is an honored guest at the port, where a tremendous storage area is provided for an expanding commerce, which, in this coming year, is confidently expected to reach 20,000 units. Also a cotton press which served the requirements of west-of-the-river growth was placed in operation; it functioned economically until 1964, when a fire reduced the installation to rubble. This installation was fully insured, and the insurance payment in full for losses incurred immediately put to work in facilities maintenance and improvement.

The continuing confidence of area taxpayers came into evidence again in 1961, when a bond issue in the sum of 13 million dollars, for channel improvement and the establishment of an industrial canal for the attraction of deep-water oriented industry, was passed overwhelmingly.

At this writing the Industrial Canal at the strategic junction of the Ship Channel and the Intracoastal Waterway is completely dredged and provides sixty-eight hundred feet on each bank for new industry. The canal itself is 35 feet deep, with a bottom width of 500 feet, and a surface width of 700 feet; it opens up an area of 825 acres, filled to an elevation of from ten to twelve feet above Mean Low Gulf. The Government of the United States then recognizing the necessity for a railroad has contributed an amount in excess of $881,500.00 as its one-half for the completion of said railroad, the balance being paid for by the Port.

Ground-breaking and dedication ceremonies for both the new multi-million dollar bulk handling plant and the railroad to the Industrial Canal were held on January 5^th of this year in an atmosphere of both pleasant sense of accomplishment and serious dedication to the future.

This Centennial year in the history of the City of Lake Charles is one of destiny for its port, too. With the greatest economic development in the nation coming now to Louisiana, and much of it in the area served by the port, it is a certainty that the port will progress. As new industry locates in the southwest area of this emerging state, area commerce will increase hand in hand with area productivity. But progress, as such, can be slow, and can be slowed to a halt without the continuing support of the District’s entire population.

Responsible governmental economists presently estimate the port’s annual economic impact on the city and its environs at over 40 billion dollars. Since Lake Charles is connected with nearly all the main ports of the world, the future growth of the Port of Lake Charles is definitely a rosy one.

The Port of Lake Charles has had numerous prominent and influential business people serve on its Board of Commissioners and since its beginning has had eight Port Directors. In conclusion of this chapter it is apropos to set forth the various Commissioners and Port Directors who have served the port and helped to bring about its growth and development over the past 42 years:

Guy Beatty	E. J. Christman
W. P. Weber	Frank Field
E. R. Kaufman	John W. Flanders
Rudolph Krause	L. E. Hennigan
Frank Roberts	Robert L. James
George Baillio	George F. Kelly
Wilmer J. Boudreau	Dr. Maurice Kushner
D. H. Blair	W. W. Lowe
W. L. Boudreau	C. P. Martin
Percy Barnes	C. M. Moss
J. H. Barbour	W. C. Moseley
E. E. Broussard	L. D. Mann
H. G. Chalkley	S. W. Plauche, Jr.
R. F. Coffey	Sam M. Richard, Jr.
H. G. Chalkley, Jr.	T. K. Stitzlein
A. B. Cavanaugh	Clyde Stephens
P. H. Chaffin	Homer Tate
J. J. Tritico	Mrs. Sue Watson
James F. Newell

J. H. Luhn	Ernest J. Christman
A. A. Nelson	John H. Groh
A. P. Frith	Marvin W. Crowe
Rowland A. Preis, Jr.	Howard M. Neely

Even in the early days of Louisiana, few subjects engaged the thoughtful attention of the population more than the education of their children. – T. H. Harris, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education, 1908-1940.

In reviewing the early days of Southwest Louisiana, one finds that the settlers of this section were particularly interested in seeing that their children had an opportunity to get a better-than-average education.

In order to set the scene for this subject of educational development in Lake Charles, a brief review of its history is appropriate.

According to the records the first settler to arrive in the Lake Charles area was Martin LeBleu, who in 1781 established his home on English Bayou, at a point about six miles east of the city. The next settler, Charles Sallier, built a home on the south shore of the lake and in 1802 married Caroline LeBleu, daughter of Martin LeBleu, thus establishing the first family to make its home in Lake Charles.

During the period between 1800 and 1850 many other families arrived. Among the early ones were the Salliers, Kirbys, Hodges, Pithons, Bilbos, and Rigmaidens.

In 1852 the parish courthouse, which had been located at Marion (now known locally as Old Town) was moved down to the lake settlement. On October 4, 1850, a post office was established here; and, for the first time, officially, the settlement was known as Lake Charles.

As the little settlement grew, the people gave thought to educating their children. Records reveal that the very first school of any sort in this vicinity was taught in 1819 at the home of Jacob Ryan, one of the pioneers, who at that time lived at Rose Bluff near Bayou I’nde. The children who received instruction were those of Ryan and his two sons-in-law, Henry Moss and Pierre Vincent. The teacher was Thomas Rigmaiden, a young cultured gentleman from England. The first school building in Lake Charles was a crude one-room log cabin with a dirt floor. It was built in the mid 1840’s near the area now occupied by the Central Fire Station. It was reported that the first student to arrive of a morning was assigned the duty of running down to the lake to fetch a pail of water to be used in sprinkling the dirt floor to keep down the dust.

The teacher and owner of the building was Samuel Adams Kirby, who came to Lake Charles from Vermont and whose name has been memorialized in Kirby Street. He featured very prominently in the early development of Lake Charles; and after having conducted his school for a short time, Kirby rented his log cabin to Captain J. W. Bryan and Mrs. Theodule Landry, who taught classes in the building for several years.

From 1860 to 1880 private schools had their heyday. During this period more than thirty such schools existed, some for several years but most for a short duration. Newspapers of the day mention the following: Lake Charles Seminary, 1860, D. A. Bland, Principal; Mrs. Harrington’s School, 1860-1865; Lake Charles Male and Female Institution, 1868, operated by the Reverend L. I. Daves and wife. In 1874 Mrs. M. A. McClelland and daughter opened a school; Mrs. Theodule Landry also opened a private school in 1874 as did Mrs. E. F. Dade, graduate of Winston-Salem College; and Professor O.S. Dolby of Michigan conducted his own school during this period. In 1875 Captain O. M. Marsh opened the Lake Charles Male and Female Academy; the Reverend Severance was principal of the Lake Charles Male and Female Institution, which opened in 1880. S. O. Shattuck, a very prominent citizen and teacher in many private schools, operated his own school in 1880. The Reverend C. C. Hyde opened his school in 1881. In 1880 the Lake Charles Common School under the principalship of John McNeese opened its doors, and in 1883 the St. Charles Academy came into existence under the direction of the nuns. In 1886 the Glendale Academy was opened by Misses Alice and Ella Usher, and in the same year the Myrtle Kennedia Institute was opened by Misses Mollie and Mattie Burt. These were two very popular schools in Lake Charles in the 1880’s and 1890’s.

The mention of numerous private schools does not mean that public schools were non-existent. A State act of 1821 gave police juries the power to appoint a school board to promote public education, but Calcasieu Parish did not get around to appointing such a body until 1841. In 1846 the board appointed Samuel Adams Kirby the first Superintendent of Schools at an annual salary of fifty dollars. Social historians have stated that public schools developed very slowly and that as late as 1883 outside of Lake Charles there were only four public schools in the entire parish of 3,721 square miles.

The Civil War played havoc with all types of education, and no further reference to public schools in the town is made until 1871, when there were two public schools in Lake Charles, one being taught by A. H. Moss and the other by Miss Fanny Gray. In 1875 there were 502 educables in Lake Charles; of these only 237 were listed as pupils.

After the Civil War the area schools for Negroes developed concurrently with the schools for white children. In 1871, there was a school established for Negroes in Lake Charles. Newspapers in 1877 mention a very good graded school for Negroes conducted by John Bass at Reeves Chapel in Lake Charles.

With the improvement of financial conditions, more local and state funds were appropriated for education. By 1880 it was evident that it was only a matter of time before all private schools would be replaced by public schools.

In 1888 John McNeese, known as the “grand old man” in education in Southwest Louisiana, became Superintendent of Calcasieu Parish Schools. From this time on public education made rapid strides. McNeese was confronted with the most difficult task of attempting to attend to the needs of “Imperial” Calcasieu, which at that time comprised the area of the present parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Jefferson Davis, and Calcasieu.

In 1893 the Calcasieu Parish School Board, realizing that the people in Lake Charles, Southwest Louisiana’s largest city, needed more representation to take care of their school affairs, decided to appoint a local, or city, school board, which would be responsible to the Calcasieu Parish Board. Gradually the city board received more and more privileges and authority in managing its own school affairs. In fact, the plan worked so well that in 1906 the Calcasieu Board and the Lake Charles Board met jointly for the purpose of making plans for a complete separation of the two bodies. The action of the two boards resulted in a resolution of separation which became state law under Act 90 of 1906. However, official separation of the two bodies did not take place until April 19, 1907.

The limits and boundaries of the city school district were accepted as being the same as those of the city and remained as such until November, 1946. A legislative act of this year made it mandatory that any outside area which thereafter was admitted to the city would remain in the Calcasieu Parish school system.

Following separation of the two school boards, B. F. Dudley was elected the first Superintendent of City Schools in May of 1907 at a salary of $1,500. He served one year. E. S. Jenkins was elected superintendent August 14, 1907, and served until June, 1914. James N. Yeager served as superintendent from August, 1914 to July, 1919. He was followed by John G. Austin of Newton, Alabama, who served one year-August, 1919 to July, 1920. Ward Anderson became superintendent July, 1920, and retired July, 1948. G. W. Ford has served from July, 1948, and will retire June 30, 1967.

The period from 1894 to 1907 was a very interesting period in the school history of Lake Charles, though somewhat confusing. It must be kept in mind that two boards were responsible for the education of the children of Lake Charles-the parish board, which in reality possessed all of the legal power, and the local-appointed school board, which actually assumed all of the duties of a school board. The local board raised funds in Lake Charles to finance schools and selected teachers and superintendent to direct the schools. The Calcasieu Board had its hands full with administering to the needs of the schools in the rural areas of Imperial Calcasieu and was only too glad to have the local board to help with the problems of the schools in Lake Charles. The Lake Charles school was established as a high school by resolution of the Calcasieu Parish School Board on October 28, 1890. The name of the school was to be officially known as the Central and High School of Lake Charles.

It was customary during the period just previous to the separation of the City board from the Parish School Board for the principal of Central High School to be given the title of Principal and Superintendent of the Lake Charles schools. Thus such men as Professor J. E. Keeney, who was elected to the position of Principal on May 30, 1894, and served until 1897 and Professor Shaffer, who served in the same position from1897 to 1907 were frequently called Superintendent. Both of these men, while they were not in the legal sense superintendents, nevertheless were excellent administrators and were ranked among the best school administrators in Louisiana.

Act 90 of 1906 contained all of the legislation necessary to separate the Lake Charles schools from the Calcasieu Parish schools. It was passed by the legislature on May 14, 1906, and was approved by the Governor on July 7, 1906. In selecting its first superintendent the Lake Charles School Board considered the applicants B. F. Dudley, James A. Williams, and Chamberlain for the position. Mr. Dudley was elected unanimously as the first City Superintendent at a yearly salary of $1,500. He served for only one year. During his short term of office very little was accomplished other than to organize the City School system and legally convey all the city school property to the new City School Board.

In 1907 the following men composed the first City School Board: Leon Locke, a lawyer and State Senator; J. A. William, a lawyer; H. W. Rock, a merchant; Frank Haskell, a judge; and Jesse J. Nelson, a lumberman. Mr. Locke was chosen president, and the board employed Mr. A. A. Wentz, a realtor, to act as secretary to the board.

On May 6, 1907, the board employed Mr. E. S. Jenkins as Superintendent and principal of the high school at a salary of $2,000 for the year. Mr. Jenkins, a native of Tennessee, had received his education in his native state. He considered health very important and influenced the board to pass a resolution which stated in part that no schools were to receive pupils who had any infection or contagious disease, unless the said pupil presented a certificate from his doctor showing recovery and fumigation. He was also instrumental in getting the board to sign contracts with all teachers. This was the first time that teachers had ever received contracts.

Superintendent Jenkins was a strong believer in strict discipline, and in the spring of 1912 the board passed a resolution making corporal punishment lawful in the city schools. There must have been serious objection from some direction, however, for later in the same year the power of corporal punishment was limited to the school principal who had to have a written permit from the parent, this permit being filed with the secretary of the school board before the principal could proceed to administer any punishment.

Cheating was a very grave offense as is shown by the board ruling of 1913, which stated: “In the future any pupil in the city schools caught in the act of cheating or doing unfair work, in addition to the penalties already inflicted, is hereby prohibited from taking any honors during the rest of their school life in Lake Charles, between the fifth grade and the senior year in high school.”

Teachers were also disciplined to some extent. Part of their contract stipulated that social duties were not to interfere with school work or their efficiency as teachers. Whenever, in the opinion of the school board (the board being the exclusive judge), the teacher’s social duties are interfering with his school work, such teacher shall be discharged upon one week’s notice.

Much importance was given to good attendance. The board approved a regulation which gave a half holiday to the school room which had the best attendance during the month.

In August of 1909 the superintendent called the attention of the board to the fact that pupils living outside the city were attending city schools free of charge. A motion was passed which set a fee for parish students of $5.00 per month per student for high school pupils, and $2.50 per month for elementary school students.

The attendance of all teachers, both white and Negro, at the Teachers’ Convention in 1910 was urged by the Superintendent Jenkins. The board saw fit to rule that all teachers attending this Convention be paid their regular salaries during this convention period.

Superintendent Jenkins saw the need of increasing the school term for the general progress of the schools; and upon his suggestion, the board passed a motion regarding this matter. It stated that the term of school in all ward schools be extended from six months to eight months, and that in the high school the term be extended to nine months.

Lake Charles has always encouraged their teachers to improve themselves scholastically. As early as the fall of 1911, the board made a regulation stating that no teachers should be elected to teach in the city schools unless they were qualified for a first grade teaching certificate. In 1914 the question of hiring married teachers came before the board, and it was decided that in the selection of teachers, married women should not be discriminated against.

It was during the administration of Superintendent Jenkins that the following school buildings were completed: First Ward School on Opelousas Street, Second Ward School at the corner of Moss and Belden Streets, Third Ward (Central) School at Kirby and Kirkman Streets, and Fourth Ward School at the corner of Ryan and Foster Streets. The schools in the First, Second, and Fourth Wards were completed in 1913, and Central School in 1914.

Much to the regret of the school board and the citizens of Lake Charles, Mr. E. S. Jenkins resigned his position after faithfully serving as City Superintendent from August 14, 1907 until June 9, 1914. He was an excellent superintendent and worked very hard to develop the city schools.

The school board met in August at a call meeting to elect a new superintendent. Board members at the time were: H. L. Blackwell, W. J. Ory, Leon Sugar, J. A. Williams, and John B. Kent. There were two nominations for superintendent: James N. Yeager and H. P. Wall. Mr. Yeager was elected superintendent at a salary of $2,700 per year and served from August, 1914, to July, 1919.

In 1916 a new high school was erected at a cost of $89,954.75. It was a beautiful brick building and well equipped for its day. It replaced an old three-story frame building which had served as a high school for a number of years. This new building was looked upon as one of the finest school buildings in the State. The building burned in 1951.

The first salary schedule for teachers in Lake Charles was proposed by Superintendent Yeager and adopted by the board in 1917. The record shows that Yeager was the first superintendent to have an office assistant.

Attendance being somewhat of a problem during this period, the superintendent recommended that the board employ a truant officer. The board, acting upon this recommendation promptly employed one. Evidently the move was effective, for the school board minutes show that of the 2,660 white children of school age in Lake Charles during the school session of 1917-1918 there were 2,130 enrolled in the elementary schools and 426 in high school.

The superintendent urged all city teachers to attend the State Teachers’ Conventions which were held in different cities throughout the state. It was through his influence that the board passed a motion to the effect that all the city schools be closed during the time of the State Teachers’ Convention. The motion also provided that no salaries be paid a teacher for the days of the convention unless he attended.

Superintendent Yeager held office during the very difficult years of World War I. Prices were high, and although he had been instrumental in getting a salary raise for the teachers, some of them did not feel that they were being paid enough. Consequently, many were disgruntled, some went on strike, and some resigned. The board, having no funds available for raising salaries, was forced to employ whomever they could get to teach. The problem brought on further discontentment both from teachers and parents. In general, however, discord continued.

Superintendent Yeager had the support of the school board and was reelected to serve until 1921; but under the circumstances he decided to resign as of July 31, 1919. Following his resignation, John G. Austin was elected Superintendent of Lake Charles City Schools in August, 1919. Board members at the time were Grant Mutersbaugh, W. E. Shaddock, T. F. Blaylock, W. J. Martin, and J. J. Nelson. And since there had been considerable discussion relative to the manner in which school financial accounts had been handled previously by the secretary and treasurer, C. H. Winterhaler, a public accountant was employed to audit the funds and to put in order the bookkeeping system.

It was during the year 1919-20 that First Ward Colored School (now called Jackson Street School) was completed at a cost of $15,991.31. Superintendent Austin was a scholarly, mild-mannered gentleman, but for many reasons did not quite fit into the local school situation at this time. Therefore, he resigned on May 4, 1920, after having served as superintendent for one year.

On May 4, 1920, the school board composed of Grant Mutersbaugh, W. B. Shaddock, T. F. Blaylock, W. J. Martin, and J. J. Nelson elected Ward Anderson to serve as Superintendent of the Lake Charles schools. The board made a very excellent selection, as Mr. Anderson proved to be an outstanding figure in education, not only in Lake Charles but also in the State of Louisiana.
In 1888 the Anderson family had moved from a farm near Aledo, Illinois, to settle on Hawkeye plantation a short distance east of Fenton, Louisiana. In 1895, their son Ward was sent to Lake Charles to attend school. He boarded with a family here and attended classes at the old Central School on Kirby Street.

The following year, he took his first teaching position in a small school near Jennings. For the next several years he attended college during the interim between teaching positions. Early in his career he graduated from the Springfield Normal and Business College at Springfield, Missouri. He also studied at the University of Tennessee, University of Chicago, the University of Missouri, and Louisiana State University, were he received a B. A. Degree.

Mr. Anderson served as principal of several schools in Louisiana, but it was in the DeRidder High School that he established himself as one of the finest principals in the state. To augment his income, he frequently taught in the summer sessions at the State Normal at Natchitoches and also at L.P.I. at Ruston. His last position before coming to Lake Charles was that of Superintendent of East Carroll Parish. Following is a listing of some of the highlights of Mr. Anderson’s administration in Lake Charles:

The sound financial standing the City Schools enjoyed during Mr. Anderson’s twenty-eight years in office, his employment of teachers of unusual ability, the excellent scholastic standing maintained by City School students, and the general growth of the school system gave him a most enviable record. He earned the esteem of being revered as a gentleman of high ideals and proven ability in school administration. Mr. Ward Anderson retired June 30, 1948.

The school board whose members at the time of Mr. Anderson’s retirement were Frank Field, Carl E. Kingery, Olin Sheppard, Mrs. E. B. Watson, and George B. Hines, Jr., named G. W. Ford to the position of superintendent. He assumed his duties July 1, 1948.

Mr. Ford received his early education in the public schools of Natchitoches, Louisiana and in 1916 graduated from the State Normal located in the same town. In 1926 he received an A. B. degree from State Normal College, and in 1931 a Master’s degree from Louisiana State University.

Mr. Ford did his first teaching in Lake Charles in the school year of 1916-1917, having been employed by Superintendent Yeager to teach the fifth grade and, in addition, teach manual training to the boys of the fifth and sixth grades at Fourth Ward School. In September of 1917 he taught manual training at Lake Charles High School. During the World War I years, 1918-1919, he saw service in the army in France. After being discharged from the service, Mr. Ford returned to Lake Charles to continue teaching. From 1919 to 1921 he taught manual arts at Central School, and from 1921-25 he taught the same subject at Lake Charles High School. In 1925 Mr. Ford returned to Central School as principal and remained in this position until he was appointed principal of Lake Charles High School in 1928. He served as high school principal for a period of twenty-one years, or until July of 1948, at which time he was named Superintendent.

At the time Mr. Ford was made chief administrator of the city schools, the community was undergoing a tremendous change. Business was good, industrial expansion was on the boom, the population was increasing rapidly, new homes were being constructed both within the city limits and in the immediate vicinity, and new schools were in demand to meet the needs of the ever increasing enrollment.

The board gave its immediate attention to repairing and remodeling its old schools and to constructing new buildings as needed. The taxpayers supported the program by voting several bond issues in the next few years. The existing buildings were modernized - oiled wood floors were replaced by asphalt tile, interiors were painted lighter colors, lighting was updated, obsolete furniture was replaced by new, and exteriors of buildings were painted. About 1950 ice water fountains began to appear in the schools.

Boston High School building was begun in 1948 and opened in September, 1949. It remains the only public high school for Negroes in the area.

Concrete tennis courts were added and lighted at Lake Charles High School; and a year later, in 1951, a cinder track was added to the stadium facilities. Busses to be used primarily for transporting athletes were purchased for both Lake Charles High School and Boston High School.

During the early fifties enrollments increased, thereby requiring additional facilities at all schools. Cafetoriums were provided for First Ward, Moss Street (formerly Second Ward), and Fourth Ward, Jackson Street (formerly First Ward Colored) and Mill Street (formerly Second Ward Colored) schools. In other schools cafeteria and dining areas were remodeled. Classrooms were added at Jackson Street, Mill Street, and Hamilton schools.

An additional classroom building was added at Lake Charles High School, and at the same time the existing building was being remodeled. On May 27, 1951, the stately old building was destroyed by fire. A year and a half later the new main building was completed and dedicated. A few years later the gymnasium was replaced. As an aftermath of the Lake Charles High School fire, Central School was provided with an automatic sprinkler system.

In 1955 a bond issue furnished funds for additional classrooms at Boston High School and at Hamilton School. Jackson Street and Mill Street elementary schools received additions of ten electrically heated rooms each.

Several lunchrooms and kitchens were remodeled and/or enlarged. The lighting system at the stadium was replaced, and the seating capacity was increased. The auditorium at Lake Charles High School was air-conditioned. Parking lots at several schools were hard-surfaced. Teachers’ lounges were provided at all schools. Later, all principals’ offices were air-conditioned; most schools were provided with gas fired incinerators; old chalkboards were replaced; new program clocks were installed; fireproof stage curtains and other stage equipment were provided.

The first completely air-conditioned schools in the city school system were the two junior high schools - Pearl Watson Junior High School and Reynaud Junior High. Watson, completed in 1962, is cooled and heated electrically; Reynaud completed in 1964, uses gas temperature controls.

In connection with the two junior high schools, the Drew Training School constructed buildings which house an industrial arts department, home economics department, and art department. These buildings are leased to the school board for a period of ninety-nine years. At Boston High School, an air-conditioned library was added; later the library at Lake Charles High School was also air-conditioned.

Upkeep of buildings and grounds was improved with the employment of a maintenance supervisor; repair and maintenance work to buildings and equipment could be done on a current basis. A shop was established on the Lake Charles High School campus; and, in 1966, a first class shop was constructed adjacent to the stadium and large storage buildings were moved from the high school site to the stadium.

Land to accommodate the new buildings and enlarge existing school grounds had to be purchased. Though most of this additional land was for the two junior high school building sites, some of it was for expansion of the building and playground at Boston High School.

The Lake Charles City Schools Administration Building, built during Mr. Anderson’s tenure, but completed and first occupied in Mr. Ford’s term of office, has been added to several times in order to accommodate increasing administrative personnel. The latest addition is the Media Center, which operates under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of the federal government.

In 1948 three persons made up the administrative office staff of the city schools - the superintendent, the nurse, and the secretary. In 1950 an elementary supervisor, or coordinator, was added. In January, 1951, a speech therapist and a supervisor of health, safety, and physical education were employed. The next month a supervisor for veterans’ classes in adult education began work with a program which had come into being a number of months before.

A lunchroom supervisor was employed upon the expansion of the federal lunch program. In 1956 another instructional supervisor was added to the growing staff. The clerical staff grew because the additional activities of the business office required employment of a receptionist and a bookkeeper. In 1958 the city system employed a visiting teacher for the first time.

Along with the additional staff, the educational offerings and services of the school system grew. The first pre-school conference for teachers was held in 1950; during the same year professional growth requirements were revived. Teachers holding a bachelor’s degree were required to earn six hours credit every three years and those holding a master’s degree to earn six hours every five years. In-service meetings grew in number and scope.

Special art instruction was included in the junior high school grades as was home economics, manual arts, typing, and music; speech and hearing therapy were made available to students; special classes for the physically handicapped were offered. A string music program was initiated, and French was offered in elementary and junior high grades.

Driver education was offered at Boston High School in 1951; the same year student teachers from McNeese State College were assigned to the city schools. Special physical education teachers were employed in the elementary grades. In 1954, a business course was introduced at Boston High School. A few years later language laboratories were installed at Lake Charles High School and at Boston.

Classes for slow learners and retarded learners were begun after the Special Education Center began operations at McNeese State College; it offered evaluation services to area school systems in 1956. An invitational Tenth Month Program for especially interested pupils was started in June of 1958 with one class in science; the program has grown each year and the number of classes, number of students, and areas of study, including enrichment subjects, have steadily increased. The 1965 enrollment was above 600.

In 1961 the first city school bus for pupils was provided. It was for the transportation of those children who lived in the north part of Lake Charles if they lived more than a mile from school.

As the population shifted, the need for First Ward School on Opelousas Street lessened, and it was closed at the end of the 1963-64 school year. Immediately it was leased to the Calcasieu Parish School Board, which transported pupils there from overcrowded schools in that school system.

Schools had always been used as shelters in emergencies such as hurricanes and floods. So it was that during Hurricane Audrey in 1957 and later hurricanes there was an organized shelter program in which schools furnished housing and feeding facilities as they worked closely with Red Cross and Civil Defense organizations.

For many years federal funds had been used in the vocational programs in schools and in veterans’ school programs. In 1958 Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, which brought funds for use in regular classrooms. Some of these funds were used in guidance programs; and in answer to Russia’s Sputnik, some funds were channeled for equipment needed in mathematics and science programs. Later additional funds were allocated to other areas of instruction.

Under Public Law 874 a small amount of maintenance and operation funds came from the federal government to the city schools to provide for the education of children of military and civilian personnel at Chennault Air Force Base. As the base was phased out, so were the funds.

In 1965 another federal program made a brief appearance in the school system. The Office of Economic Opportunity furnished funds for a summer pre-school program known as Head Start. For this program classes were conducted by school personnel for four- and five-year-olds who were economically deprived.

In 1966 funds from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act became available and brought many additional and expanded services. Included have been in-service workshops for teachers, summer pre-school programs, additional special education classes, remedial reading and arithmetic projects, expanded visiting teacher services, library expansion and materials and services, and a well equipped media center where teachers may construct their own teacher materials and aids.

The history of the Lake Charles City Schools is not complete without a few words about its outstanding teacher organization. From the time the Lake Charles Teachers Association was formed in 1945, the teachers have held 100% membership in the local, state, and national organizations. The activities of this group have aided in making a close working group of personnel in the city schools. For example it worked with the school board and administrative staff to further professional growth requirements when the board allocated additional salary funds as an inducement for meeting those requirements.

This organization developed a “buddy system” of orientation for new teachers and furthered the feeling of unity in the city schools. No doubt, one of the major accomplishments of this group has been it is bringing to the area a high caliber of speakers. Included among them are such prominent people as presidents of Louisiana State University, presidents of the National Education Association, State Superintendent of Education, national Classroom Teachers Association presidents and nationally known college professors and deans.

The administration staff of the city schools contributed system-wide leadership for in-service study activities and coordinated the efforts of faculties of the several schools. All personnel was welcome at the administration office for a discussion of problems or for seeking of help. The “open door” policy of G. W. Ford has made for a closely knit organization in the city school system.

On July 1, 1967, the Lake Charles School System will merge with the Calcasieu Parish School System, ending sixty years as a separate school system.

Since the history of the Lake Charles City Schools is also, in part, a history of the Calcasieu Parish schools which surround the City School District, it is of interest to trace briefly the growth and development of schools in this section.

Up to the time John McNeese became Superintendent of Calcasieu Parish there had been very little growth in public education; therefore, he is given credit for giving education its start in Southwest Louisiana.

The oldest minute book in the Calcasieu Parish School Board Office begins with the meeting held on November 11, 1887, and lists J.W. Bryan, President; John H. Poe, Secretary; and John McNeese, Superintendent. Other members of the Board were: Thomas Klienpeter, J.P. Geary, A. Rigmaiden, E.A. Perkins, and J.J. Tyler. Mr. McNeese served from 1887 to 1913, a total of twenty-six years.

In 1913 F.M. Hamilton was named Superintendent by a Board whose members were: Leon Chavanne, President; L. L Funk, Joseph Roberts, R. W. Vincent, J. E. Burch, J. J. Dubourg, J. N. Yeager and R. L. Miers. Mr. Hamilton’s term of office extended over a period of four years and ended June 30, 1917. Mr. F. K. White was elected Superintendent June 4, 1917, and served for a period of twelve years, or until December 31, 1928. Members of the board which named Mr. White to office were: J. W. Rosteet, President; J. A. Coney, L. L. Funk, R. W. Vincent, J. E. Burch, W. T. Kent, and M. J. Kaufman.

H. A. Norton became Superintendent January 1, 1929. He was named to this position by a Boards whose members were J. N. Wetherill, President; William Holland, A. D. Hebert, J. W. House, E. K. Key, W. W. Lewis, C. T. Van Metre, W. T. Kent, and Metayor LeBleu.

It is most extraordinary to find that during a period of eighty years, 1887 to 1967, a school system has been served by only five superintendents. One, H. A. Norton, has served for a period of thirty-eight years, almost half of the eighty years. All five of the superintendents have excellent records. But it has been during Mr. Norton’s term of office that the rapid growth in population has taken place in the Calcasieu Parish School District. Hence, to Mr. Norton must go the credit for providing schools for the ever-increasing enrollment.

All of the very early schools were located in the older sections of Lake Charles; but as the population increased, it was necessary to build schools in the centers of the growing communities. As early as 1908 a one-room school was built on a one-acre site in the English Bayou neighborhood. This school was later expanded to a five-room elementary school. In 1940 additional land was acquired and a modern brick building erected. The school served pupils from the first grade through high school, and twelve teachers were employed to teach the 355 pupils enrolled. In 1958 the high school grades were separated from the elementary grades, and a new high school plant was constructed. The new high school, named Marion High School, opened with 435 pupils and 19 teachers.

In 1913 the LaGrange elementary one-room school was opened in a frame building on one acre of land; this school expanded to a four-teacher school. In 1928 the first unit of a school to serve pupils from the first through high school grades was constructed. This building was destroyed by fire in 1931. It was rebuilt immediately, and another unit was added to it. The enrollment in 1930-31 was 583 pupils with 16 teachers. In 1954-55 a junior high school with 33 teachers and an enrollment of 920 pupils was established at this plant.

In 1954-55 the LaGrange Senior High School was established with 28 teachers and an enrollment of 627 pupils. (In the year 1966-67 grades 10-12 have student enrollment of 1,728, and a staff of 72 teachers.) The first unit of this new school was constructed with funds received from the federal government, and additional builds were constructed out of local bond funds.

In 1914 a two-room school was opened in the Rosteet Community. In 1949, additional land being acquired, this school expanded to an enrollment of 418 elementary students and a staff of 13 teachers. In 1961 a junior high school which had an enrollment of 344 pupils and a staff of 15 teachers was built on a new site in the community.

In 1914 a one-room school was opened in the St. John Community. In 1956-57 a new plant was constructed, and the new school opened with 287 elementary pupils and eight teachers.

From the early 1940’s to the present the school population has grown by leaps and bounds. It has been almost impossible to construct schools fast enough to meet the demands.

Cooley Elementary School opened in 1842-43 with 405 pupils and 10 teachers. In 1948-49 Barbe School opened with 373 pupils and eleven teachers. In 1950-51 elementary schools which opened in the Henry Heights area totaled 521 pupils and fifteen teachers. In the same year College Oaks Elementary School opened with 364 pupils and eleven teachers. This school served as a laboratory school for McNeese State College.

In 1952-53, Oak Park Elementary School opened with 586 pupils and fifteen teachers. In 1953-54 Dolby Elementary School opened with 474 pupils and fifteen teachers. This school site, donated by the University Homesites Corporation, was named for Mr. O. S. Dolby, a pioneer educator in this area. Also in 1953-54, Washington High School opened with an enrollment of 1320 elementary and high school pupils and 35 teachers. Funds for the first unit of the school plant were obtained from the federal government; the remaining units were constructed from local bond funds.

In 1954-55 Eastwood Elementary School opened with an enrollment of 155 pupils and thirteen teachers. In 1955-56 Melrose Elementary School opened with an enrollment of 155 students and five teachers. In 1956-57 the following schools were opened: Fairview Elementary School, with 185 pupils and six teachers; Prien Lake Elementary School, with 393 pupils and fifteen teachers; Grienwich Village Elementary School, with 185 pupils and six teachers; and Oak Park Junior High School with 356 pupils and sixteen teachers.

In 1958-59 the F.K. White Junior High School was opened with an enrollment of 721 elementary and junior high school pupils and a staff of 27 teachers. This school, constructed on land received from the State Board of Education, opened for use as a laboratory school for McNeese State College. Also in 1958-59 the Carver Elementary School was opened with 238 pupils and eight teachers.

In 1960-61 the following schools were opened: Brentwood Elementary with 383 pupils and fourteen teachers; Kaufman Elementary School, with 298 pupils and ten teachers; S. J. Welsh Junior High School with 297 pupils and fourteen teachers; and Riverside Elementary School, with 365 pupils and eleven teachers.

In 1961-62 the Brownsville Elementary School opened with 99 pupils and four teachers in a modern new building on a new site; this had previously been a one-room frame building. Also this year the Cherry Street Elementary School opened with five hundred pupils and fourteen teachers. This school was opened to relieve the crowded Washington school.

In 1962-63 the Nelson Elementary School was opened with 334 pupils and thirteen teachers; and the Watkins Elementary School was opened with 261 pupils and ten teachers. In 1964-65 the Opelousas Street School, which was established in a leased building, opened with 240 pupils and eight teachers.

Time has proven that the parish made a very wise decision in selecting Mr. Norton as Superintendent. He had sufficient time to learn his job thoroughly before the great boom in population took place. He and his board selected school sites after very careful study. Then because they thoroughly informed the public as to the need for new buildings, bond issues to pay for them always carried. Fortunately, Mr. Norton displayed an unusual skill in preparing bonds for market, thereby saving the people thousands of dollars in fees.

During his long term in office, Mr. Norton has executed his duties as Parish Superintendent in a most commendable manner. That his ability is highly respected at the state level is borne out by his service in most of the important educational committees which have been appointed. His record as an administrator is such that his name will go down in school history as one of Louisiana’s great superintendents.

The noted historian Carl Becker, in comparing Jeffersonian democracy to his age, proposed that a political philosophy is shaped by three influences: the climate of opinion, or general assumption underlying the thinking of the times; influences derived from the political conflict of the time; and those forces derived from the mind and temperament of individuals who give government form. The political history of Lake Charles fits Becker’s description for the period under examination. The political temperament of Lake Charles seemed to parallel that of the rest of the United States throughout the period. In local municipal government the efficiency and performance of the city council was wholely dependent upon the individuals who served. During the 1890’s the reins of government, although held by competent administrators, tended to be restricted by their dependency on an out-dated charter.

Lake Charles’ political development falls into four major periods since 1889. The first period, one of trial and error, lasted from the beginning of 1889 to 1899. The second period was one of growth and progressivism based on an aldermanic updated system which began to become inefficient in 1909 and was truly out of date after the fire in April, 1910. The third period began with the adoption of the commission form of government in 1912 and lasted until a new charter was adopted in the 1950’s, one which extended the three-man commission of 1912 to a five-man commission. Sam Jones, who has been a resident of Lake Charles since January, 1925, feels that the commission as a three-man body worked very well but that when it was enlarged to five it “went to pieces.” The fourth period is represented by the adoption in the early 1960’s of the mayor-council form of government, which has been held by many political observers as the most progressive and efficient form in Lake Charles history.

The period 1890 to 1900 was characterized by an attitude of improvement and an altering of the status of Lake Charles from a country village to a small industrialized city by the turn of the century. The population during this period underwent a phenomenal growth from 3,442 in 1890 to 6,680 in 1900. This period was characterized by a maturing of economic growth which formed the basis for a new political exuberance. Municipal politics underwent a significant transition from a period of borderline complacency in the 1880’s to a more activist participation in the progressive establishment.

In 1891 William Perrin believed that Lake Charles possessed “the best facilities for becoming a manufacturing town.” In 1890 a meeting was called to consider the best interests of Lake Charles as a whole. Little was accomplished; however, this meeting helped pave the way for the establishment and organization of the Lake Charles Board of Trade. During the 1890’s the Board of Trade played a significant role in contributing to the general prosperity of Lake Charles.

Municipal politics between 1889 and 1899 underwent a period of trial and error and general confusion in relation to the revision of the 1867 town charter. During this period the council was faced with three charters. The first charter, proposed in March of 1889, was quite inadequate and was rejected by the citizens. The second compensated for the first but did not meet the growing needs of an expanding responsible government. The third evolved out of a political controversy between the city fathers and the Lake Charles Ice, Light and Waterworks Company and was adopted by a unanimous vote on April 3, 1899.

In the late 1880’s as immigration increased and the economy expanded, the 1867 charter became outdated. A charter in 1889 proposed an extension of the city limits and a lengthening of municipal political terms from one to two years. The commentary in local papers was mixed to a degree; however, both the Echo and the Commercial were opposed to the charter, arguing that it was defective on several major issues. One of the more interesting arguments pointed out in the Echo was that if the charter was accepted Lake Charles would be without a mayor from June 3 of 1890 to June of the subsequent year. Because of the efforts of several interested citizens and the local press, the proposed charter failed, and Lake Charles retained her old Aldermanic system until 1894. The interim period between 1890 and 1894 was characterized by a growing concern for municipal politics. In early June of 1890 two tickets for municipal office were placed in contention. The major issue was the improvement of the sidewalks, which were badly in need of repair. The People’s ticket, headed by A. L. Reid, and the New Deal ticket, headed by A. Rigmaiden, conducted a relatively peaceful campaign. The entire People’s ticket, with the exception of one alderman’s post captured by John T. Brooks of the New Deal ticket, was elected.

By 1891 Lake Charles showed indications of notable interest in municipal affairs. The main issue of that campaign was electric lights and streetcars. The Commercial insisted that the two go hand-in-hand, stating “as we are about to become favored with the former, we must be prepared to welcome the latter.” The Commercial appealed to the citizens that they should have the privilege of controlling and reaping profits from this enterprise. This was one of the first suggestions of municipal ownership of any facility in the history of Lake Charles. Electric lights had been an issue since 1890, but in April of 1891 this problem had been temporarily solved by the installation of electric light poles by J. A. Landry and Company, which brought electric lights for the first time to Lake Charles. The same company contracted with the city to push forward its electric light plant.

The election of 1891 enjoyed much interest. F. E. Haskell was unanimously nominated to head the Citizen’s ticket by a mass political meeting held a week before the election. The Echo supported Haskell and mentioned that A. L. Reid was also in the race. Six hundred and twenty-six votes were polled by both tickets, and A. L. Reid was elected by a close margin of eight votes. The subsequent city primary held in 1892 was rather peaceful, although it had its lighter moments. As a joke A. Schwab of the Invincible ticket, which later withdrew, was put up for mayor, and “Those who were prime movers in the business thought it was a joke, but when they found that it was being treated in a serious manner they tried to squelch it; but, like Banquo’s ghost, it would not down at their bidding, consequently, they had to go to work, and do some very effective work at that, to defeat Schwab.” A. L. Reid, who had no serious opposition, won by a comfortable majority. Though, with the exception of Reid, no one in the new council had ever served in the city position, the Commercial believed “without a doubt, that a more competent set could not have been selected, and that they will devote a good deal of their time to the improvement and wants of our city.”

Civic improvements during the 1890’s were extensive. A bridge was constructed over Contraband Bayou, and a municipal wharf was started. The year 1894 saw the formation of the Pleasure Park Association, which sold bonds for the purpose of constructing a racetrack, dance floor, and grandstand. The original plan fell through, however, and the park was used mainly for Fourth of July celebrations. Politically the anti-lottery issue gained major significance in mid-1891. Meetings were held and speeches delivered, proposing the evils of the lottery system. The parish Democratic Committee supported the anti-lottery democrats by urging its backers to maintain and perpetuate Jeffersonian Democracy. A Ladies’ Anti-Lottery League was formed and conducted a vigorous campaign; and later Lake Charles, along with the rest of the parish, favored Foster over McEnry by 406 votes. The 1893 municipal primary was slightly more spirited than those of the previous two years. In its usual plea for grave consideration of municipal candidates the Echo proposed “there is yet time to organize, and we have abiding faith in the good people of this city, who can, if they will try, arising and putting down this one-man government that has been running this city for as many years.” Mr. Jacob Ryan was proposed by the Echo as being the “most fitting selection” for the post of mayor, and one who would be a refreshing change toward a more representative ticket. Previously the Echo had denounced a ticket formed wherein the candidate for mayor would choose his ticket and favored a more Democratic method of nomination by political meetings. In denouncing the Reid regime of the following year, it stated that the major issue of the campaign was a conflict between the Ring and Anti-Ring men. The Echo challenged Lake Charles by stating, “Now boys, put your shoulders to the wheel, and with a long steady pull, a strong pull, and a pull together, from the time the ticket is announced until the last ballot is counted next Monday night and we will bet a dime to a doughnut that there will be a change in the city administration.” Controversy erupted in the Ring ticket ranks over the nominee for mayor. As one local paper observed, both candidates were “watching each move of the other and when the ring men finally called for a conference among themselves to see which of their two candidates, A.L. Reid or S. O. Shattuck, should pull down, the anti-ring men knew that they had the ring men in a hole.” A conference was held on the Friday evening before the election, and Reid was to run and Shattuck agreed to withdraw, but on the following morning Shattuck “appeared” on the streets and announced that he would be a candidate for mayor. Reid and the conference committee were quite perturbed, and the consequence was “quite a flurry among the ring men and about two o’clock in the afternoon a pronuncia mento was circulated everywhere.” It read as follows: “For reasons best known to me, I am no longer a candidate for mayor of the city of Lake Charles.” The Echo suggested that the expression “for reasons best known to me” was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Paralleling the actions of the Ring ticket, the “friends” of Jacob Ryan and L. C. Dees were nominating an opposition candidate who was to dominate the mayoralty until 1898. The nominee was Pat Crowley, a foreman and roadmaster of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Crowley was a native of County Cork, Ireland, who had come to American twenty-five years previously, and was the man for which Crowley, Louisiana, was named. He moved to Lake Charles in 1879 and conducted a saloon on Railroad Avenue. He then built the first steam laundry in Lake Charles and was one of the prime movers in organizing the street railway. It was under the five-year administration of Pat Crowley that Lake Charles realized a more stable, progressive government.

The newly elected council was a youthful aggregation which was representative of varied background. Harry Milligan, a thirty-three year old grocer, had only been in Lake Charles two years prior to his election. A native of Topeka, Kansas, he was described by the Echo as “what is known as a hustler.” John Poe, later mayor of Lake Charles, was described as a popular individual who ran on both tickets and “stands well with all parties.” Ed Ryan, thirty-six year old native of Chicago, and a partner in a local livery stable, was described as being “the heavy member of the council, and is the only bachelor in the crowd.” A. B. McCain was a thirty-one year old native of Washington Parish. William J. Gayle, thirty-seven, had been a resident of Lake Charles for nine years and had originated from Pointe Coupee Parish. The Echo emphasized that “Not one of these gentlemen sought the place, and only consented to serve at the earnest solicitation of their friends.” The budget of the new council was most inadequate; therefore, at a council meeting held in mid July of 1893, the finance committee made a very discouraging final report, indicating that the treasury was almost bare. In April, 1893, a movement was initiated in favor of a bond issue of $50,000 for the purpose of improving streets. The Echo supported the proposal, stating that the amount would supplement improvements which were badly needed. The Echo further suggested that the city that the city should inaugurate a system of improvements, stating “We know that there are some old fogies who will stand against the idea of $50,000 of bonds.” The Echo felt that the amount was feasible and suggested that the interest be calculated at 6% with a 2% sinking fund, making a total of 8% of $4,000 per annum. In August of that year Lake Charles was described as “an embryo city” of sawmills, shingle factories, rice mills, railroads, streetcars, electric lights, waterworks, and ice factories. The streets were described as wide enough and well laid out. The youthful council brought a new exuberance to the council meetings. In a September meeting a fight took place “over a major issue” and the Echo described the incident as follows: “The city legislature met in extraordinary and lively session last Monday night…Mayor Crowley, using his ‘good old horse sense,’ imposed a $1.50 fine on those fighting from that day forth.”

The year 1894 saw a desire for a proper numbering and naming of the streets of the thickly inhabited areas of the city. The Echo suggested that the city be divided into blocks and each block in turn be divided into 50 or 100 numbers. Throughout the history of Lake Charles the council had always been plagued with a “riotous saloon district.” Some of the saloons on “Battle Row,” which was the name assigned to the south side of Railroad Avenue east of Kirkman Street, were described as having an “unenviable notoriety.” As in the late seventies and throughout the eighties, at all hours of the day and night these places of entertainment were filled with a “motley crowd, waiting for someone to stand treat.” The problem was brought to the attention of the council in August, 1894, by a group of public spirited citizens who asked the council for added police protection in this district. In May, previous to council action, another group of citizens had petitioned the council to do something about the liquor violations and prohibiting of saloons in residential areas. Prior to 1893 adequate fire protection was minimal in Lake Charles. In the late seventies and throughout the eighties Lake Charles was dependent upon volunteer fire companies, which were in turn dependent on one tank which, situated near the lake, had a 1,000 gallon capacity and a 1,000 foot hose which constituted the only protection during that time. Maude Reid feels that although these early companies were vigorous they were quite inadequate and only the stores on Ryan Street had suitable protection. In early April, 1893, the six volunteer companies organized into a more unified effort. By 1894 Lake Charles had a system of waterworks with both a standpipe and the Holly system of direct pressure with mains extending all over the city, and a large number of hydrants were present. It also had a steamer which cost between two and three thousand dollars, four “nearly new” hose carts, and 1,000 feet of 4-inch hose which was well-officered by four fully organized fire companies composed of the “best and most athletic young men of the city.”

The 1894 primary was spirited yet quiet compared to the one of the previous year. Crowley was unanimously nominated, heading both of the two tickets entered and receiving a unanimous vote of 758.

In the election of 1895 a youthful organization called the Young Men’s Progressive League of Lake Charles nominated a ticket for every position except mayor. After much controversy the old charter was amended in September, 1894, by a 3 to 1 majority, but only 221 votes had been polled; and for the first time a Lake Charles election was based on a ward system. A. L Reid, former mayor and then resident of New Orleans announced that he would be candidate for mayor. When Pat Crowley announced his candidacy on the same day, it was predicted that he would be “a hard man to defeat.” Crowley defeated Reid by 489 votes, capturing a comfortable majority of the 1,123 votes cast. The new youthful council, backed by the new charter, was quite eager about the future.

During 1895 many improvements were made. At a council meeting in March a franchise was granted to the Lake Charles Electric Railway Company. In October, it was predicted that within a short time uniform brick pavement would be completed on both sides of Ryan Street; the board of Trade took an active interest in the condition of the sidewalks, which were described as “absolutely dangerous”; and in August a sanitary ordinance was passed, and a committee was set up to draft rules and regulation for the police department. Also, in March a group of clergy men organized a Preachers’ Union, whose purpose was to direct Lake Charles along moral lines. Another reform group was the Loyal Temperance League headed by Birdie Haupt. The Democratic party also intensified its activities, and in the early nineties it was given a flag from the national Democratic party as a symbol of its fidelity. Writing in 1895, S. A. Knapp considered Lake Charles “a city that has the situation and possesses the energy and intelligence to…become the Chicago of the Gulf.” Another writer stated: “a magnificent young city covering six square miles has emerged from the little hamlet, a lusty young giant has come out of the wilderness.”

Municipal politics in 1896, while not uneventful, were overshadowed by issues relating to the economic sector of the city. A group of Republicans, made up of some of the most prominent citizens of the community, organized; and the local press encouraged the council to direct its attention to the needs of the community. The Commercial proposed that Lake Charles was in need of a public market which was planned to have “the first floor for stalls and the second for our city solons to transact the city’s business in, a new city hall, which was badly needed, an electric street railway, and a passenger depot for the Southern Pacific.” Miss Reid suggests that the reason the city council tolerated and encouraged saloons was that during the nineties a substantial sum was collected through antilegal tax, which supplemented the budget to some extent. On all taxable property the council adopted a ten mill tax which was divided as follows: public schools, 3 mills; deficiency water works and electric light contract, 2 mills; salaries of officers, 3 mills; contingent and street improvements, 2 mills.

Although an off-year for municipal primaries, the political issue of the decade took form early in 1896. And although the railroad was coming into its own in the Calcasieu and Southwestern Louisiana area, waterways dominated the time and efforts of Lake Charles leaders. Since 1892 the improvement of Calcasieu Pass had been vital to the interest of the Board of Trade and the City Council. The Rivers and Harbors Bill of 1896, which granted funds to Calcasieu Pass for improvements, was vetoed by President Cleveland. It was a government policy at the time to have only one project in each state. Senator Donelson Caffery was responsible for an appropriation of $1,173,000 for improvements to bayou Plaquemine, and the $315,000 providing for continuing the Calcasieu River project had been stricken from the measure. The Lake Charles citizenry and the local press were outraged by this action. The American proposed that the opening of Calcasieu would benefit millions of people, while the “Plaquemine ditch” would only benefit thousands. The American charged that self-interest had clouded Caffery’s judgment. Caffery denied this accusation claiming that his decision had been based entirely on maps and reports provided by the United States Corp of Engineers. The Board of Trade took immediate action by corresponding with both Caffery and Senator Blanchard. A letter prepared by A. P. Pujo, later congressman, was sent to the Senate Committee in April, asking that it place Calcasieu Pass back on the continuous appropriation system. On April 27, Congressman Andrew Price said in a wire to Pujo that the Senate Committee had decided to leave Calcasieu on the system. In the fall of 1896, when the free silver campaign was in full force, Caffery was actively supporting the Palmer-Buckner ticket. When he was speaking in Lake Charles, a “sort of riot occurred” at a political meeting. At a subsequent rally in Franklin, Louisiana, on November 8, Caffery made a brief reference to the incident, claiming that the riotous attitude was more of a “disgrace to the State and Calcasieu” than to himself. Caffery had always contended that if it were not for government policy he would have supported both the Calcasieu and Plaquemine projects. In an interview on October 31 Caffery admitted that the Plaquemine Plan would have cost four or five times more than the Calcasieu Plan; and the American suggested that the Plaquemine Plan included St. Mary’s Parish, “where Mr. Caffery resides and where his interests lie.”

The populist movement did not affect Lake Charles to a great degree. As C. Van Woodward has suggested, farmers’ movements were concentrated in the hill parishes of Northwestern Louisiana. In 1892 Lake Charles had cast a solid vote for Cleveland; also there was a notable 156 votes cast for the Republican-Populist Fusion ticket. On June 10, a primary election was held in Lake Charles between the 16 to 1 ticket and the Silver-Democratic ticket, resulting in a small majority for the later. One historian had proposed that Lake Charles became a notable part of state politics by the late nineties. On the state level Lake Charles had supported the Anti-lottery forces in 1892, in the gubernatorial election held in April, 1896, Calcasieu and Lake Charles rejected M. J. Foster and favored John N. Pharr with a 1,430 majority. But in the presidential primary Lake Charles returned to the Democratic party by casting 613 for Bryan, 358 for McKinley, and 13 for Palmer. In the congressional race a Democrat won; however, indications of the effect of the recently established Republican organization was indicated when 413 votes were cast for the Republican candidate. Andrew Currie, a prominent citizen of Shreveport, very much impressed with Lake Charles in 1897, commented, “You have here a splendid site for a great city, and I can see no good reason why you should not have it. I am impressed particularly with the importance of rigid sanitary measures, and I see that Lake Charles is high enough for a sewerage system…nothing is more to be desired by a city than perfect cleanliness.”

The major issue of the 1897 municipal campaign was the interest in the charter question. In the earlier part of that year a mass meeting had been held to consider the charter. The Commercial commented that the people were considerably “stirred up over the serious condition of affairs” that had been incurred by the Waterworks Company suit against the city to question the legality of the charter. Most local attorneys had united in stating that the incorporation of Lake Charles was illegal and that the charter would probably fail when brought to a legal test. Although the Lake Charles bar was in agreement on the illegality of the charter, the bar disagreed as the best policy to pursue. A majority of the attorneys felt that a stay in proceedings would aid in solving the controversy. The American felt that this objective was not feasible and proposed a mass meeting that would organize to decide the issue by a “competent authority.”

The election of 1897 was held in the heat of the charter controversy. The press was very audible in proposing reform and stable government. The Commercial commented that the election was not a fight between parties but rather a fight of the “people in general for good competent government.” All candidates were careful not to refer to the charter issue and conducted their campaigns on public improvement issues. In the primary held on April 6, Crowley received 427 votes to Thomas Kleinpeter’s 316.

On June 7, at the first council meeting of the new administration, the finance committee reported that the city banks had “positively refused” to loan money to run the town until the fall taxation was collected. The reason given was the uncertainty relating to the illegality of the charter. After a debate on the issue a committee, consisting of Mayor Crowley, Alderman McCain and Kirkwood, was appointed to confer with representative citizens from the Board of Trade and Commercial Club “to see if something could be done to abridge the crisis.” By this time the monthly expenditures of the council averaged about $1,000 and the treasury indicated an absolute voidness of funds. The period between June 1897 and March of 1899 was characterized by confusion, distrust, and general chaos on the part of the council. In November, 1898 a committee of twenty-five headed by H. C. Drew, was formed to revise the 1867 charter. After nineteen sessions of the general committee and sixty-five subcommittee meetings, the charter was completed on March 7, 1899. The long period of litigation between the Lake Charles Ice, Light and Waterworks Company had not ended; this was to come in 1901, but in the meantime the city had a legal document which stabilized its existence. The new charter was legalized by unanimous vote at a mass meeting held on April 3 and by an Act of the State General Assembly. Lake Charles once again became a city. The final campaign of the decade pitted James P. Geary against Pat Crowley. The election was light because most of the votes had neglected to register; out of the 515 votes cast, Geary carried three out of four wards with a majority of 157 votes, losing ward 1 to Crowley by one vote.

The decade was climaxed by a tragedy on August 2, 1899, when a fire swept through the west side of Ryan Street, causing a loss of $50,000. After this catastrophe the City Council established a fire limits ordinance preventing the erection of certain types of buildings within the business district. The area described in the 1860’s as an “insignificant village upon the banks of a pleasant, clear lakelet, several miles in extent” was a vital, small industrial city; yet many improvements were still needed. E. F. Gayle, arriving in Lake Charles in the summer of 1898, described it as a “muddy little village” with privately built boarded sidewalks and boggy little streets. Not only did 1899 represent the end of a century and the institution of a new city charter, but it was the end of a pioneering era which was marked by the death on December 18, 1899, of Jacob Ryan, the “Father of Lake Charles.”

The period 1900 to the emergence of the new charter in 1912 was relatively quiet and uneventful compared to the previous decade. The Charter of 1899 had granted to the council the “improvement power” which it had needed for several years. During the period up to 1912 this power was wielded by a stable government which lacked the uncertainties of the 1890’s. This period is characterized by an evolution of progressive government which paralleled that of municipal reform in other parts of the nation. It was a period of a young city with a progressive council, which in the early part of the period attempted to solve the problems of improvement, finances, and litigation.

The balance in the council treasury as of December 1, 1899, was a scant $318.94. The city was faced with a continuing litigation suit brought against it by the water company. The city council had secured a law firm from New Orleans to handle its case, and A. P. Pujo was the counsel for the water company. The city, after winning a preliminary hearing in the district courts, awaited Supreme Court decisions in the summer of 1900. The Daily American suggested that after the matter was settled “Lake Charles will be in a position to go ahead with its contemplated improvements.” The long delay in the litigation concerning the ward controversy was brought to a head in mid-1901. The progressive action of the council was halted by a gigantic blow in losing its case to the Waterworks Company when the Supreme Court ruled that the franchise and contract granted by the city were legal. Yet by April the Council was gradually getting on its feet financially, and progressive action was forthcoming. In 1900 Lake Charles showed great promise. Judge N. C. Blanchard, Associate Member of the Supreme Court and a member of the National Democratic Party from Louisiana, commented on Lake Charles: “After Shreveport there is not a town in the state that has any better or brighter future…Shreveport and Lake Charles are the chief cities of any importance outside of New Orleans.” In the elections of that year Lake Charles voted Democratic in the Congressional campaign; but in the national campaign Lake Charles favored McKinley over Bryan. In November, 1900, the U. S. Census indicated that Lake Charles was the fifth city in Louisiana in population, indicated a figure of 6,680 an increase from 1890 of more than 110%.

The year 1901 saw an increase in interest in municipal politics. The local paper noted that the spectators in the galleries of the city council showed a “wonderful increase in attendance, among them being several members of the police jury, doubtless after pointers in the way of expediting business.” Because Geary was unable to finish his term, John H. Poe served as mayor from October 4 to October 9, 1900, and Judge Fournet served the rest of the term. This period was one of improvements made in streets, drainage and other facilities also during 1900 the Council granted over thirty licenses for saloons. The election was very spirited, each ward seeing much activity. Although the registration was set at 1000, 800 registrants voted that year. Three candidates were pitted against each other for the mayor’s post; John Poe carried every ward but ward 3, defeating Fournet, his closest competitor, by 155 votes, and Geary, who only carried ward 3, by 160 votes. The election was termed a fair one conducted with “due dignity,” and nothing was said or done to leave any traces of bitterness or ill feeling. In 1902 a special tax was voted to improve the streets. It was voted to amend Section 22 of the 1899 Charter to enable the Council to improve streets by a special tax on property. By August the Council being in a good financial condition, the American commented that the sewerage problems should have top priority on the agenda of improvements. A group of citizens petitioned the Council on August 22, proposing a sewerage and drainage system for the city. The issue had overwhelming support by both the council and the citizens, and the local press was confident that the sewerage issue would pass. The Council also planned a new city hall and jail at an estimated cost of $72,000 for both buildings. A sort of scandal took place in 1902 over certain “irregularities” connected with the street fund. Since the error was blamed entirely on Mayor Poe, in a letter to the Council in regard to the matter Poe stated that he had been wrong and suggested it was an innocent error. The Council passed a resolution reprimanding the Mayor rather than involve the city in a costly litigation against him. Therefore, Poe was spared impeachment.

By August 21, ninety petitions had reached the City Council concerning the sewerage system. By January, 1903, the City Council had cleared its desk and begun a thorough investigation of the sewerage problem; yet, in 1904 the proposed Amendment 15 of the State Constitution, which would legalize the formation of a sewerage district within a municipality, was defeated in Calcasieu. The American said that out of the 254 votes cast against the amendment in Calcasieu, sixty came from the voting precinct in which the sewerage district would probably have been erected. The best view of Lake Charles indicated that “no paving has been done in Lake Charles, and while teams don’t bog nor vehicles get up to their hubs in mud, still it would be a good thing if some of the principal streets…the sidewalks as a rule are in good condition…(where) the tooting of the mill whistle at morning noon and night, and the hum and rattle of their machinery are sweetest music to the ears of a Lake Charlesite, because they mean money in the pocket...the city is amply provided with water and light, and possesses as fine a plant as can be found anywhere. Two million gallons a day fully supplies the city’s needs and leaves a little over.”

Lake Charles underwent a crime wave in 1903, and three extra policemen were placed on the force temporarily. The municipal election of that year was not published to a great degree. However, the contest for votes “began briskly and has continued in Wards 1, 2, and 4.” The two chief opponents for the mayoralty position were L. C. Dees and Mayor Winterhaler, with Winterhaler carrying the election by a margin of twenty-nine votes. As pointed out in Chapter 1, Lake Charles was relatively spared from the general chaos of reconstruction. The assimilation of northerners greatly influenced the southern orientation of Lake Charles, making it unique among cities in Louisiana. In an editorial entitled “The New Reconstruction,” the editor of the Daily American echoed this theme.

Although we are thirty years away from trying period, the “dark era of reconstruction” continues to be a favorite text in this campaign as in the past…There has been, however, another era of reconstruction in Louisiana, and not a dark one. It began in Southwest Louisiana when J. B. Watkins and his associates came down into an impoverished country, began to turn the barren stock ranges into pleasant farms and spent millions to attract other men of means and to exploit the country’s untold resources; when Father Carey discovered Jennings and upland irrigation or rice and when Pennoyer, Bradley, Nason and other lumbermen began to turn its vast forests into gold that was the life current of the community…the Illinois Central brought the new kind of carpetbaggers-those that brought money in the carpetbags-into the state to create the Tangipohoa truck farming industry; and when northern capitalists came…to create new manufacturing industries and expand the older ones…The people from the North here now are not the despoilers and invaders, but the builders and helpers of an adopted state.

According to one historian the year 1905 was perhaps the worst from every standpoint in the history of Lake Charles. During this year the city went through an overwhelming depression caused by a yellow fever epidemic which swept over Louisiana. Although no cases of yellow fever were reported in Lake Charles because of the careful quarantine measures taken by the citizens, business went to an all-time low. The City Council was plagued with many problems. The anti-gambling and Sunday closing ordinance was passed but generally disregarded. The front doors of saloons were closed, but usually the side doors were open and business was carried on as usual.

The main problem during 1905 other than the yellow fever threat was the financial status of the Lake Charles schools. Because of a vast area encompassed by the Calcasieu Parish School Board, a need for a separate system became apparent. In 1893 the Parish Board had adopted a resolution providing for local directors to be elected by the patrons of the school. Gradually a local school board was created when directors chosen by the Parish Board took more and more independent action. A tax was suggested in 1905, and the debate on the tax question became heated in the council chamber when Superintendent John McNeese, a proponent of a separate system since 1900, pressured the Council into passing the resolution which provided for a 3 mill school tax. Lake Charles schools became a separate system by Act 90 of the State General Assembly of 1906, and the separation officially took place April 19, 1907. The school election tax held in September was a heated campaign with prominent citizens from all walks of life on both sides. Editorials were written and sermons were preached favoring the tax. The Council was petitioned on September 15, and later the election was held resulting in a majority of 178 votes, or $363,149 in favor of the measure.

The municipal campaign of 1905 was one of the most spirited campaigns in the history of the city. The two major opponents were Mayor Winterhaler and William E. Patterson, both running on a platform of progressive government and improvements. Previous to the election the Council made several progressive moves which tended to help Winterhaler’s campaign. The vote was heavy; by 2:00 P.M., 768 votes had been counted, and in the final analysis Winterhaler defeated is opponent by a close margin of fourteen votes. In the same year Governor Blanchard, commenting on his visit to Lake Charles, said, “Tell the people of Lake Charles that I was much impressed with the rapid strides that have been made in public improvements…There are many buildings going up, of which there was no sign of at that time and I prophesy that the day is no far distant when Lake Charles will be recognized as one of the most progressive cities in our Southland.”

The year 1907 saw a progressive city. Lake Charles city assessment amounted to $3,532,000. There were eight miles of street railway; bayou and river navigation for 500 miles connecting with many major cities; nine saw mills, three rice mills, and three banks with a capital and surplus of $500,000. The major political issue in 1907 was the division within Democratic ranks. In the first primary a group of Democrats differed with the main line of the party and formed an anti-machine ticket which they called the “Independent Democrats.” The ticket was termed on of “protest” which was made up of a coalition of one alderman and several Republicans. In the regular Democratic primary held on February 6, Charles Winterhaler won by a majority of 200 votes over his competitor, who received only 82 votes of the 282 votes cast. The campaign opened with vigorous denials of the Independents as traitors or, according the American, “Democratic J. Iscariots.” The Independents wanted to introduce to Lake Charles a more cosmopolitan type of administration, while the Democratic opponent ran on the usual platform of progressive improvements. In the election held on April 16 the Democratic ticket made a clean sweep of every ward. Winterhaler defeated Martin by a majority of 150 votes; yet out of 778 votes cast, 314 were cast for the Independent ticket, thus indicating a definite decline in support for Democratic regime.

The 1909 campaign, though spirited, did not compare with the schism of 1907. During a 2-year period the party had remained divided to some extent but by election time the Democratic party had applied first aid to its wounds. The first to issue his candidacy for major was C. B. Richard. He was followed by Ben M. Foster, who was described as a “young businessman” of the firm Dees and Foster, who ran of a platform to “promote its (Lake Charles) growth and progress.” C. B. Richard beat Foster by a margin of 110 votes, but the ward primary was much closer, denoting much concern for municipal government.

The period between the election of 1909 and the adoption of the commission form of government can be divided into three periods. The first period, which was characterized as progressive improvement, was between the election of 1909 and the disastrous fire on April 23, 1910. The second period was one of reconstruction in which the Council in fantastic manner went to work rebuilding Lake Charles. The third period, which was characterized by increased extravagance in city finances and a general decline of the effectiveness of the charter of 1899, was the one when a movement began and terminated in the adoption of the commission form of government in December of 1912. By January, 1910, the financial condition of the community was quite good. Five miles of new sidewalks, laid from Hodges to Clarence and to Eleventh Streets, were said to be the best in the state. Prohibition became an issue; blue laws were passed, and for the first time enforced; even tobacco and candy could not be sold on Sunday; and Lake Charles sent a very audible delegation to the State Anti-Prohibition Convention. The Sewerage Commission became active in March of 1910 and planned many improvements for the Lake Charles sewerage problem. All the progress, however, seemed to be in vain, when on April 23 a fire raged through the main district of Lake Charles, making a total of $200,825 in damage. A mass meeting of citizens was held shortly after the catastrophe; the Beaumont Enterprise praised the efforts of Lake Charles citizens in moving so quickly to issue bonds and start immediately to rebuild their city. The City Council took immediate action in passing a new fire law which provided for a certain type of structure for buildings in the business district.

The 1911 campaign was mainly run on the basis of the rebuilding of Lake Charles. The voters had a choice between two equally qualified men, Samuel Kaufman and Mayor Richard. Richard ran on his record, which was a formidable one, while Kaufman ran on a rather quiet and dignified one. In reviewing his qualifications, Richard reviewed what the City Council had accomplished since the fire, as follows.

On April the 23^rd of last year, Lake Charles was visited by the most terrible conflagration in the history of any southern town. Our city hall and fire station were swept away in the spew fire which engulfed the city’s heart. I am happy to note the splendid housing arising from the waste places and to say that once more we have arisen to the exigencies of the situation. We have also provided for a bond issue of $100,000 to cover these material losses, which has not only been authorized but has been advantageously sold, and plans prepared to call for bids for the construction in a very few weeks of our new fire station. With this record of honest and faithful work in the city’s behalf, I come before you, my fellow citizens, for your further endorsement and support, and leave the matter to your calm and unbiased judgment, with further promises for the future work of our next administration if honored by your successful support.

After Richard defeated Kaufman by a majority of 130, the Daily American evaluated Richard’s reconstruction program as follows:

During the past two years, Mayor Richard and the City Council have given the city the best possible administration for the funds at their command. All the city departments have been well sustained, in spite of a decrease of $25,000 to $30,000 in the city’s income, and steps have been taken which will give Lake Charles some of the improvements it needs. It is evident that the taxpayers are well satisfied with the results of the past two years, and have no desire or inclination to make experiments. No criticism of the mayor’s conduct of his office was made or could be made; consequently the voters saw no reason for a change.

The ten year period between 1900 and 1910 was characterized by a phenomenal rate of progress and growth, as the following statistics indicate:

Sidewalks, 30 miles	$240,000
Street paving, 25,000 sq. yds.	$75,000
City Hall and Fire Station	$50,000
Sewerage System	$180,000
Street paving	$250,000

1900	6,680
1910	13,949

By Wards
1	2,903
2	4,362
3	2,213
4	1,971

The period 1910 to 1913 was characterized by an “increasing extravagance in city finances” in Lake Charles. In July, 1912, it became evident that a new type of administration was needed because the old aldermanic system of 1899 could not suffice the necessary demands of city government. In December of that year Lake Charles adopted by a 3 to 1 majority what has been called the “most far-reaching, progressive proposal for institutional change,” the commission form of government. The situation of Lake Charles in 1912 was much like Galveston’s situation in 1901. Lake Charles had undergone a disastrous fire which called for an organized effort in the fields of city finances and city planning. Because of the business orientation of Lake Charles, the commission form was especially attractive. One historian, commenting on the financial difficulty of Boston in 1909, described the city as “another city whose businessmen have awakened to a new sense of their civic responsibilities.” The period between the adoption of the commission form of government and the election in 1917 was characterized by a cautious effort on the part of the City Council which was directing Lake Charles through a probation period of newly organized government, which was being held by the local press as being that which would do away with all corrupt practices and inefficiencies of the past. The election was one of the most active since the primary of 1907. George L. Riling, the manager of Armour Packing Company and a native of Oklahoma, ran against incumbent Brent Richard and Harry J. Geary for mayor. He defeated his nearest opponent, Richard, by fifty votes, throwing them both into a second primary. In the runoff Riling defeated Richard by a notable margin and faced no opposition in the April general election in which a light vote was cast. The administration of Riling was not uneventful. Riling had many difficulties in implementing the newly-formed government to the needs of Lake Charles, but his pioneering effort with the new tool of business power paved the way for the reform era of the next nineteen years, which can readily be called the Trotti era.

While municipal government was progressing, the political activity in and around Lake Charles was increasing. In 1915 a newspaper, The Lake Charles Democrat was established to “support the principles of the Democratic Party as set forth in the last national platform…” Although the Republican Party was active to some extent during this period there was a definite trend toward socialism in Calcasieu parish. In the late nineties Lake Charles had rejected socialism as an evil, but in 1902 a notice in the local paper indicated that there was a definite social group headed by C. L. Daniels. In the congressional election of 1910, J. R. Jones, Socialist candidate, polled 241 votes in Calcasieu, although most of the concentration was in the “upland and timber area of the seventh district.” In November of 1914, Eugene V. Debs, Socialist Presidential candidate, made a speech in Lake Charles. One observer stated that the crowd was made up practically of all local Socialists, numbering between five and six hundred. W. F. Dietz, a resident of Lake Charles, was chairman of the meetings and also was a candidate in the congressional election. Dietz made a rather good showing in Lake Charles, polling 62 votes, with his heaviest vote in Ward 4. The following year Dietz ran on the state Socialist ticket for Treasurer.

The municipal campaign of 1917 was very spirited. Platforms were presented, all of which were characterized by progressive improvements, and there was a notable indication that the new commission form was supplementing the needs of the city. Even the council campaigns were heavily fought. For example, by 1:00 p.m. over 600 votes out of a registered vote of 1300 had been polled, and the local press predicted that the vote would be the heaviest in history. The mayoralty race had six candidates in the first primary, all of which carried on a vigorous campaign; and for the first time cars were hired to carry voters to the polls. In the first primary a total of 1,189 votes were cast, and George Riling and Trotti were pitted in the second primary. Riling ran on his record, which was formidable; but Trotti ran on a progressive reform platform with special emphasis on curbing the crime rate in Lake Charles. In the second primary Trotti defeating Riling by a formidable majority of 272 votes and proposed to run his administration as a “board of directors” with the “citizens as stockholders.” It was characteristic of Trotti’s administration that every man would earn his salt or be fired. He did much to curb the corruption in the police department and was effective in minimizing the 1921 depression, which tended to stunt the growth of Lake Charles to some degree. While the rest of the nation was undergoing a phase of frivolous gaiety during the twenties, commonly termed the era of “wonderful nonsense,” Lake Charles underwent a staggering depression in the earlier part of the decade. When a newly engaged assistant attorney, later governor of Louisiana, arrived on January 1, 1925, he found a city that was “economically pretty well run down.” Lake Charles was undergoing what Sam Jones refers to as a “local depression,” and was gradually “drying up.” Although Lake Charles was depressed economically during this period, municipal politics remained heated. The 1921 primary was probably one of the hottest fought campaigns in the history of the city. The first primary, held on March 8, was prefaced by several political rallies, speeches, threats, mud slinging, and general mayhem. The incumbent Major J. A. Trotti held two meetings, one in Goosport, where his reform program had been concentrated, and the second at Locke Playground in mid Lake Charles. Trotti’s two opponents, Martin and Riling, also carried on vigorous campaigns. This was the first election in which women were allowed to vote. Of the 3,137 eligible voters in Lake Charles at the time, eleven hundred seventy-nine were females. The breakdown by precincts was as follows:

WARD 3		TOTAL	MALE	FEMALE
Precinct	1	363	281	82
	2	710	450	260
	3	995	579	416
	4	1069	648	421

Another indication of the strength of the women was the effect that the Housewives’ League had on the campaign. This group favored a municipal inspector of weights and measures, which all candidates supported. Trotti’s platform was based on his record. However, he accused one of his opponents of conducting a campaign of “slander and vituperation from whispering galleries and dark alleys” by his supporters. He favored a program that would help boil the city out of debt without placing the city in bankruptcy. The major plank in his platform was his fight against a “united underworld,” which he claimed supported the opposition. George Riling’s platform was progressive and seemed to parallel that of Martin, who provided many improvements, especially for the sewerage and drainage problems of the city. The American commented that the first twenty-five votes in each ward indicated an election for Trotti, and that in the final analysis Trotti beat his nearest opponent, Riling, by a margin of 284 votes. In a post election address to a crowd of citizens on the steps of City Hall, Trotti characterized the election as a clean-cut fight for principles and said, “The city responded nobly.” He considered his election as a mandate supporting his policies and promised that he would “finish the fight” against the underworld. Trotti’s election was the second act in a four act play which might be termed the Trotti Era. Trotti was born September 3, 1872, in Jasper County, Texas. He journeyed to Lake Charles while in his teens and went to work in local livery stable. He later became a partner in this business and also became one of the organizers and owners of a local undertaking establishment. Trotti joined the local Baptist Church in 1894; he married the former Nona Fuqua. He was a man of high integrity and was respected by everyone about him. Announcing for mayor in 1916, his candidacy in this first election was not seriously considered by many who believed he would not be a strong contender. But he rapidly gained strength among the progressives of the city and was elected the following year. Trotti’s first administration was a measuring stick of what his four administrations would be. His career can be summed up as a war against vice in the city and a cleanup campaign of unsavory districts. He began this campaign as head of the police department, taking part in many raids on unsavory places of entertainment.

His work went far to better moral conditions of the city. Red light places were abolished. As wartime mayor, his work brought him into frequent clashes with minor military authorities. Gertsner field was a training ground here then for aviators. His work as provost marshal at Santiago made him particularly well qualified in recognizing military and civilian rights as mayor. He was thoroughly conversant with maintaining peace and order under such conditions.

Trotti’s anti-underworld campaign had won him victory in 1921, but in 1925 he was defeated by Henry J. Geary. In 1929, in a hard fought campaign against L. Locke, Trotti lost both primaries. In the first primary he lost by 129 votes; and in the second one, out of 2,862 votes polled, he lost to Locke by 180 votes.

In the 1933 election Trotti had four opponents – J. Ed Eaves, Leon Locke, Charles N. Perkins, and George L. Riling. The main issue was sanitation and municipal improvements. By noon over 748 votes had been cast. Locke and Trotti were pitted in a runoff race. In the first primary Trotti had polled 1,006 votes to Locke’s 645. In the second primary Trotti defeated Locke by 481 votes. Trotti won his fourth election as mayor by a comfortable majority but was unable to complete it because of his death on March 17, 1936. Trotti made many accomplishments during his four terms. He worked closely with the City Council in pulling the city out of a depression hole when tax assessments and other revenue sources had dwindled. His administration was characterized by a stable fiscal policy; “Mayor Trotti’s watchword was for the city to live within its budget.” His last two administrations were characterized by an effort in fortifying Lake Charles against the nationwide depression. He was instrumental in getting W. P. A. programs carried out for improvement of the sewerage system and for building a proposed modern disposal plant. Trotti was also known as a “political firebrand” who was always “ready to take to the stump for politics he believed right and against those he considered wrong.” He had been one of the organizers of the Good Government League, which withdrew the grip of the New Orleans machine on state politics in 1912, when Luther E. Hall of Monroe was elected governor. Although a distant cousin of Huey P. Long, Trotti broke with him “bitterly on politics as the senator ascended to power.” Trotti also was active in securing deep water facilities for Lake Charles.

One of the most effective speeches delivered in behalf of deep water for Lake Charles was made by Mayor Trotti when he presided over a giant mass meeting in Locke park, as a feature of the closing campaign. As mayor, Mr. Trotti conducted the negotiations on behalf of the city that brought Stone and Webster into this territory. He received many tributes from high company officials for his clean fight which grew so heated at one time that it was thought the utilities group might abandon its efforts to come here.

The art of politics is very inexact in a historical study. Local political history is a very tedious and challenging topic because it is so difficult to maintain the goals of scholarly objectivity. The final two periods I Lake Charles political development will not be covered in this brief survey of municipal politics because they have not yet undergone an appreciable period which could merit a true retrospective study. Making a summary of Lake Charles political direction is very difficult, and one opinion almost invariably contradicts another; yet this author has observed the following conclusions which he will break down into national, state, and municipal affairs. In national politics the Democratic Party has always been strong in Lake Charles and, with the exceptions of McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Barry Goldwater, has gone relatively solid for the Democratic Party. The relationship of Lake Charles to the national government since 1867 has been mainly concerned with economic goals. The securing of a deep water facility had been on issue since the late 1870’s and finally became a reality through the efforts of the Lake Charles citizenry in 1926, when the Port of Lake Charles was established.

Before 1890 Lake Charles was relatively an isolated area in relation to the State of Louisiana. But with the coming of J. B. Watkins in 1883, the growth of the lumber industry, and the improvements in Calcasieu Pass, Lake Charles became a city of note in state politics. Even during the 1920’s the neutral territory remained rather separated from the State of Louisiana. Former Governor Sam H. Jones points to the fact that he is only candidate to have been elected governor from this area; also, with the exception of Lether M. Frazar, William Dodd, and a few others, the southwest portion of the state has remained rather separate from the rest of the state until the late forties and early fifties.

In parish affairs Lake Charles had remained dominant since 1840. Ten of the twenty member police jury today are from Ward 3, and some observers suggest that in the future Lake Charles may incorporate the same government as East Baton Rouge parish. As one observer aptly put it, “As Ward Three goes so goes the parish.”

Regarding municipal affairs they study of the two eras the writer has made for this article has resulted in the following observations. Between 1890 and 1900 Lake Charles underwent a period of stabilization. The period 1900 to 1910 was a period of growth and a maturing administration of municipal affairs. The period since the adoption of the 1912 commission form of government to 1936 was characterized by an era of progressive reform in municipal improvements, moral influences, and an economic stabilization after the depression of the early twenties. When asked the question, “Why has Lake Charles been complacent toward community improvements in relation to city parks and other contemporary municipal improvements such as is taking place in other cities?” the former governor, Sam H. Jones, replied, giving three reasons: (1) poor leadership in city government, (2) lack of revenues (being the only main city with no city-owned utilities), and (3) opposition of labor to sales tax proposals. Most observers disagree as to the reasons for the adoption of the present mayor-council form of government but all tend to agree that the present administration is the first in several years to have appropriate funds and talent with which to work. One of the reasons for the difficulty of the commission form of government was a lack of initiative on the part of the administrative branch to parallel that of the rest of the council. The present mayor, according to many observers, has the funds that most of the previous administrations have lacked.

Like the economic, social, and educational development of Lake Charles, the political development has been unique. Due to the immigration from the north before 1890, municipal government is different from that of other cities in Louisiana. The southern tone of municipal politics, although present in Lake Charles history, has been characterized by an assimilation of a varied group of ideas which resulted in a political philosophy characterized by a restrictive progressivism based on conservative attitudes toward reform and the adaptability of novel forms of government.