The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1871-05-20
TCommunicated.l
BELLEVUE, La, May Is, 1877

D6LLI NiASs 1hse 10y ~. AOf
W. 81. SCANLAND, EsQ.-DeGr
S;r-A few days after you left me
fnsEew Orleans, last Winter, /
started out on my voyage of dis
covery, and in search of better
health. After visiting several
places, on business affairs, I land
ed at Leesburg, the parish seat of
Cameron, on the 18th day of Feb
ruary. There, vegetation had al
ready sprung, crops were being
planted, and everything looked
like mid April in Bossier. The
atmosphere was mild and invigo-
rating; and in a few weeks my
hemorage, evening fevers, night
sweats, cough, and ali symptoms
of consumption ceased, and / have
enjoyed fine health ever since.
/ examined the country pretty
thoroughly. Grand lake and the
Mermenton river are in the east,
Calcasieu lake and river in the
centre, and Sabine lake and river
bounds the Parish on the west.
These waters are navigable up to
the railroad line the year ronnd
for sail vessels or steamers, and
the Gulf lying on the south, you
may see that nature has made
ample provisions for travelling by
water and there is already a
large lumber trade on Calcasieu
and Sabine.
The surface of the country con-
sists of sea marsh ION which grass
grows to the hight oftwelve feet
interspersed with ridges of high
land composed of shell and sand,
the soil of which is light and easily
cultivated, and unsurpassed in
fertility. Live oak grows in places
on this ridge of land. Musquit,
blackberry and other scrub timber,
in other places; the back ridges
are generally prairie. Wells of
good fresh water are obtained at
q depth of eight to ten feet on any
part OF the high land.
Grande Cheneiere, a ridge some
twenty-five miles in length, in the
southeast part of the parish, is the
most noted body of land, and is
inhabited by very clever people.
Blue Buck Ridge, Immediately
on the Gulf coast, between the
Calcasieu aud Sabine rivers, is
also a large body of good land,
and is a beautiful, but lonely, place.
There is also land equally good on
the Mermenton and Calcasieu,
which is probably destined to
be the most valuable of any in the
parish. On any of the high
lands ali the products Of other
parishes of Louisiana may be rails
ed successfully, and for Sea-Island
cotton 4 is unsurpassed anywhere.
Peaches, plums, grapes, figs, or,
anges, lemons, cocOanuts, banan-
as, and in fact almost everything
of the fruit kind thrives i'm Came
ron. Melons, sweet and Irish pc
tatoes, and all other garden vege
tables yield abundant crops even
rith careless culture.
The range is inexhaustable, and
stock always fat. An abundance
of fish and shelLfish are easily OBJ
tanned i'm the waters. Turtles may
be obtained of any size desirable.
Fowls may be seen by thousands
On the wing, aud by acres Oh the
water, and are very easily killed.
The drawbacks of the country
consist of occasional storms. and
overfows OF some places, of i'm
passable marshes, aligators and
mosquitoes, and that it is sparse
ly settled and its resources have
not been developed by industry,
energy and enterprise.
The citizens of Cameron are
ratherrural and primitive in their
manners ard habits, but are not
deficient in practical intelligence
and their hospitality makes
amends for all defects.
In some neighborhoods they are
giving their children good practi-
cal Quotations As a religious
people, they cannot be Dragged on
for the reason, / suppose, that
they don't expect to die soon.
The men are generally healthy.
ioyial, good fellows, rather indif
ferent TO the courtesies and Ell
saetfes of civilized society. But
when we take them to their voca
lions they surpass MS without any
= effort.
: One fact observed among
them that shows that human ma
tnre is aboGt the same everywhere
Their lava tn have finn ont of 5