The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-11-08

llshed recently In the Galveston News,
has resulted in several letters to the
editor of the Echo, from various parts.
of Texas, asking information about our
town and parish. Most of these letters
contained return postage, and we feel,
therefore, under an obligation to an
swer them, but the inquiries are SO nu-
merous, Zone letter containing thirty
and from so many different persons,
that it is absolutely impossible for us
to answer them in writing. We there
fore take this method of answering all
the questions propounded, and will
send our correspondents marked copies
of this paper.
LAKE CHARLES.
Lake Charles, the seat of Justice of
Calcasieu parish, is situated on the
eastern shore of a lake called also Lake
Charles, 35 miles east of Orange, Texas,
go miles north of the Gulf of Mexico,
and ZIG miles from New Orleans, by
the line Of the railroad from New Or
leans to Houston, Texas, via Morgan
City, New Iberia, Vermilionville and
Lake Charles, La, and Orange, Texas.
The aCalcasieu river flows through
the western edge of the above named
lake, and the railroad runs, ON trestleI
work, through its northern edge. The
lake is nearly two miles broad opposite
the town, and is two miles wide north
and south, being almost circular in
form. Steamboats, and schooners, from
the Calcasieu river and Mexican gulf
trade, cross the lake in all directions,
and land at our saw mills and wharves.
The population of Lake Charles is
about 800, and is rapidly increasing.
This does not include settlements near
town. We have here the courthouse,
telegraph Office, railroad depot, one
newspaper, three churches, catholic,
methodist and German methodist, one
steam rice mill, nine steam saw mills,
ten stores, two drug stores, three ho-
tells, two restaurants, three meat mar
kets, eleven saloons, three blacksmith
shops, two saddlery and harness shops,
one boot and shoe shop, two bakeries,
two barber shops, one public and three
private schools, one masonic lodge, one
temperance council, two silyersmiths,
four lawyers, five physicians, one tailor,
and no timer.
We think it doubtful if the cars are
running from New Orleans to Houston
before the first of next March, though
some Of the railroad employees here
are talking of going by rail to eat their
Christmas dinners in Houston.
Lake Charles has permanent water
communication with Galveston and all
ports on the Gulf of Mexico, by the
Calcasieu river, one Of the deepest riv-
ers on the continent, and which, being
a tide water river, rarely rises or falls
more than six feet. For this reason,
among Others, railroad men predict its
continuous growth and prosperity, it
being well known that a railroad be-
tween two large cities always kills an
inland town destitute of navigation fa-
cilities, and always permanently bene-
fits an inland town having such facilities.
Lake Charles is proverbially healthy,
being bounded on the east by prairie
country over a hundred miles in extent,
on the south by prairies and salt water
marshes, and on the north and west by
pine forests.
The soil of Lake Charles, and of the
adjacent prairie, is a surface soil of
about eighteen inches Of sandy loan,
black in many places on the prairie,
and lighter in town, with deep sub
soil Of blue and red clay, which holds
all the manure put on it. The finest
vegetables are grown here. Oranges,
figs, grapes, Strawberries and blackber-
ries are grown in abundance and per-
fection, while, as an evidence of the
mildness Of our climate, lemons and