The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-10-02
CAKCAsHEU PARRISH.
rNew Orleans Democrat

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The parish of Calcasieu is the larges
in the State, being about eighty mile
from north to south, and about seven
ty miles from east to west, and con
tanning nearly 5000 square miles. Thu
Mcrmentau river separates it on tn,
east from st. Landry parish, and th'
Sabine river on the west from The
state of Texas, while it has for it
northern boundary the parish of Yer
non, and for its southern the parish Of
Cameron. The organization of Cal
casieu parish dates from 1889, when
it was formed from portion of St
Landry, and included the territory
now known as Cameron parish. That
portion of Calcasieu lying east of the
Calcasieu river is prairie, and that
west of it is pine woods. The pine
woods are scanned with a great num-
Der of creeks, bordered with oaks,
magnolia and other trees. The pop
ulation of the parish, according to the
census of 1880, is 1881, of which
about nine-tenths are white. The
population in 1870 was reported as
6733, by which it would appear that
! the number of inhabitants had almost
doubled within the past ten years.
The parish debt at the present time
amounts to about $4,000, which the
delinquent taxes will readily retire
when collected. In fact, the financial,
as well as general business prospects
of the parish at this time are regarded
as unusually promising. The assess
ments for the year / $50 will be in the
neighborhood of S2,000,00o, on which
there is levied tax of sixteen mills
for state and parish The leading in
dustries of Calcasieu so far have been
stock raising and numbering; but the
completion Of the New Orleans and
Texas Railway will open up new and
permanent departure from the old rou-
tine, and with the introduction of
scientific farming and fruit raising the
parish will become as famous for fruits
and farms as it is now for lumber anG
cattle.
CLIMATE AND HEALTH.
The climate of this section of the
State is the most pleasant imaginable,
excepting that for three or four weeks
in the summer ana about the same
period in winter the inhabitants are
subject to some severe heat and cold,
it is not uncommon for win
tiers to pass without more cold than a
clear white frost. The climate, in
fact, is nearly perpetual spring, so that
seeding Of any but the most sensitive
may be done at almost any
time with safety. As general thing
the parish can be regarded as remark
ably healthy, the sea-brecze and those
from the open prairies tempering the |
at all seasoDs OF the year. !
The thermometer seldom ranges AS
high as SO 9, rarely above 90o and
is not often down as low as the freezing
point. ChiIls and feyers and some
malarial feyers prevail at certain sea
sons of the year, but Weld readily to
medical treatment This class of dis
eases is, however mainly confined TO
inmbermeD, whose occupation requires
their exposure TO the niasma OF the
swamps and marshes. At present it is
a lnooted question as to whether vel
low fever has ever visited the parish,
although some cases may have been
imported from infected localities dur
ing the period of al epidemic The
average longevity Of life among the
natives and acclimated populations may
be placed at about sixty years, al
though many persons live to the age
OF eighty and even ninety years If
we add to the longevity the fact that
the Inhabitants Of Calcasieu are not
annoyed by any one of the pestiferous
insect tribes, except in the marshy dis
triets, one can scarcely imagine more
delightful situation in a climatic point
Of view.
QDALlIf OF SOIL.
The southern and southwestern por-
tions of the parish are principally
prairie, containing, however, sufficient
timber for all ordinary farm purposes.
This prairie land is all very level, but
is locally distinguished as high and
low prairie. The first includes that
from which the rain water readily es-
capes, and the latter that portion which
temporarily receives and retains the
water, as well as the marshes which
become passable only during seasons
of long severe drouth. The high
prairie is good soil and capable of be-
ing made very fertile. The second or
medium lands are more productive
than the first, but are available only.
for such crops as will permit flooding,
like rice, OF will mature in very
short time after planting. Where
drainable these lands produce good