The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1890-02-15
Crowley.

We spent last Sunday evening and
Monday morning in Crowley, the re.
markable three year old town which is
the capital of our neighboring parish
of Acadia, and were surprised at the
rapid growth of the town and surround
ing country. 1t now contains about
400 inhabitants; has a fine brick court
house and Jail, the courthouse being
built on the same plan as ours, but
smaller; a fine, large college building :
an elegant Methodist church; com
Portable public school house, with &C
pupils; a number of we'll constructed
stores and other places of business
several very elegant modern style res
licences, and numerous others Of more
modest architecture, but all new, bright
and cheerful looking. 1t also has live
newspaper, the Signal, a tlourishing
real estate agency, two drugstores, two
hotels, two butcher shops, a blacksmith
shop, two large warehouses, lumber
yards, &c. Crowley also has wide and
regularly laid out streets, lined with
young shade trees, good wooden side
walks, q regularly organized municipal
government and wide awake Mayor,
our friend Gus. E. Fontenot, to whom
we are indebted for many courtesies.
The people are vigorously working in
unison for the welfare and advancement
of their town, and strangers and old
friends are alike greeted with cordiality
and shown every courtesy, so that their
stay among them, whether brief or per
manent, is always pleasant.
/ Il,
has most reason to be proud is Acadia
College, with its large corps of talented
teachers and thorough equipment with
all modern educational appliances.
Like the town and neighborhood, its
growth has been phenomenal, for al
though it did not open its doors until
the latter part of last September, it al
ready has l08 pupils within its walls
In the absence of the president, Prof
Reese, who has recently taken tempo
rary charge of Methodist church at
Orange, Tex, the business affairs of
the institution are ably managed by
Prof t. c.. Cherry, most courteous
and pleasant gentleman, and they are
now in very satisfactory condition.
The elegant two-story college buildings
are owned by Mr.. w W. Dnson, the
well known editor of the Crowley Sig
nal and general manager of the South
western Louisiana Land Co, who with
characteristic public spirit has given
the faculty the use of them free of
charge for one year. That is the kind
of spirit which builds up towns and COM
munities.
Mr.. Duson was absent with his fam
lily, attending to some business in Alb
beville, but we were Hospitality enter
tanned at his comfortable home, about
q mile and half from the Court House,
by his nephew, Mr.. Morton E Duson,
and by Messrs. B, Lambert and Leon
Clark, to whom we are indebted for ap-
preciated courtesies. They showed rs
over the fine stock farm, the splendid
Minnesota cattle and horses, tile pigs,
and the 6O-acre oat field, and informed
us that Mr.. Duson would plant about
$50 acres in rice this year. Having
first-class pump, and therefore full con
troll of the water supply, fine crop
may be de, aided on.
Immigrants and prospectors of the
most desirable class arc arriving almost
daily at Crowley. Jennengs, Welsh and
Lake Charles, and "the boom is on
that section sure enough. With finer
lands and greater advantages, our par
ish is almost at stand-still The
reason is that our land owners do not
place their lands in the market, adger
tise them, and offer the inducements to
immigrants that are advertised far and
wide by'our western neighhors. When
they thoroughly realize the benefits
that will accrue to them and to their
parish by the advent OF the sturdy
farmers who are fleeing frofi the icy
Northern blasts, they will beEtir thgr
selves and will then find neolet-4oaa1EQfh-
Guilty, we trow, in securities, fopfiberal
share of the stream 90. staigration
which is pouring into QUE e-Eate