The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-05
st. Landry Parish, Louisiana, Of
fers an Attractive Field for
Farmers and Capitalists Who
Seek a Safe and Profitable In
vestment.
SOIL OF INCOMPATIBLE
RICHNESS AND FERTILITY
opelousas, the County Seat, Is a
Thriving Town and Market for
a Prosperous and Fast Growing
Section of Country.
by HERBERT vANDERHooF.

v y :
BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.
No section Of the country has made
such rapid progress in the past few
years as has the South. For one thing.
the high price of cotton that has been
dreds of millions of dollars into that
section of the country, and has placed
the farmer on a high plane OF prosperity.
The railway development of the South
has also been extremely rapid. and sec
lions that have been slumbering for
decades have all at once shaken off their
slothfulness and have become wide awake
and energetic, They are taking steps to
let the world at large know about the
beauties of their climate and the rich
ness Of their soil. They are attracting
life is beginning all over the South.
One of the oldest settled sections OF
the Union is Louisiana, and the traces
of the Spanish and French ownership OF s
that country are found all over it today Z
in the names of its citizens and in the
nomenclature of its towns and rivers
One of these towns is Opelousas, In st.
Landry parish. Opelousas is one of the
oldest towns in southwestern Louisiana.
The date of its birth is unknown. but it's
record runs far back into the eighteenth
member n1aa1 of having seen indians on the
streets. =.
AGRICULTURAL Resources of ope!ousas.
st. Landry parish, of which opelousas
state: its area is s,462 square miles. en-
bracing LOT, 900 sacres. This area en-
braces 100000 acres of long leaf pine
forests, 100000 acres of hardwood lum,
Der forests, 100000 acres of prairie, and
the balance continuous chain of hills.
running entirely through the parish from
its extreme southern to the extreme
This parish is traversed by numerous
streams. feeders to the navigable rivers.
Atchafalaya, Courtableau and Teche. in
the eastern portion OF the parish th ana not nH
and western parts or prairie section A
mammouth irrigating canal under con-
struction, extending from the Courtableau
ton, will afford inexpensive facilities for
the transportation of crops. The soil Is
formed by an alluvial deposit OF extreme
fertility, producing an abundance or corn,
cotton, sugar cane, rice. oats; hay to.
baceo,s cowpeas, pumpkins, Irish ana
sweet potatoes, vegetables of every KIND,
all varieties Of fruit grown In the tenn
perature and subtrop1cal zones, lnciuolnS
bananas, oranges, etc. 81
st. Landry parish produces more cot
ton. corn, peas, pumpkins ana oats than
any parish in the state; 1t raises t,esn more sns
| other parish. 1t is noted for its excellent
breed of horses. mules, mich cows It's
vegetable products are yet IN their IN
| fancy. The prices Of land are phenoIn-
enaliy low, ranging from 81 to $40 per
acre, according ito location. Improved
land sells from $40 to $40 per acre Real
estate in Opelousas can be purchased at
moderate prices and offers great induce
ments to the capitalist
| Advent Of the Railways.
| This has been a market for a wide
scope of country for many years. Prior
| RI he ad nf
railroad the communication with the out
side world was by a water way known
as Bayou Co9rtableau. The Frisco road
waterway between New Orleans and
Washington, six miles distant from Ope-
! been abandoned: There were quite .
number Of Arcadians settled near Ope--
lousas and engaged In the cultivation OF
indigo and cotton. They were an honest.
few and easily supplied. Every family
| had It's loom, spun and wove its own
cloth, and raised all vegetables required
At that time the woods were full of game
and the larder in this respect was easily
supplied. BY degrees they began to raise
cattle, and these increased rapidly owing
to the succulent glasses and mild vim
The French people were extremely hos
4 pitable. No one was refused entertain
a s fsh for or weeps At se
!
1 home of these people without charge.
The people as a rule were illiterate. but
many of them were endowed by nature
with fine intellects, and their descendants
| Of today figure prominently IN Louisiana
! church or state. After the civil war
conditions changed somewhat, many OF
the old French families having lost all
their slaves and having been impoverished
This people was noted for It's honesty
It would be resented, prior to the war,
if a person offered a receipt for money
~1fI of1tc ND rTyocy de nnd .
| his bond" The slaves, initiative by ma
ture, partook of this same sense of honor.
| When the Americans came in they be-
French. and soon awakened feelings Of
distrust. Intermarrfages between the
4 French and newcomers followed and pro-
gressiveness began to appear.
! French Names In Evidence.
! Today the old French names are in evil
Il dence and the most of the prominent
men, politically and commercially. are
descendants of the good stock and have
scholars, statesmen and polished gentle
4 men.
The Spanish element that remained in
the country after the cession to the
u French was, like the French, honest and
became wealthy, They intermarried with
French type and characteristics tri-
umphed. Today this country is more
! prosperous than ever. and Opelousas is
on the eve Of such prosperity as its most
optimistic citizen ever dreamed Two
/ railroads are under process Of construc
| ton, one completed, and a possibility OF
| more. The town has 5000 Inhabitants.
1 BY the construction of drainage canal
thousands of acres of the richest land
will be reclaimed, Prices of land are in
creasing. The people are alive to their
opportunities, and receive outsiders with
open arms. No place in the South offers
/ greater Inducements than OpeIousas.
| The history of this section is full Of
interest Providence poured out favors
with an unsparing hand when He created
/ this paradise, as 1t were. History states
that this section was known as the At
;takapas district under the Spanish and
trench ,,oecupaneN;. The. pane Attakapas
means "a. man eaten: and tradition has
\ it that this .,trdbes were capnibals. It
lsRIsasIashsss tioN :Sty ss,liasttn, st. Landry.
4 sIbsTaaa p 1aMstte; Asadia Vermilion and
|sss: s!sS s|I; z; ttakapas were
IL 809hQ@GaWs : ifberrnous,, and
,,Is@psg9usas a{tIll5 near ST. Martfnville..
Of his section to
sISSRMn e9M@fr naaned IN a state Of
SIS sSS}| fs peap ata at that time
IN Tine gof. spain =