The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1916-05-05


Cooper, president of the police jury
.of Jefferson Davis parish.
Address of John H. Cooper, Presi-
dent of the police jury, delivered at
Jennings, La, May 8, 1916, on the
occasion of the laying of the corner
stone of Jefferson Davis Parish
court house.
While there is a great deal that
might be of interest in connection with
the early history of this territory, the
development of the country proper
ly began about thirty-five years ago.
In 1881 the first train on the LOuiSi-
ana Western r. r. passed through
the territory now Jefferson Davis
parish and with the railroad came
land prospectors and home seekers.
At that time the only products of
the country were cattle, horses and a
few sheep. The population was al
most exclusively Creoles, the de-
scendants of the Arcadians, who had
moved into this territory from the
country further east for the purpose
of raising stock and many Of them
had acquired considerable wealth
chiefly in stock, but on account of the
remoteness of schools very few had
any education whatever and no knowl-
edge of the English language. They
produced about enough rice for home
consumption by planting the rice in
the low places on the prairie and irri-
gal by catching rain water.
This ms was harvested with a sickle,
threshed by striking hands full over
the edge of board or on block or
stump and cleaned with mortar and
pestle. The motar was generally
made by setting a section Of log
on end and burning out d cavity in it.
This was sometimes facilitated by
chopping or boring holes Rice thus
cleaned and beef either fresh or drid
constituted almost exclusively the
food of the people. While thousands
of COWS roamed the prairie milk was
seldom used and butter practically
unknown.
There was not q public road in the
entire territory and very few bridg-
es and those were Of the crudeSt type.
About the only means CT transporta-
ton was two-wheeled cart drawn by
cattle and the means Of travel a Gre
ole pony. The only fence known at
this time was the pew fence made
by split cypress boards about ten
feet long with each end hewn down
to fit into morticed holes in the posts
which were of the same material only
a little heavier. Then hauses were
generally built by erecting frame Of
Ihewn timber morticcd and pinned to-
gether and filled with clay and mud,
the roof of split shingles ard the floor
often of split boards. A glass window
was practically unknown and screens
unheard of. &C..
This in brief was the condition OF
the country when the railroad was
opened in 1881. In 1882 Mr.. j. b.
Watkins of Lawrence, Kansas, after
Looking over this country organized
a syndicate and bought about 1885,
900 acres in VermilliOn, Cameron and
Calcasieu parishes, for this land ne
Maid from twelve and one-half cents
| to one dollar and twenty-five cents
| per acre. A large part of what is
Inow Jefferson Davis parish was IN
cluded in the purchase and many OF
our native people who might have had
Ian the land they wanted almost Tor
the asking suddenly found out there
was no more land to be bought except
from Watkins. This acquisition OF
what we now recognize as some OF
| the most valuable lands at such RI
| diculously low price was justly char
acterized as a steal and subjected the
legislature Of 1882 TO some severe
criticisms, it also took away from the
native people the lands Of which they
had been in undisputed possession
without a warning. And still we
now know that it was the beginning
of an era of development that has
rarely been equalled in a strictly ag'
-:cultural country and instead :,
Inc a curse to the native people Il
has proven blessing for it has glver
them opportunities for development
thew could never have enjoyed under
n ,.oo-:r,o ord has converted s