Southwest Louisiana - A Treasure Revealed

SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA: 

A Treasure Revealed 

Photography by Lindsey Janies 

Text by Jeanne Owens 

A publication of 

The Chamber/Southwest Louisiana

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SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA: 


Photography by Lindsey Janies 

Text by Jeanne Owens 

A publication of The Chamber/Southwest Louisiana 

Historical Publishing Network 

A division of Lammert Incorporated 

San Antonio, Texas

First Edition 

Copyright © 2011 Historical Publishing Network 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing 

from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Historical Publishing Network, 11535 Galm Road, Suite 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (800) 749-9790. 

ISBN: 9781935377313 

Library of Congress Card Catalog Number: 2010943244 

Southwest Louisiana: A Treasure Revealed 

photography: Lindsey Janies 

narrative: Jeanne Owens 

design: Glenda Tarazon Krouse 

contributing writers for sharing the heritage: Joe Goodpasture 

Historical Publishing Network 

president: Ron Lammert 

project manager: Joe Bowman 

administration: Donna M. Mata 

Melissa Quinn 

book sales: Dee Steidle 

production: Colin Hart 

Omar Wright 

Evelyn Hart 

PRINTED IN MALAYSIA 

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA: A Treasure Revealed 

2

CONTENTS 

4 THIS LOUISIANA DIAMOND PRESSED FROM HISTORY 

6 FOREWORD 

8 INTRODUCTION 

16 CHAPTER ONE Treasured Heritage 

3O CHAPTER TWO Enterprise in Southwest Louisiana 

64 CHAPTER THREE Living the Treasured Life 

90 CHAPTER FOUR Treasured People 

106 SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA PARTNERS 

220 SPONSORS 

222 ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER 

223 ABOUT THE WRITER 

CONTENTS 

3

This Louisiana Diamond 

Pressed from History 

It is sown beneath our primeval marshes, 

within the roots of the vast shadowy green forests, 

beneath our cool lakes, dreamy bayous, 

beneath wide rippling rice fields, 

beneath the plow writing the poetry of spring into rich black soil, 

breaking ground for peas, beans, corn, yams. 

It is sown below inky, glistening oil deposits, 

beneath wooden floors thudding with fiddlers and two-steppers, 

beneath our churches filled with wonder and praise, 

beneath wide, still skies stirred by wings of great white-fronted geese, 

green teal, red ibis, ring neck ducks, egrets, hummingbirds, swamp swallows, 

sown beneath the cattails, the blackberries, the black-eyed Susans, 

the chinaberry trees, the hydrangeas, azaleas, magnolias. 

A mighty hand has sown it, planted a diamond large as our land, 

and it has fertilized everything with riches—our farms, our rivers and bayous, 

our music, our workplaces, our play, our homes, and our families. 

A few have caught glimpses of it. 

A few of us have chipped into it and it charms our lives. 

A few have taken pieces of it away. 

Many of us sense it glowing as we end the day on the front porch. 

Many of us rise to its warmth in the morning. 

It is our treasure, given freely for us to care for. 

It is our gift to understand, to pass down, to build upon, 

a place for our hope and faith. 

It is your treasure to find. 

And it is our treasure to reveal, slowly, a piece at a time, 

so you too understand this way of life—a life built upon blessings. 


4

This Louisiana Diamond Pressed from History 

5

FOREWORD 

OVERVIEW OF A TREASURE REVEALED 

Some say two-hundred-year-old treasure is buried in our corner of Louisiana. However, 

we found it years ago. Not some rusty chest buried by a pirate, but true treasure buried by 

a mightier hand. It’s yours too for the taking. Dig into Southwest Louisiana and unearth 

life’s silver lining. 

This is the story of how Southwest Louisiana became the rich place that it is today. 

Ironically, we are a gumbo of past outsiders who recognized the inherent wealth of our 

natural resources—Acadians, northerners, enterprising promoters, laborers, real estate 

magnates, fishermen, railroad builders, lumber barons, fortune-seekers, farmers, oilmen, 

artisans, industrialists, problem solvers, leaders and followers. 

Five unique parishes make up the “boot heel” of Southwest Louisiana today—Allen, 

Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis parishes. Our history intertwines 

with our future, and connecting to our heritage is like connecting to our land. The more we 

dig, the more we find astounding beauty, usable resources, a paradise of hunting and 

fishing, fine art and culture, bred-in-the-bone traditions, world-famous cuisine, and—most 

important—folks who tip their hats to good living, to old customs, and to advanced 

technology all at the same time. 

It is a beautiful cause and effect story—how such a range of unlikely people found so 

many riches in this corner of Southwest Louisiana. The Attakapas lived easily on the land 

but did not prevail to see what it could become. The Koasati who migrated here have 

flourished, maintaining the purity of their language and culture. The phoenix-like Acadians 

were exiled to this place where they regenerated their culture and made it so compelling 

the world wants to share in it. The Midwesterners heard of a promised land and came 

in droves to build kingdoms of rice, cattle, and oil. The Michigan Men—Paul Bunyan’s 

incarnate—mastered centuries-old forests and the technologies to cut, mill, and ship them 

around the world. They also showcased the beauty of wood in finely crafted mansions— 

forests miraculously evolved into spindles, turrets, polished floors, hand rubbed railings, 

stained glass doors and windows, and wide porches for generations of families. 

This is a story of creative geniuses who had the wisdom to leave a primeval marsh in its 

natural state. This is a story of the French, the Germans, the Jewish, the Indians, the new 

Americans, the Asians, the Creoles, the Africans, the Italians, the Spanish, men, women, 

and children who turned a few sawmill towns into thriving cities, beautiful neighborhoods, 

cultural centers, industrial giants, flourishing farms and ranches—all within a breathtaking 

natural world. 

The real-life photographs in this book capture the sensuality of Louisiana. Each image 

distills generations of ingenuity, hard work, historic preservation, good-natured fun, and 

artistry into one shot. Our story begins with golden opportunities and it continues with 

new chapters unfolding every day. Appreciate each photo realizing that we are a Louisiana 

diamond pressed from history. 


6

ALLEN 

PARISH 

Home to the Coushatta (Koasati) Tribe, 

Allen Parish sways with rich piney woods. 

Four rivers intersect the parish, creating a 

waterway haven for canoeing, hiking, and 

picnicking. Historically based on timber 

and outlying oil and gas facilities, Allen 

Parish boasts a diverse economic base with 

hospitality (centered on the Coushatta 

Casino Resort in Kinder) plywood manufacturing, 

three prison facilities, and a 

natural gas relay facility. Children learn 

early how to safely handle guns and fishing 

poles because the woods offer unique 

adventures for hunting wild boar, deer, 

flying squirrels, coons, and wild turkey. 

It’s not unusual for a Sunday dinner to 

feature squirrel gumbo or a platter of 

smoked wild boar. 

BEAUREGARD 

PARISH 

On one of the largest aquifers in the 

country, Beauregard Parish flourishes with 

paper and plastics production facilities and 

chemical plants. Its numerous lakes and 

wildlife preserve make for stunning walks 

through the woods that are dotted with 

dogwoods and azaleas. The parish seat, 

DeRidder, is in the midst of a downtown 

revitalization plan and airport land use 

expansion. Built like many sawmill towns 

around Louisiana, DeRidder has the 

bragging rights to the most unusual jail— 

an impressive gothic building that seems 

to have climbed up on itself, stacking 

windows and towers. It is endearingly 

dubbed the “hanging jail” since the last 

two death row inmates were hanged there 

in the early part of the 1900s. 

CAMERON 

PARISH 

Spectacular marshes, cheniers, birding 

and photography opportunities, alligators, 

and bird flyways are Cameron’s gift to 

the world. The tender wetlands are natural 

brakes for hurricanes, and the marshes and 

wildlife have not changed in millions of 

years. Yet the parish provides much needed 

oil and gas to America without harming 

the environment. Its proximity to the Gulf 

of Mexico supports numerous oil and gas 

related industries. The Port of Cameron 

is one of the top five ports for fisheries 

in the nation, placing wild American 

shrimp and speckled trout on dinner plates 

across America. 

CALCASIEU 

PARISH 

Serving as the financial, medical and 

entertainment center of the five-parish 

area, Calcasieu boasts the largest regional 

population. Major industry and available 

workforce is located within the Lake 

Charles area. A vigorous petrochemical 

industry, the Port of Lake Charles—the 

closest deep-water port in Louisiana and 

eleventh largest in the nation—plus a 

growing aerospace industry makes Lake 

Charles an economic hub between Houston 

and New Orleans. A thriving arts and 

cultural district includes the Lake Charles 

Symphony, numerous art galleries, 

shopping areas, and live theater groups. 

Lake Charles is preservation-minded 

towards its hundreds of historic homes and 

public buildings, and trains workforces 

through McNeese State University and 

Sowela Technical Community College. 

JEFFERSON DAVIS PARISH 

Louisiana’s oil industry gushed forth in 

Jefferson Davis parish and has thrived 

there since. The parish is also rice country, 

harvesting and milling rice and using its 

by-products to produce alternative energy 

fuels. The parish shimmers with natural 

waterways and deep elegance of forests 

and timberlands. It also takes pride in 

preserving historic homes and buildings 

and maintaining a hometown downtown 

shopping district. 

FOREWORD 

7

INTRODUCTION 


Argh! Make a tough pirate face. The 

Jean Lafitte legend lives on during the 

Contraband Days Festival every spring in 

Lake Charles as a chosen Jean Lafitte and 

his buccaneers take the city, all in goodnatured 

fun. The festival is a huge tourist 

attraction when we tip our big, black pirate 

hat to the riches that lay within our land. 

THE LEGEND BEHIND THE TITLE 

We know that the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte cunningly slipped along the bayous and rivers of 

Southwest Louisiana in the 1800s creating allies and building legends. The question is if he 

actually buried his loot somewhere along our beautiful moss-draped Contraband Bayou—lots of 

ill-gotten booty filched from schooners laden with gold, jewels, silver, furniture and fine art headed 

for the new Louisiana wealthy. Many legends hold seeds of truth. However, like seeds, legends 

often burgeon into dramatic tales with larger-than-life characters. 


8

Jean Lafitte was a real person who has 

morphed into a symbolic character. He was 

allegedly a rascally pirate who operated out of 

an area known as No Man’s Land, a neutral 

strip disputed by Texas and the United States 

who both eventually agreed in 1806 to leave 

it unoccupied. This forty-mile wide stretch of 

marshland and wilderness was bound on the 

west by the Sabine River and on the east by 

the Calcasieu River—today, part Cameron 

Parish, part Calcasieu Parish. Deep, cypresslined 

mossy bayous and cheniers—marsh 

ridges topped with full live oaks—crisscrossed 

the southern sector. Virgin, centuriesold 

pine forests and hardwood bottomlands 

flourished in the northern sector. Only a few 

white settlers and slaves lived there by 1820, 

as did a few leftovers of the Attakapas tribe 

led by Chief Quelquesheu—Crying Eagle— 

now Americanized into Calcasieu. 

It’s not hard to imagine who converged onto 

that lawless neutral strip—social outcasts, 

criminals, rogues—just the type Lafitte wanted 

to recruit for his shenanigans. By 1817 Jean 

Lafitte and his buccaneers had captured 

numerous Spanish slave boats off the coast of 

Cuba and huddled stolen slaves into barracoons 

or slave pens on Galveston Island. One of 

his best customers included an intermediary, 

James Bowie, who bought slaves from Lafitte, 

then sold them to wealthy plantation owners. 

An 1853 Debow’s Magazine documents that 

the slave trade thrived on Black Bayou which 

emptied into the Sabine and the Calcasieu 

which poured into Lake Charles. 

It didn’t take Lafitte long to learn, however, 

he could multiply his profits by marketing 

slaves directly to the Louisiana cotton and 

sugar cane planters, so he headquartered in 

the neutral strip that crawled with alligators, 

deer, bears, black panthers, snakes, and 

clouds of mosquitoes. Many well-known Lake 

Charles ancestors actually sailed on Lafitte’s 

ships during his scandalous raids including 

Captain Arsene Le Bleu who later built his 

cabin at the point where Calcasieu River 

intersects the Old Spanish Trail. 

In his heyday Lafitte navigated streams 

and rivers with the skill of a bar pilot. The 

most beautiful body of water, Lake Charles, 

was a two-mile wide oval, jade-green tidal 

INTRODUCTION 

9

lagoon lined with willows and cypress 

fluttering with moss. Even after his 

banishment from Galveston Island, many 

early local residents knew Lafitte and loaded 

him up with fresh vegetables, beef, and 

“supplies” that could have ranged from 

weaponry to brandy. 

So why the legend that Lafitte’s treasure 

is buried in our parts—Napoleon’s fortune, 

aristocrats’ jewels, gold and silver bars and 

coins? Pieces of the story have eked out over 

the years from various people who befriended 

him or had some kind of run-in with him or 

his descendents. 

• 1811—Charles Sallier, a minor French 

aristocrat running from the guillotine, 

reputedly escaped with others to Spain and 

paid Lafitte a huge amount of money to 

resettle them in Louisiana. Upon sailing 

into the coast of Louisiana, Attakapa- 

Ishak—also known as man-eaters—scaled 

the gunwales, frightening crew and travelers. 

Lafitte, however, had a rapport with 

these Native Americans who had buried 

caches of gold and jewels among the 

Acadian people for years, so under Lafitte’s 

wing the crew became comfortable with 

the so-called maneaters. Sallier hastily 

borrowed an Attakapa-Ishak’s pony and 

searched for hidden treasure everywhere, 

finally settling on Money Hill, the Barb 

Shellbank, where he would eventually 

build his home and live there until 1841. 

Lafitte then disappeared for four years. 


10

• 1814—In the aftermath of the Battle of 

Waterloo, Emperor Napoleon hoped to 

avoid retribution by escaping to Louisiana. 

Lafitte loaded into his schooner a score of 

sea chests holding Napoleon’s personal fortune 

and cast off just as Napoleon missed 

the boat. Michel Pithon, an old Napoleonic 

warrior, also escaped on that voyage, settled 

in Lake Charles, raised a large family, 

and recounted numerous Lafitte tales, 

establishing himself as a walking history 

book of Lafitte’s escapades. Did he know 

where Napoleon’s stash is buried? 

• 1815—Charles Sallier awoke early one 

morning to see his old swashbuckler 

friend—tall, dark, mustached—swaggering 

with sword in hilt along with other 

transplanted “aristocrats” at his door. They 

feasted and drank the day away. Early the 

next morning Lafitte’s schooner slipped 

away, but not without rumors that it 

anchored again at a marsh ridge downstream 

near Trahan’s Lake where Lafitte 

and his henchmen buried Napoleon’s sea 

chest ashore in the marsh. 

• 1886—A Galveston Weekly News carries 

a story claiming Hackberry Island in 

Calcasieu Lake was supposedly Lafitte’s 

naval depot. The river was elevated at a 

place called Money Hill—also known as 

Barb’s Shellbank where Lafitte met Charles 

Sallier many times. 

• Two slaves who had worked closely with 

Lafitte knew quite a bit of his thievery, 

treachery, and killings, but remained tightlipped 

out of fear. Catalan, his cook, lived 

in Calcasieu Parish until about age 94 

and witnessed murders over the finds and 

division of Lafitte’s gold. But, he would not 

utter a word. 

INTRODUCTION 

11


12

Good Listening 

• Another, ex-slave named Wash, who lived 

in Lake Charles, also verified Sallier’s and 

Pithon’s accounts of Lafitte’s carrying-ons. 

One tale is that Lafitte’s ship laden with 

booty entered the Calcasieu River while 

pursued by a large Civil War American 

frigate. Lafitte put half his crew to 

work burying treasure near the Barb 

Shellbank—again! Then they built a 

clamshell fort, shoved guns ashore, and 

sank their leaky ship. Time passed, the 

frigate left, and Lafitte sailed off to 

Galveston in a brand new schooner. 

Years later, two old Acadian Frenchmen 

scavenged Lafitte’s sunken vessel and 

discovered two chests of silver plate and 

bars evidently overlooked by Lafitte’s 

scallywags. The Acadians quickly moved 

the chests downriver near Cydony’s 

Shipyard where they buried them on a 

marsh ridge. Wash stayed tight-lipped 

too after seeing treasure hunters kill 

each other over finding and dividing 

the treasure. 

So, treasure hunters still seek Lafitte’s 

fortunes, but usually not alone. Often a 

patron—apparition—or an eerie light, or giant 

rattlesnake with bared fangs, or even a 

cutlass-swinging skeleton chases them off 

the trail. Is Jean Lafitte still protecting his 

treasure trove? 

We believe, however, he overlooked the 

full wealth of Southwest Louisiana revealed 

to us through our rich natural resources— 

abundant pine forests, hardwoods, 

marshlands, oil, fertile land, temperate 

climate, waterways, migratory flyways, and 

wildlife. Lafitte never realized what a rich 

mix of people would live here, people 

with staunch survival skills, imagination, 

and creativity—people who grab onto 

opportunity, who possess a joie de vivre, and 

who measure life’s worth in terms of family 

and friends rather than treasure chests. One 

more thing—we know Lafitte would have 

dumped all his gold and jewels on the 

beach just to fill his pirate chests with 

crawfish etouffee, andouille gumbo, fresh fig 

ice cream, couchon du lait, oyster poorboys, 

shrimp remoulade, bourbon pecan pies, 

mayhaw jelly, and a crab cake or two. 

THE 

Non-Native Americans who listen to these old ways should understand that in 

Native American culture the listener is as important as the presenter. Good 

listening is cultivated, somewhat as an art, among Native American people. Silence 

is respected, and courtesy is expected. People are taught not to talk while others 

speak, to pay attention and not to look speakers directly in the eyes. One does not 

eat or drink during traditional storytelling since the listener’s mind is on the food 

and not the lesson being taught. There are also rules about who can pass-on 

traditions and to whom. Men tell some things, women tell others. Some, children 

can hear; and others are for adults only. There are some things that are told only at 

night and others reserved for the daylight hours. Like language itself these rules 

vary from tribe to tribe. Each Louisiana tribe has its own rules and the listeners 

should anticipate being told the rules on “how to talk and how to listen” much as 

they have learned in non-Native American culture. 

-Koasati Native American storyteller and toymaker 

ATTAKAPA- ISHAKS 

Early man in Southwest Louisiana followed 

the rivers and coastlines much as we do today. 

Four bands of Native Americans thrived on 

fertile land and abundant resources—wild 

game, waterfowl, fish, salt domes, shellfish, and 

pearls. The rich Louisiana soils gave them a 

variety of hardwoods to build and work with 

including cedar, hickory, oak, and black walnut. 

Two eastern bands called themselves the 

Sunrise People, two western bands were 

known as the Sunset People. They lived from 

Bayou Teche to the Sabine River and from what 

is today’s Alexandria, Louisiana, to the Gulf 

of Mexico. Very little is known about them. 

European explorers did not write much about 

them. The Attakapa-Ishaks called themselves 

Earliest Southwest Louisiana Residents— 

Attakapa-Ishaks and Coushatta 

One Tribe Lost, Another Flourishing 

INTRODUCTION 

13

Baked Alligator 

Ishak (The People). Attakapas is Choctaw for 

“Eaters of Human Flesh” which is somewhat 

erroneous because they actually ate only parts 

of the slain enemies in a victory ceremony. 

Southwest Louisiana was truly a sportsman’s 

paradise for the Attakapas; the waters teemed 

with fish, and all the Indians had to do for 

dinner was to nab fish right out of the 

Calcasieu River by hand or net. They did 

fashion fishhooks from bones and made arrows 

and spears—one way we have today of 

tracking their living habits. 

It is known that the Attakapa-Ishaks had 

dealings with Jean Lafitte who more than 

likely traded baubles with them for special 

favors—perhaps to avoid having his own 

parts eaten. Furthermore, they seem to have 

lived in this area possibly as far back as 

15,000 years B.C., which would place them 

somewhere in the time frame of the “Great 

Flood”. This might explain why the Attakapas 

viewed themselves coming from the sea, 

borne upon great oyster shells onto the beach. 

They weren’t particularly industrious, 

eating whatever was easy to catch. Oysters 

were dragged from salt water lagoons then 

smoked over fires to be eaten and to use as 

a form of money. If a fish was not too handy 

to grab, the shaman powdered dry roots 

or herbs—probably with some stunning 

ability—and sprinkled the fine powder on the 

surface of lagoons. In a few hours the fish 

rising to the surface were stupefied and killed 

with blows from paddles. 

By the time the early French met the 

Attakapa-Ishaks, their maneating skills had 

improved as food became more scarce. A 

disastrous 1810 Gulf storm washed away 

the Attakapas-Ishaks huts and supplies, but 

serendipitously washed bodies of shipwrecked 

sailors ashore. They roasted the bodies in a 

pit, but the shaman expressed his fear that 

if the Attakapa-Ishaks were to eat the white 

men’s flesh, it might mottle their dark 

Attakapas’ flesh. Although the Indians admired 

head deformation, tattooing, and blackened 

teeth, they were not so keen on albinism. 

Serves one band of Attakapas 

• Spear one alligator in the eye and 

disembowel along the belly line where skin 

is thin. 

• Leave carcass whole after gutting due to 

the thick hide. 

• Cut loose the flesh along each side of the 

spine, leaving the meat in each trench. 

• Replace belly skin and tie shut. 

• Place entire carcass in a pit of red-hot oyster 

shells and cover with live charcoal. 

• Bake for several hours. 

• Serve as a delicacy the oil that wells up in 

the trenches, reserving some for later use 

as a body oil to repel gnats and 

mosquitoes and to cover swimmers’ 

bodies to create buoyancy. 

• Eat the alligator flesh, offering more to 

the men of the tribe. 

The Attakapa-Ishaks disappeared either 

from disease spread by the Europeans or 

through inter-tribal warfare. However, they did 

leave behind a recipe that sheds light on an 

Attakapa-Ishaks feast and their everyday life. 

THE 

COUSHATTA 

The Coushatta tribal name means “Lost 

Tribe”—a double meaning considering their 

history, near extinction, then proud revival. 

The tribal legend tells of a wandering band of 

tribesmen who met up with a group of white 

men. When asked who they were, the Indians 

misunderstood the question and answered, 

Koashatt which means lost. And in one sense, 

they were. Long before recorded history, language 

analysis indicates the Coushattas were a 

part of a unified Muskogean stock. After linguistically 

splitting into seven tribes, much of 

the culture was lost after repeated migration 

and hardships over the last 200 years. 

However, the Coushatta language has 

remained intact in its purest form—unique in 

modern day society when pristine languages 

are dying around the world. The tribe seeks 

to revive its proud heritage, developing a 

strong cultural program to teach traditional 

ways in a world that is letting go of traditions. 

Coushatta basketry—considered world-class 

artistry—native medical practices, and the 


14

tribal language have been preserved and 

practiced by the tribe’s people. 

Likewise, making bows and arrows, using 

blowguns, cooking traditional Native American 

dishes, performing ancient chants and dances, 

and recounting tribal legends are part of a 

major cultural revival that the tribe is undergoing. 

The family unit remains the most 

important social tie in the Coushatta community 

with seven large clans represented today— 

each symbolized by an animal or element. 

The political organization is based on an 

elected chief chosen for his oratorical abilities. 

A town chief and warrior chief are appointed 

by the chief. Basically peace loving town 

dwellers with an agriculture-based economy, 

the pre-migration Coushatta focused on 

planting maize, peas, beans, squash, pumpkins, 

melons, potatoes, and rice. A portion of 

each harvest was donated to the public granary 

to protect the tribe during poor harvests 

and war emergencies. 

Hunting was only supplementary to 

agriculture. The Coushattas slowly accepted 

using the white man’s gun, favoring a bow 

made of black locust or hickory with cane 

arrows. However, the Indians became as 

skilled at using firearms as they were with 

blowguns and bows and arrows. Trade, too, 

became an important factor in the economy. 

But as it happens when cultures collide, the 

tribe eventually settled in Louisiana, their idyllic 

economic pattern was thrown off course by 

the coming of the Louisiana rice farmers and 

the timber barons. The Coushattas turned 

towards working the fields of the Acadian 

farmers or logging for the timber industrial 

giants. Women continued to supplement the 

family income working with arts and crafts. 

The Coushattas are retraining to reach a 

goal of tribal self-determination. Some wage 

earners are now involved in tribal government 

and others work in the tribe’s flourishing 

aqua-culture industry—seventy acres of land 

devoted to rice and crawfish farming. 

Coushatta men who were once loggers, now 

are building new tribal housing. Coushatta 

women who once sold pine needle baskets 

with no marketing plan are now displaying and 

selling their artistry in a new gift shop located 

in the reservation’s retail complex, which also 

includes a convenience store 

and restaurant owned by the 

Tribe. Those who once worked 

menial jobs are finding 

fulfillment in important tribal 

job programs. 

Effective leadership and a 

strong tribal government is 

reviving the almost lost culture. 

Coushatta Casino Resort 

offers over 100,000 square 

feet of gaming, 500 luxury 

hotel suites, RV parking, six 

restaurants, a world-class golf 

course, and headliner concerts 

and national touring 

acts. Each year a Coushatta 

Pow Wow—one of the largest 

in North America—is presented 

in Kinder as a oncein-a-lifetime 

experience with 

a Grand Entry, a rhythmic 

march that opens the competitions, 

and dancers in full 

regalia claiming the Dancing 

Ground to the accompaniment 

of tribal drums and 

singers. This family-friendly 

event offers a look at the fascinating 

culture and heritage 

of Native Americans. 

INTRODUCTION 

15

CHAPTER 

ONE 

Treasured Heritage 

The Cajuns 

THE ACADIANS— TODAY’ S TENACIOUS SPIRIT 

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA: A Tresure Revealed 

16 

Before European discovery of America, the Attakapas-Ishaks and Quelqueshue Indians roamed 

the prairies that are now Southwest Louisiana and lived off the rivers and bayous. In the 1760s 

French Acadian exiles torn from their Canadian homes settled in Southwest Louisiana, a place that 

held no interest for others—for a while, that is. The Acadians, popularized today as Cajuns, were 

phoenixes. After enduring guerrilla warfare, traumatic exile from their homeland, torn families, 

imprisonment, and after wandering for thousands of miles, they built self-sufficient communities 

centered on strong family ties. They kept alive their native French language which later mixed with 

English and other dialects like Creole to become Cajun French, a dialect itself. They fished from 

the bayous, rivers, and coastal waterways, raised cattle, and farmed to feed themselves. Eventually, 

Cajun rice crops, once raised purely for farmers’ own subsistence, became a world-wide agricultural 

resource as did the shrimping industry.

The Cajuns’ influence on Louisiana’s economy, 

politics, and culture is strong to this day. 

They pass homesteads down from one generation 

to the next and a resilience to rebuild 

after disasters. Their powerful sense of family 

and “place”—an archetypal bond with the 

land—is still a dominant trait of the people of 

Southwest Louisiana. For example, Hurricane 

Audrey washed away Cameron Parish and 

500 of its residents in 1957; Hurricane Rita 

wiped coastal communities off the map again 

in 2005, then Hurricane Ike washed over 

them again just three years later. But the 

inherited Cajun tenacity was at work just days 

after each disaster as homeowners pulled on 

their white rubber boots to shovel muck and 

debris from the concrete slabs where they 

would rebuild their homes and businesses. 

Furthermore, the Cajuns’ fun-loving spirit, 

unique music, folklore, and famous cuisine 

enriches everyday life in Southwest Louisiana. 

The world has fallen in love with Cajun 

music which roughly has three branches: 

Cajun music, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop. All 

three originated in Southwest Louisiana and 

are recognized and loved around the world. 

Inset: Living off the land as Cajuns have 

done for over 200 years. 

Below: Cajuns fished crawfish out of the 

bayous and ditches in the early days. Today 

many of them are crawfish farmers, taking 

advantage of rice fields that are already 

irrigated and pumped. In metropolitan 

restaurants, crawfish are served in delicate 

portions with artful presentations. We just 

fill up a box with the hot little bullets of 

flavor or throw them across a newspapercovered 

table and dig in. 

CHAPTER ONE - Treasured Heritage 

17


18


19

If you ask 100 Cajuns for a gumbo recipe, 

you’ll get 100 different recipes, 

and they are all the best. 


20

The art of Cajun dancing has trickled down through 

the generations, and young dancers are keeping it alive. 


21


22


23

Cajun Music 

Gumbo of Music Flavors the 

International Music Scene 

Cajun music was not born in Louisiana any 

more than was andouille sausage or the 

accordion. Its ingredients settled into our 

part of the world from many countries, then 

developed into a delightful mix from many 

nations, mostly French, Acadian, Anglo 

Saxon, and Celtic—all surprisingly connected 

in one way or another. 

When a grandmother hums a lullaby to her 

grandchild today in Southwest Louisiana, she 

may very likely hum the same tune a grandmother 

in Brittany, France, sings to her French 

bundle. It will be a song several hundred years 

old, that crossed an ocean, that crossed cultural 

barriers, that remains intact, and is as endearing 

as it was first sung in front of a peat fire. 

What is the difference between Creole and Cajun? 

Creole (c. 1609-1750) is a difficult culture to define. Its music, folklife, and foods come from a mix of influences when New 

Orleans was occupied by the French and Spanish and populated with people of African descent through both enslavement and 

freedom. The music style was influenced by the Spanish, rhythms from the isles of the West Indies, and lyrics from the French 

patois (patter) which the French used to communicate with slaves. The music has lilting melodies, syncopated rhythms, and 

French lyricism. The foods are mixed with okra, tomatoes, rice, and fresh seafood. Furthermore, Creole is not really a singular 

language; it, too, is a mix of French, Spanish, some native American, some English—all in eclipsed or altered forms. 

Cajuns (from the 1760s) are Acadian French exiles who found their way to Southwest Louisiana and have had a huge impact 

on our culture. 


24

Cajun music combines pieces of Scotch- 

Irish, Native American, Spanish, German, 

Anglo-American, African, and Caribbean 

music with French folk traditions. The 

Acadians settled at Port Royal, Acadia, in 

eastern Canada in 1604 as French Colonists. 

Unfortunately, because of political and religious 

tensions, British authorities ousted the 

Acadians in 1755, and they made their way 

to south Louisiana over the next ten years. 

They were a determined people who recreated 

their society, making use of what they had 

at hand. Some of them never made it further 

than Old Upper Louisiana in Illinois—a fact 

that few know—creating a unique Cajun culture 

in the Midwest that sounds much like 

south Louisiana music-wise. 

The Cajuns were hard-working, hardplaying 

people. They fed themselves from the 

land and fed their spirits with music. As the 

Germans immigrated to Louisiana, the Cajuns 

learned their ways of sausage making with a 

Cajun twist, creating today’s famed andouille 

sausage and boudin. They picked up the 

Caribbean musical rhythms from slavery 

in the previous century and incorporated 

them into their own. These early ballads 

and lullabies—often sung a cappella—were 

typically concerned with troubles and hard 

times. They added a Scotch-Irish flair to their 

music in the 1810s—especially the fiddling, 

reels and ballads. When the German-Jewish 

immigrant imported diatonic accordions to 

America in the 1830s, these heavy-breathing 

instruments, preferably in the key of C, 

became part of the Cajun sound by the 

1870s. Later black Creoles added a rich, 

rural blues sound to Cajun music at the turn 

of the century, and the mix melded into a 

sound so unique it seemed to have been 

conglomerated forever. The result is a footstomping, 

spoon-clacking sound, with lively 

fiddling and singing that simply cries from 

the heart. 

The advent of radio and television forced 

the rough-hewn sound of the Cajun music to 

the edges of the dance floor, and by the 1930s 

and ’40s a slicker, Americanized sound took 

over. Electric steel guitars and drums replaced 

accordions, then English words seeped in, 

flooding out the French language. 


25

“…Mississippi River French Folk Music 

with a whole lotta Blues and Soul. 

Can you dig?” 

-Dennis Stroughmatt from Missouri’s Upper 

Louisiana describing his Cajun Music 


26

However, a true Cajun revival is currently in 

play as new audiences seek the original Cajun 

sound as opposed to the late twentieth century 

electrified version, and Cajun culture has 

enjoyed a comeback since the 1980s extending 

way beyond the world of music, riding on the 

coattails of the 1980s boom of “everything 

Cajun.” Ironically, Cajun is mimicked across 

the country. “Cajun” flavored potato chips, 

“Cajun” sauces, “Cajun” sandwich meats line 

the grocery store shelves. Menus from Ohio to 

New York to California flaunt Cajun specialty 

dishes; but only in south Louisiana will you get 

the real thing. And you’ll probably find it in an 

old back road dance hall, a fifty-year old café 

down in Cameron, in an iron pot on a 

Grandma’s stove, or in the nursery where a 

brand spanking new baby is already processing 

a hundreds-year-old lullaby. Most true-blue 

Cajuns are preservationists at heart; it is a way 

of life. The early part of the 1900s did great 

harm to the Cajun culture since its people 

were perceived as lacking merit based on 

their ethnicity. However, our multicultural 

awareness has helped to preserve this melodic 

culture, language, folklore, and food that could 

have easily died as have many others lost or 

forgotten in the name of progress. 


27

“You follow me. 

If I’m wrong, you’re wrong, too.” 

(Boozoo Chavis to a musician who complained 

his irregular style was hard to play along with. 

Zydeco 

FROM RURAL SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA 

TO THE GRAMMYS 

It’s Saturday night in a hot, crowded dance 

hall just outside Lake Charles, Louisiana in 

1954. June bugs are banging against the 

screens, mosquitoes whine over head, and 

everybody’s sweating. But the Jax Beer is ice 

cold, and Boozoo Chavis picks up his boxbutton 

accordion and hits the first few chords 

of “Paper in My Shoe”—an uptempo mix of 

Creole and Cajun music stricken with some 

blues, jazz, and even gospel, and backed with 

a scrub board for percussion. He bemoans the 

fact that he’s so poor he has to line his shoes 

with paper. La-La music—Zydeco—was born. 

The name of the genre wouldn’t be coined 

for a couple more years until Clifton Chenier 

came out with “Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés” 

(“The Snap Beans Ain’t Salty”—the singer’s 

too poor to buy salt pork.) Zydeco is a 

mutation for the French word for beans, 

les haricots, pronounced with a silent H. 

Zydeco began as music for rural, poor 

blacks with its good dance beat and on-theedge 

raunchy sound. It integrated waltzes, 

shuffles, two-steps, and blues, as it moved 

from back yard BBQs to the Catholic church 

halls and into nightclubs. Today it has spread 

world-wide with hotspots in Texas, Oregon, 

California, and as far away as Scandinavia. 

The rub board has been replaced with a 

stylized version of the early washboard—the 

frottoir created by Clifton Chenier. The first 

frottoir made is on exhibit at the Smithsonian 

Institution. Other instruments common in 

zydeco are keyboard accordions, horns, electric 

bass, drums, and occasionally keys, as well as 

the instrumentation of original Cajun music— 

fiddle, steel or electric guitar, and triangle. 

Two schools of zydeco stem largely from 

Chenier and Chavis. Chenier is a Houston-born 

Louisiana transplant who injects an urban, 

blues sound into his music. Chavis, on the 

other hand, kept his down home roots through 

his rough-around-the-edges raw sound. Chavis 

was a bawdy crowd-pleaser who often censored 

his outrageous lyrics if he anticipated an audience 

may be offended. He was known for 

throwing souvenir panties into the crowd; they 

bore his picture and the instructions, “Take ‘em 

off. Throw ‘em in the corner.” 

Goldband Records 

A Hidden Gold Nugget in Music History’s Landscape 

Goldband Records is one of the U.S.’s oldest leading independent record companies. It has been in business over fifty-five 

years, and is one of the largest producers of authentic Cajun music. Founded by Eddie Shuler in 1942, it is the place where 

internationally significant music history was cranked out right here in Lake Charles. The breadth of music reverberating from 

the building since the 1950s is stunning—Cajun, blues, zydeco, boogie, gospel, country, rhythm and blues, and even some 

genres that Eddie defined as styles—rock-a-billy, rock ‘n’ roll, swamp pop, and watermelon rock. 

Dolly Parton recorded her first record here; other Goldband artists who would go on to become big names include Freddie 

Fender, Mickey Gilley, Jo’el Sonnier, Rockin’ Sidney, Boozoo Chavis, Guitar Junior, and Sidney Brown. 

The University of North Carolina acquired Goldband’s business records, studio logs, master tapes and promotional materials 

in 1995. Once archiving is completed, the collection will be open as a rich resource for southern studies, popular culture, 

folklore, American music, and media studies. 


28

“See you later, alligator, in a while crocodile, don’t you know you’re 

in my way now, don’t you know you cramp my style.” 

Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom was overheard 

in the 1960s singing this swamp pop hit. 

Swamp Pop 

MUSIC EXPLOSION IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA 

MAKES THE WORLD FALL IN LOVE 

In the 1950s the United States was still 

crooning from WWII’s victories; teenagers’ 

emotions ran syrupy, the Sexual Revolution 

had not yet hit, and French Cajuns/Creoles 

felt like they might be languishing on the 

“mainstream America” vine. These factors 

plus many others lit the fuse for a Swamp 

Pop explosion in the prairie lands of 

Southwest Louisiana. 

Swamp Pop is for the lovesick, the jilted, 

the left-out—the same feelings that Cajuns 

and Creoles held toward mainstream America. 

As children, swamp pop musicians grew up 

on traditional Cajun and Creole music, usually 

sung in French, played on handmade 

instruments and with childhood friends. Like 

rock-a-billy it drew heavily upon local culture 

for inspiration and material, and musicians 

performed to audiences who grew up like 

themselves on the farms and backroads. 

Yet they were hearing the allure of Rock ‘n’ 

Roll and rhythm and blues and they started 

to feel a little hokey for playing fiddles 

and accordions. So they stopped playing 

Louisiana French folk songs like “Jolie 

Blonde” and began to sing in English. They 

picked up electric guitars, saxophones, drum 

traps, and they banged on upright pianos. 

The ballads produced were slow and danceable 

with undulating bass lines, bellowing horn 

sections, and strong rhythm and blues backbeats. 

Goldband Records of Lake Charles was 

key to the swamp pop scene with owner Eddie 

Shuler arranging and producing, for example, 

the ballad “Sea of Love” by Lake Charles’ Phil 

Phillips. Selling over two million copies in 

1959, it climbed to #2 in the U. S. Pop Charts. 

Another phenomenon fell into place. The 

French speaking Cajuns were taught to be 

ashamed of their ethnicity (certainly not the case 

today!), so they Anglicized their names. John 

Allen Guillot became Johnnie Allan, Elwood 

Dugas became Bobby Page, Terry Gene DeRouen 

became Gene Terry. Furthermore, they wanted 

disc jockeys, promoters, and consumers to 

understand their names in the marketplace. 

Swamp pop held to some traditions, however, 

such as in “Hippy-Ti-Yo”, a bilingual rock ‘n’ roll 

version to the Cajun French song “Hipet Taïaut”, 

and Randy and the Rockets put out “Let’s Do the 

Cajun Twist” and English remake of a Cajun 

French favorite “Allons á Lafayette”. 

The musical crossover worked and swamp 

pop eventually influenced popular songs like 

the Rolling Stones’ “You’ll Lose a Good Thing” 

and the Beatles swamp-inspired “Oh, Darling”. 

Swamp pop even influenced Tex Mex music like 

Freddy Fender’s (real name Baldemar Huerta) 

“Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” (1959) and 

“Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1975). 


29

TWO 

CHAPTER 

Enterprise in 

Southwest Louisiana 

“…Oakdale is a dry town. ‘Nothin’ doing in the booze line, but the 

boys will draw in a long breath when the wind blows north from Oberlin…” 

From a 1904 Beaumont Enterprise article written by its roving reporter, 

Professor Hallock, on the Kansas City Southern Railroad. 

The Timber Boom 


30 

FORTUNES, SAWMILL TOWNS, 

ARCHITECTURAL JEWELS BUILT FROM ONE TREE 

For centuries, virgin stands of southern longleaf pine stretched across Southwest Louisiana in 

vast forests, virtually untouched except by a farmer here and there. However, after the Civil War, 

Lake Charles was in the right place at the right time to become a huge center for the production 

and marketing of pine lumber. Northern forests were exhausted; furthermore, lumber was needed 

in both the north and south to rebuild cities, homes, and farms after the war. Our pine belt was 

riveted with dozens of creeks and rivers that emptied right into our lake, then on into the Gulf of 

Mexico and ports around the world.

CHAPTER TWO - Enterprise in Southwest Louisiana 

31


32

The forests were pure, meaning eighty 

percent of the trees in the main crown canopy 

were one single species. The pines were taller 

than the ten-story Charleston Hotel—Lake 

Charles’ first skyscraper that would not 

be built for another seventy years. Most trees 

in the forests were 150 to 200 years old. 

Some were 300 years old and had already 

been towering for fifty years when Acadians 

were exiled to Louisiana. The wood was 

hardy, heavy, strong, and did not warp. It 

made good furniture, houses, railroad ties, 

bridge timbers, and ships; it was sought after 

and became known as “Calcasieu pine.” 

The first sawmill, owned by Lake Charles’ 

founding father Jacob Ryan and James 

Hodges, was in operation on Lake Charles by 

1866. Within a few years, German immigrant 

Daniel Goos realized Lake Charles’ potential, 

and fully dismantled his mill and moved 

it from Mississippi to north Lake Charles 

(Goosport) by boat and was producing over 

300,000 board feet of lumber a month. Many 

more successful sawmillers followed. 

Experienced and wealthy northern lumber 

barons—dubbed “Michigan Men” by locals— 

moved in and bought half a million acres of 

southern yellow longleaf pine. Soon giant pines 

were felled and carted out by ox teams on dirt 

roads that spider-webbed through the woods. 

Then came a network of railroads connecting 

small sawmill towns to each other, to Lake 

Charles, then on to the world. Thousands of 

rafted logs jammed rivers feeding into Lake 

Charles—a lake solid with long leaf Southern 

pine favored for its strength and beauty, also 

cypress, walnut, hickory and oak. 

By the mid-1890s ten large sawmills circled 

the lake, producing annually 140 million 

board feet of pine lumber. In addition, six 

million feet of cypress logs floated down the 

Calcasieu River into the saw to become 65 

million shingles. The pristine forests growing 

since the Middle Ages in Southwest Louisiana 

soon circled the world as railroad ties, ships, 

household furniture, flooring, fireplace mantles, 

stores and offices that lined city streets, 

and fence-lined neighborhoods. 

Waterways spread throughout Southwest 

Louisiana—rivers, bayous, lakes, ponds— 

creating some of the most serene water front 

properties in the world. It is very common 

for a home to have two main entrances— 

one on the road, and one on the water. 


33


34


35

It didn’t take long for prosperity to settle 

in to Southwest Louisiana. Huge sawmills 

sprawled around the lake and over five 

parishes. Hotels, general stores, post offices, 

and feed stores sprang to life; doctors, 

educators, carpenters, painters, craftsmen, 

and artisans moved to town. The labor pool 

for the timber industry was ready; supervisors 

and skilled workers came with northern 

management, and locals were anxious to go 

to work for the good pay. A few “rough types” 

lived in the lumber camps, but overall the 

mills’ working conditions were harmonious. 

Sawmill towns grew out of the woods. 

Some towns were company-owned, some 

incorporated with local governments. They 

built school houses for their children, livery 

stables for their horses and buggies, hotels for 

the salesmen and railroad men, Baptist, 

Methodist, and Catholic churches to uplift 

their spirits, general stores, Masonic Lodges, 

and dry goods stores. Some towns had 

saloons; some elected to remain “dry.” 

The red and white Spanish Baroque 1911 

City Hall has the feel of a countryside villa 

with an Italian church bell tower topped by 

a double-faced clock. Today it is a first rate 

art center and gallery of rotating exhibits. 

Some must-see areas are vintage neighborhoods 

and downtowns where you can meander 

down historic streets or in Lake Charles take a 

clip-clop carriage ride through the winding 

streets and around the lake. During the spring, 

select private homes are on tour, giving you a 

chance to peek into families’ lives from the 

past, to step onto floors polished by generations, 

run your hand along marble fireplaces 

and hand-carved railings and finials, and to 

crane your neck to count crystals on chandeliers 

glittering from fourteen-foot ceilings. 


36

The Kirby and Pujo Streets Tour 

Start in the solid Downtown Public Square where a city rebuilt itself. Then step into the heart of the Charpentier District, 

over forty blocks on the National Register of Historic Places with almost 400 sites. 

The sawmill town phenomenon is a mainstay 

of Southwest Louisiana. When the 

sawmills eventually left town in the 1920s, 

the towns usually survived because the 

townspeople had bonded into something 

stronger than a sawmill—a spirit of togetherness, 

the desire to build a hometown, and to 

rebuild it if necessary. 

Like today, the economic bases changed 

with the times. As the timber boom waned, 

other industries took its place. The stumps 

left behind were harvested for turpentine, the 

cleared lands became rice and cattle farms, 

the Southwest Louisiana seafood industry 

grabbed America’s attention; then as the twentieth 

century prospered, the oil and gas industries 

changed the way we go to work. 

One thing, however, stayed with us and 

grows more precious with time—a treasure 

trove of architectural history. The wealthy 

lumber barons who built the timber industry 

also built extravagant homes and mansions, 

showing off fine wood craftsmanship, ostentatious 

whimsy mixed with classic tastes, massive 

columns, turrets, stained glass, brackets, 

scrolls, and spindles. Public buildings with 

domes, arched windows and towers stood 

shoulder to shoulder along the streets. Even 

smaller working men’s homes were iced with 

wood-crafted frills and embellishments. Some 

of these buildings stand today throughout 

the five parishes, and many are listed on the 

National Register of Historic Places—jewels in 

the crown of our celebrated Louisiana. 

Generations pass through many historic 

neighborhoods, and the homes remain— 

appropriately updated to maintain their 

historic integrity. 

Margaret Place 

A veritably untouched neighborhood tucked among winding streets near the lake and lined with prime examples of bungalows, 

sophisticated foursquares, and quirky, charming 1920s buildings and homes. Originally settled in 1840 and supposedly bought 

from Native Americans for a bottle of rum and two good blankets, this prestigious neighborhood developed during and after WWI. 


37

The eagle on the historic Calcasieu 

Marine National Bank building presides over 

downtown Lake Charles. The bank was designed 

by famed architects Favrot and Livaudais and 

built after a disastrous 1910 fire that destroyed 

most of downtown Lake Charles. 

Kirby Street at Ryan Street 

The major buildings on this corner rose from ashes of a horrific 1910 fire that destroyed most of downtown Lake Charles. Favrot 

and Livaudais of New Orleans, the state’s largest architectural firm, designed the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse, the City Hall, and 

Immaculate Conception Church—three distinct architectural styles that reflect the optimism and prosperity prevailing in early 

Lake Charles. Withstanding encroaching demolition and updates, they are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Broad Street Tour 

Broad Street, once lined with tropical palms, white fences, and huge lumber barons’ homes, is a Charpentier District thoroughfare. 

These homes hold their places in history. They are some of the most outstanding examples of Victorian architecture. 

The Vinton Tour 

Vinton was named after a town of the same name in Iowa, because its founders came from the Midwest to make a fortune in 

farming, cattle, and oil. This little town still has a drug store with a coffee shop where friends meet to chat and share town talk. 

It is also the home of Delta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel. 


38

DeQuincy 

Left: The Kansas City Southern Railroad Depot 

and Museum in DeQuincy are textbook examples of Mission 

Revival architecture—one of the most architecturally significant in the state. 

Both waiting rooms still have their tile floors, plaster walls with brick wainscoting 

and ticket windows. 

The DeQuincy Tour 

When the Kansas City Southern Railroad forged through dense 300 year old forests to lay track through DeQuincy, its line linked 

Leesville, DeRidder, DeQuincy, Lake Charles, and on to Texas—just the route for lumber barons to clear virgin forests, make a 

fortune, and make history. DeQuincy had been a quiet settlement, but was becoming a hub in a great wheel of progress as the 

timber industry boomed. The KCS Depot is a pristine example of a Mission style depot station. 

Charpentier District North of Broad 

Anchored by an impressive historic commercial area near Broad Street, this area was close to downtown, the sawmills, and 

railroads. The sawmill whistle regulated the lives of all economic classes, and this section of town was home to various economic 

classes, thus had a mix of grand, elaborate homes and smaller cottages of various styles. 


39

National Register of Historic Places—Sites of Interest 

Fifteen Calcasieu Parish sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, giving them historical status and the likelihood 

of future preservation. Three of the following represent different facets of Lake Charles’ economy and culture. The fourth is located 

in Allen Parish. 

 

 

 

 

The Waters-Pierce Oil Company Stable—1019 Lakeshore Drive—1903. This pioneer remnant of the oil and gas industry 

was built to house ten huge Percheron horses that hauled barrels of crude oil from oil fields and the wharf to the railroad, and 

to Lake Charles homes for heating. The horses—originally bred in the Middle Ages as chargers to carry knights in heavy 

armor—were imported along with their trainers from Belgium. This sturdy brick building withstood the 1907 flood, the 1910 

downtown fire, the 1918 hurricane, the 1953 flood, 1957 Hurricane Audrey, and 2005 Hurricane Rita. The only architectural 

changes were the replacement of three sliding stable doors with large windows and a front door. Today it is the Junior League 

of Lake Charles, Inc., headquarters. 

Muller’s Department Store—Ryan at Division, Downtown Lake Charles—1913. A large and splendid department store, 

now restored for commercial and residential space, Muller’s played a prominent role in the parish’s commerce. Founded in 

1882 and expanded into a home-grown success story by a young widow, Julie Muller (later Marx), the store started as a backroom 

dress shop and millinery. The building’s defining architectural features are windows and piers, contrasting brickwork, 

and a decorative parapet removed during modernization. Inside is a hypostyle hall, beaded board ceilings, and 1950 

modernistic “motor stairs” with blue moving handrails braided in silver. The ladies’ rest room was furnished as a parlor with 

a lounge, writing facilities, and a maid in attendance at all times. The Azalea Room Coffee Shop and Restaurant holds a special 

place in the memories of several generations who sat on stools around the Art Deco counter or at tables to place lunch their 

orders. The Muller matriarch ran the store until her death in 1924; it continued under the management of her son Adolph 

Marx and other family members until it closed in 1986. 

McNeese State University Auditorium (Bulber Auditorium)—1939. This monumental, blond brick Modernistic building is 

one of the few remaining post-WWII landmark public buildings. An alley of live oaks leads to the entrance with subtle brick 

fluting and geometrical metal grillwork. The grand lobby has halo glass lights, marble wainscoting, and multi-colored terrazzo 

floors with stripes that lead to side staircases. The auditorium is surrounded by a lounge area, an interior U-shaped gallery, and 

has suspended halo-style chandeliers. The auditorium is one of three original buildings first built on flat farm and prairie land 

that later developed into a major university and suburban Lake Charles. 

The Elizabeth Hospital—1924. In an Allen Parish sawmill town completely owned by the company until the 1960s, this 

building now functions as Town Hall and Museum, but still features the surgical ward complete with double sinks and broad 

overhead lights. 


40

Kinder 

Allen Parish Tour 

A parish full of sawmills and ghost mills that line the railroad tracks, Kinder is home to the Coushatta Indians who own and 

operate the magnificent Coushatta Casino Resort. Other front-porch towns like Elizabeth and Oakdale are throwbacks to the old 

days when you could walk to church or sip a soda in the drug store. 


41

Left: A true Gothic style building, 

the DeRidder “Hanging Jail”, 

has a past that includes mystery 

and paranormal activity. 

The DeRidder Tour 

A sawmill town, this quaint place features a museum at the railroad depot and a Gothic style “hanging jail” named so because two 

death row inmates were hanged there in the 1920s. It is claimed to be seriously haunted. 

Shell Beach Drive 

A stunning drive along the lake shore lined with mansions of the Gatsby era, Greek Revival estates, Victorian raised cottages, lavish 

gardens, sweeping lawns, and massive oaks fluttering with moss. 

Right: The historic Holiday House 

in Sulphur, now an art gallery, 

is a Christmas tradition that 

lights up the town every year. 

The Sulphur Tour 

During the search for oil in 1867, sulfur was found under a layer of several hundred feet of treacherous quicksand filled with 

deadly hydrogen sulfide gas. Many men died trying to mine the “buried treasure” with conventional shafts until German chemist 

Herman Frasch developed a way to melt the sulfur and bring it to the surface. The “richest fifty acres in the world” was 

immediately born when Frasch, the Sulfur King, brought in workers from Germany, Canada, and northern United States to 

work the Union Sulfur Company. Frasch literally built a town with rows of cottages, boarding houses, a pavilion, and a school. 

The Brimstone Railroad carried sulfur to market, churches organized, stores opened, and the population grew to 5,000. 


42

The Cameron Parish Tour 

The Beauty of Cameron Parish lies in its pristine marshes and swamps—the Creole Nature Trail. See pages 82 and 83 about The 

Louisiana Outback devoted to its incredible wildlife tours, hunting, crabbing, fishing, shrimping, shelling, and birding adventures. 

Left: Rising from the devastation 

of Hurricane Rita, this Cameron 

Parish home conforms to new building 

codes that require higher foundations 

in storm surge areas. 

Jennings 

Tupper Museum 

Downtown Jennings enjoys a 

revival with shops, theaters, 

and small town cafes. 

Zigler Fine Arts Museum 

The Jennings Tour 

Jennings is the home of the first oil gusher produced in this parish called the “Cradle of Louisiana Oil.” Also know as the “Boudin 

Capital of the World,” it is an historic town featuring the Tupper Museum—a back-in-time dry goods store with actual inventory 

from decades past—the Zigler Fine Arts Museum, historic homes, Interstate Park with live alligators—all surrounded by oil wells, 

rice fields, and down-home people. 


43

Rice Comes with Gravy 

A DINNERTIME CROP FEEDS THE WORLD 

“…Why, they don’t have to work. They just tickle that magnificent soil with 

the hoofs of their cattle and it laughs at harvest. [The Cajun] would shrug his 

shoulders and make the characteristic reply, ‘Je Fais comme mon pere.’…July 

is the month of harvest, and in it the happy “Cajun” cuts his rice with the 

primitive sickle and hauls the sheaves home in a clumsy cart made entirely of 

wood and drawn by oxen….When the harvest is over the grain is trodden 

out by the oxen as in the days of the patriarchs. It is then ground in a little 

wooden mill and winnowed in a sieve, when it is ready to be made into bread. 

Noted by a Chicago traveler visiting Southwest Louisiana in 1886 

observing the “Cajun” method of cultivation, harvesting, and milling. 


44

It was almost accidental that the dinnertime 

crop of rice the Acadians farmed in 

the 1700s became the multimillion dollar 

industry it is today. In 1650, a hundred years 

before the Acadians settled in Southwest 

Louisiana, a British ship bound for the West 

Indies with a load of rice was whipped by a 

storm near Cape Hatteras. The ship ended up 

in what was called Charleston then—later to 

be Lake Charles—for repairs. The rice was 

unloaded and sold to settlers who planted it 

between two rivers that often sucked in the 

Gulf’s salt water. Naturally, when the rivers 

rose and flooded the rice, the salt water killed 

the plants, putting an end to that endeavor. 

Opposite: Rice—the world’s food—is grown 

and processed all over Southwest Louisiana, 

and shipped from here around the globe. 

This Allen Parish rice field is in Kinder. 

Above: Threshing rice in the fields. 

Below: Threshed rice ready to go to 

the drier. 


45

Sixty-eight years later, Bienville’s French 

colonists introduced rice again, but each farm, 

true to Cajun tradition, grew just enough for 

one household. This style of rice farming was 

called the providence method, a haphazard 

way of planting in a low area, then trapping 

rain water in sloughs above the plants, letting 

the water slowly drain over the rice. If it 

rained, the crop was good enough; if no rain, 

their rice harvests were meager at best. 

When Midwesterners settled here—in 

part because of the timber boom—they 

recognized the potential of growing rice 

by improving on the Cajun’s time-honored 

ways with their machines and expertise 

used in their Midwestern wheat fields. They 

couldn’t grow wheat here, but with their 

altered equipment and managed irrigation, 

they could surely grow rice, and lots of it. 

One Chicago traveler noted that when a 

Cajun farmer was introduced to new ways 

of producing rice crops, he just shrugged 

his shoulders and characteristically replied, 


46

“Je fais comme mon pere.” (I do it like my 

father.) This attitude of holding onto tradition 

is still a major force in today’s Cajun 

traditional wisdom—without a tenacious 

sense of tradition, their culture would have 

long faded away, and we would have lost their 

beloved music, tight family unity, colorful 

language, their dance, folk art, and ability to 

survive adversity. Perhaps we would not have 

understood their pure love of the land and 

marshes, and why they rebuild stronger and 

better after each disaster that hits. And we 

would have lost their cuisine, including so 

many rice-based dishes like jambalaya, 

boudin, etouffee, oyster dressing, and, of 

course, the everyday companion to our rich 

gravies and gumbos. 

However, the Cajun culture is still as 

deeply imbedded in life in Southwest 

Louisiana life as is the rice industry, which 

was revolutionized in two ways. First, 

agricultural experts like Seaman A. Knapp 

raised rice under a controlled method of 

irrigation and canals, turning flat fields into 

contoured levees of varying heights. He 

recognized the best rice lands were underlain 

by impervious subsoil that could be drained 

at harvest to permit heavy machinery and 

teams of horses. These soils retained water 

because of a clay pan which lay under them, 

plus they had the right mix of potash, 

phosphoric acid, and other minerals and 

humus to make them productive fields. And, 

last, the fields were far enough from threats of 

the Gulf like storms and attacks of birds. 

Secondly, the rice industry grew because of 

people like Sylvester Cary who was the 

“Joshua who led the Iowans to the new Iowa.” 

Cary, a master marketer, settled in Jennings as 

station agent for Southern Pacific Railroads. 

He used $30,000 of his company’s money to 

sing the praises of the Louisiana rice prairies to 

his fellow Iowans who indeed began moving 

here in large numbers to buy cheap farmland 

and build their lives in a new “Iowa Colony.” 

The railroads ran excursion trains through 

Southwest Louisiana, claiming it to be the 

world’s best farming and stock raising land— 

“where good water and good health overflow”. 

Northerners who were battling freezing winter 

or droughts came in droves. 

Agricultural Pilots 

Love to Fly 

Crop Dusters—Growing 

Crops from the Air 

Crop dusters—mosquito-hawking in the air—are a common sight in 

Southwest Louisiana. Looping just beneath electric wires, jerking 

suddenly upward, swerving towards earth, then skating on top of the 

crops—are they daredevils or skilled air-crobats? The serious cropduster 

tilts between life and death. He saves a crop from insects or foreign, 

unwanted weeds and fungus—or in this case, plants the seeds of life. Yet 

he puts himself at risk zipping between sky and earth, scaring those of us 

on the ground more than himself. 

Cropdusting was innovated in Louisiana in the early 1920s to fight the 

boll weevil, eliminating hours of manpower in the fields. Old military 

planes were adapted for spreading seed, powdered pesticides, and 

fertilizers; they were dangerous and sometimes fatal. Today’s agricultural 

airplane is specifically designed for the job at hand, and the products 

sprayed are mostly liquid and definitely safer to handle as opposed to the 

old dust sprays. 

However, the agricultural pilot’s world is stressful, and he works long 

hours until the season ends. The top requirement for the job—he must 

love flying, and most pilots seem to, hurtling towards earth, zooming back 

into the sky, settling slowly across the field and releasing another measure 

of hope for a good harvest. 

Another restless entrepreneur, Jabez Watkins, 

spent $200,000 advertising Louisiana’s potential 

to the rest of the nation in newspapers across 

the north, and even hosted trainloads of 

agriculturists and potential landowners. 

Within five years, the vast cattle range which 

was Southwest Louisiana was thickly populated 

with the cream of the crop from the Midwestern 

states; it was the “most distinctive Anglo-Saxon 

migration ever known to the South since the 

settlement of Jamestown, Virginia.” 

Opposite, top and bottom: Raw rice before 

the hulls are removed and used perhaps as 

insulators, filters, or electricity. Agrilectric 

Power, Inc. for example, has produced 

enough electricity from burning rice hulls to 

power its rice milling company for the last 

twenty-five years. 

Above: Broadcasting rice seed by plane. 


47

Above: Thousands of migrating birds fly 

over Southwest Louisiana each year. 

The rice fields attract them, providing 

sustenance and food. 

Right: Rice driers in the fields with a 

crawfish farm in the background. Many rice 

farmers realize profits from re-flooding rice 

fields after harvest and raising crawfish. 


48

By 1900, a large portion of the rice belt had 

successfully purchased water from canal 

companies or drilling wells and irrigation 

techniques had turned prairies into a cash 

crop which does not deplete any of the 

natural resources and repeats itself year after 

year. As early as the 1880s, rice growers 

established associations to strengthen their 

industry; today rice farmers benefit from the 

Louisiana Rice Growers Association and the 

Louisiana Rice Council. 

Today laser systems make precision 

leveled, graded fields which result in: 

• uniform flood depth 

• elimination of a large number of levees 

• rapid irrigation and drainage 

• straight, parallel levees that increase 

machine efficiency 

• elimination of knolls and potholes that 

causes flood delay or is detrimental to 

weed control 

• reduction of the total amount of water 

necessary for irrigation. 

With the mega-rice farming industry came 

related industries that support families and 

pour dollars into the economy. Rice drying 

and milling compete in the global marketplace 

and export products around the world. 

As early as 1926, rice hulls were used in 

other products such as cellulose, and since the 

1980s, Agrilectric Power, Inc., has produced 

enough electricity from burning rice hulls 

to power its milling company. The resulting 

environment-friendly ash is used in the steel 

industry as an insulator and filtration aid. 

Burning the hulls also eliminates the industrywide 

problem and expense of hull disposal 

and transport. 

Today rice is one of the most important 

crops in Louisiana regarding total acreage 

grown and its economic value. About half a 

million acres in Louisiana are planted in rice 

each year. The industry pours about $321 

million into the state economy, and provides 

thousands of jobs. 

There’s a bigger picture, however. The rice 

fields play a significant role in the mysterious 

migration of waterfowl, following the ancestral 

Mississippi Flyway that is in line with 

Southwest Louisiana. Flooded wintertime rice 

fields give critical resting and feeding grounds 

for migrating and wintering waterfowl along 

the Gulf Coast. The fields are rich with 

nutrition; ducks dip in the shallow water 

for leftover grains, weed seed, and aquatic 

invertebrates. Geese also eat rice grain and the 

roots of rice stalks plus the young green shoots 

sprouting in the water. The rice fields are 

crucial to the balance of nature and are vital 

in making Southwest Louisiana a birder’s, 

photographer’s, and hunter’s paradise. 

A kid, a dog, a rice canal full of perch. 

What a life. 


49

Above: Sacks of crawfish fresh from the 

farm and ready for market. They may go to 

a neighbor’s backyard or as far as 

California or Sweden. 

Right: Throwing them in the pot at 

downtown Lake Charles’ Crawfish Festival. 

Opposite: Crawfish farmers check out their 

“fields”—rice fields converted to 

crawfish farms. 


50

Great Recipe for Rice Farmers—Add Crawfish 

Farmers Multi-task Their Fields 

It’s another example of Cajun ingenuity—turning a rice field into a crawfish farm. The fields have everything crawfish like— 

plenty of shallow water, leftover rice plants are food for the crawfish and places to hide from predators. The farmer already has 

the land, levies, pumps, and irrigation systems in place, so his investment is minimal. 

Crawfish actually grow all over the world, but Louisiana is heads and tails above crawfish production anywhere else. 

Re-flooding rice fields after harvest for crawfish farming became commonplace in the 1960s; today each acre produces between 

700 to 1,000 pounds of crawfish each season. The farmed crawfish ponds produce double the amount of wild harvested crawfish 

just in time to supply the world-wide Cajun food craze. Most Louisiana crawfish are eaten right here before they can get away. 

However, chefs serve up our crawfish in the finest five-star restaurants in New York and Paris, and small town diners in 

Minnesota heap crawfish etouffe on truckers’ lunch plates. And, believe it or not, the largest export of Louisiana crawfish go to 

Sweden for their Kräftskiva, the Swedes’ version of a crawfish boil—mounds of cold dill instead of steaming bullets of corn and 

potatoes, and shots of Absolut instead of ice cold beer. 

Southwest Louisiana gets a little crawfish crazy especially in the spring when they first show up on menus or sticking their 

claws through gunny sacks, ready for the burner pot. Boiled crawfish are one of our comfort foods, and because of the strong 

French Catholic influence in South Louisiana, crawfish boils are a backyard weekend ritual especially during the Lenten season. 

Here’s what you need: good friends, good shade, good chairs that tilt back, good music (some preferably with an accordion and 

fiddle), good jokes, potatoes and corn, giant jars of seasoning, iced beer or pop, a week’s worth of newspapers, tables you can 

hose off, and a day to be thankful for little treasures that have a big impact on our lifestyle. 

The first batch is usually for those who like mild crawfish. Each batch gets a little hotter with added cayenne pepper and 

hot sauce until the last steaming red platters of crawfish are so nuclear that your ears turn red and your nose starts running. 

(Tip: If you wear contact lens, take them out and put on your glasses before peeling crawfish. You won’t be able to touch your 

eyes for about twelve hours.) Also, watch out for those potato bombs. 

Crawfish are a good way to get your high-quality proteins and polyunsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals. A quarter pound 

of crawfish has only 82 calories compared to the 242 calories in one-quarter pound of hamburger. 


51

This oil rig off the gulf coast of Southwest Louisiana is 

also an artificial reef that attracts huge game fish— 

a testimony that industry and nature can coexist. 

Offshore Oil Rigs 

A Bonanza for Fish and Fishermen 

To attract the big game fish, some coastal states drag old automobiles and dangerous debris into the gulf waters to create 

artificial reefs. But the petroleum industry did us a favor in the 1940s by flanking our coastline with offshore drilling rigs. They 

look like giant Erector Sets oil workers proudly standing in place as they enhance nature. 

Sport fishermen called the first rig a “million dollar artificial reef.” As more rigs moved out to take their places in the Gulf, 

sport fishing developed unrivaled by any other coastal area in the nation. The Fourth of July Fishing Rodeo based out of 

Cameron gives these sportsmen a chance to reel in the best of twenty-five species eligible for trophies—from the mighty tarpon 

to popular speckled trout. Prior to accelerated offshore petroleum drilling, we never knew some of the fish we could catch—the 

trophy barracuda, grouper, spadefish, and amberjack—all attracted to the oil rig “reefs.” 

Fish, wildlife, and industry can coexist in Southwest Louisiana. The industries are sensitive to the balance of nature, yet they 

also provide jobs and income for the state. 


52

Sunset over Southwest Louisiana. 

The petrochemical industries are a backdrop to 

our lives, feeding our families and providing 

staple goods to the world. 


Industries 

A WELL SPRING FOR EVERYDAY LIFE 

At night it looks like a fairyland of lights 

glittering around the lake. By day—admittedly 

a poetic description of our mighty petrochemical 

industry—it is miles of perfectly 

geometric jungle-gym pipes, aqua hatbox 

tanks, white steam plumes, tall cat-crackers, 

and, at shift change, lines of cars quickly 

melting into traffic. 

It is the backbone of our economy since 

WWII. And, it is one of the greatest industrial 

corridors of the world—a huge industry that 

stocks the world with everything from 

gasoline, golf balls, toothpaste, decaf coffee, 

nail polish, athletic shoes, laundry detergent, 

eye medications, and museum exhibits. 

Southwest Louisiana was destined to 

become an industrial hub. At first lumber and 

agriculture were our bread and butter. Then 

sulfur brimmed into Southwest Louisiana as 

the largest liquefied sulfur mine in the world 

spouted forth creating today’s Sulphur, 

Louisiana. Then high quality sweet crude oil 

gushed in Jennings—a stone’s throw away 

from Lake Charles— 

and the stars aligned 

themselves to design 

one of the greatest 

industrial centers of 

the world. 

Mathieson Alkali 

Works, later Olin 

Mathieson then 

Lyondell Chemical 

Company, was the 

father of our 

chemical industry 

locating here in 

1934 and being 

the first to see that we have the power to 

produce. Next, World War II’s military 

machine needed our fuel, lubricants and 

synthetic rubber for its trucks, tanks, and 

planes. We were ready again to produce 

and deliver. Furthermore, we had the 

natural waterways that connected Southwest 

Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico and the world. 


53

Petrochemical plants produce in the marshy 

wetlands without interrupting the 

sensitive ecosystem. 

Three war-time plants realized the area’s 

potential—Continental Oil, Firestone, and 

Cities Service—and still operate today as 

extended entities. One success story led to 

another so that one industry followed 

another, creating a beautiful package of 

trees, rice, seafood, cattle, rivers and lakes, 

oil and gas that would ultimately support a 

thriving community and give promise to a 

huge future. 

Today the annual chemical industry payroll 

reaches almost a billion dollars, employs over 

12,000 people, pours about 200 million into 

local taxes, and donates four million dollars a 

year to local charities. Additionally, hundreds 

of contractors, suppliers, and consulting companies 

weave into the chemical industries’ 

tapestry of prosperity. 


54

Left: Era Helicopters serve the oil industry 

by transporting workers and supplies to 

offshore oil rigs. 

Inset: The pampered way to fly—a private 

aviation service at Chennault’s 

International Airport. 

Below: The observation tower at Chennault’s 

International Airport—originally a WWII 

Air Base in Lake Charles. 


55

Above: Major businesses locate at Chennault 

including AEROFRAME Services. 

Opposite, top: The army re-fuels 

at Chennault. 

Opposite, bottom: Air Force Reserves 

at Chennault. 

Southwest Louisiana’s newest industrial 

star is the nation’s first manufacturing facility 

that will build modular components for 

new and modified nuclear reactors—Shaw 

Modular Solutions located at the Port of Lake 

Charles. The site leads a nuclear renaissance, 

seeking alternative domestic energy sources, 

and is a vibrant economic engine and represents 

some of the most innovative thinking of 

the next generation. 

The Port of Lake Charles was chosen for 

its deep water access, availability of a skilled 

workforce, and proximity to important modes 

of transportation. 

Additionally, WWII’s Chennault Air Base 

gave rise to today’s Chennault International 

Airport Authority which supports industrial 

and commercial properties such as Northrup 

Grumman (which builds Joint Surveillance 

and Target Attack Radar Systems (JSTARS) 

aircraft for the United States Air Force), 

AEROFRAME Services, an aircraft and overhaul 

company, and Louisiana Millwork, a major 

building materials manufacturer and supplier. 

Furthermore, the timber boom still booms 

in DeRidder at Boise Cascade which manufactures 

engineered wood products, plywood, 

lumber and particle board, plus distributes 

a wide line of building materials. 

Businesses who locate in Southwest 

Louisiana will thrive because of available 

real estate, shipping, a strong workforce, 

incentives, a thriving economy, and a 

company-spirited community. Louisiana is 

among the ten fastest growing states for 

high-tech employment and fifth in the 

nation for integration of technology in 

the classroom. 

We love to name our Little Leagues after 

mega-corporations and hometown companies, 

and we’re proud to wear their names on 

our Nomexes, work blues, and bowling shirts. 


56


57

Below: The Port of Lake Charles packs a 

whopping $8 billion impact on our economy. 

Opposite, clockwise, starting from top left: 

Bags of rice headed for the ship and dinner 

tables around the world. Two spiralveyors 

can handle 125 tons per hour each. 

Lake Charles is essentially a northern city, wide 

awake, progressive, and modern. 

Seaman Knapp 1891 

The Port of Lake Charles 

CONNECTING OUR RESOURCES TO THE WORLD 

Bagged rice ready for the conveyer. 

The general cargo facility has 536,000 

square feet of warehousing accessible by rail 

and truck. The City Docks also has 22 acres 

of open space available for containers and 

break-bulk cargoes. 

Trucking it in straight from the Southwest 

Louisiana rice fields. Those of us lucky 

enough to live here and lucky enough to 

follow one of these trucks down the road 

will every now and then hop out of the car 

to pick up a full, intact bag of Louisiana rice 

that managed to jiggle its way off the truck 

and onto the roadside. We call that 

lagniappe—a little extra. 

On the ship or in the port, it’s safety first 

for workers. 

The port generates about 60,000 jobs in 

Louisiana—direct, indirect, and related. 

Employees in Louisiana earn almost $600 

million in wages from the Port of 

Lake Charles. 

Over 100 years ago a few visionaries realized 

that Southwest Louisiana was on the verge 

of becoming a hot commodity. They knew the 

potential for developing numerous strong economic 

bases plus living a quality lifestyle in a 

woodsy, water-lined setting. So convinced were 

they that the abundant life was at hand, they 

circulated hundreds of advertisements around 

1909 in the Midwest and Northern states to 

attract more businesses, farmers, investors, and 

workers. These were their claims: 

• No city in the South can show a healthier 

or more substantial growth than…LAKE 

CHARLES. There is every reason why this 

city should be prosperous. The country 

adjacent is the richest in the world— 

barring none. 

• Lake Charles is eight miles from the mines of 

the Union Sulphur Company, now producing 

98% of the crude sulfur of the world, 

worth many millions and employing hundreds 

of workmen, skilled and unskilled. 

• Lake Charles is the center of the great 

Louisiana petroleum belt—12 miles from 

the newly discovered field at Vinton, 18 

miles from Welsh field, and 30 miles from 

the great Jennings field. Pipelines run into 

the city. Salt has been discovered within a 

few miles of the city and preparations 

are being made to develop the mines. The 

great Avery salt mines are 60 miles east. 

• The Calcasieu Truck Growers and Fruit 

Raisers Association is now shipping more 

stuff to the northern markets than any other 

organization in the entire South. In 1910 

150,000 boxes of oranges will go north. 

• Lake Charles is center of the great Louisiana 

rice belt. Calcasieu produces more rice than 

the entire state of Texas or the total amount 

raised in the Carolinas, Georgia, Mississippi, 

Alabama, Arkansas and Florida. 

• The World Famous Calcasieu Long Leaf 

Lumber comes from the territory surrounding 

Lake Charles on the west and north. 

Within 60 miles of Lake Charles there are 

85 mammoth pine saw mills. This makes 

Lake Charles the largest lumber manufacturing 

and shipping point in the world. 

Rice on pallets ready to be loaded. 

The evolution of the pallet transformed 

materials handling in industry. Prior to 

pallets, barrels were rolled over docks, and 

sacks were handled one at a time. The first 

pallets or skids—crude and awkward by 

today’s standards—emerged around 1918, 

the same time the forklift came into play. 

By the time the Port of Lake Charles opened 

for business in 1926, bottom boards were 

built onto the skids, improving balance and 

efficiency of pallets. Palletized loads freed 

up manpower, thus saved time and money. 

It’s fascinating to watch the port’s four 

automated palletizers handle 2,400 bags 

an hour each. 


58


59

Above: An ocean vessel heading down 

the ship channel from the port. In the 

background is burning marshland— 

managed fire that keeps the wetlands’ 

ecosystem balanced. Fire stimulates 

flowering, fruit, and seed production, thins 

out invasive foreign weeds, and creates 

areas of open water for breeding birds. Prior 

to management by conservationists, pristine 

wetlands depended on lightning fires once 

every four years or so to perpetuate their 

natural habitat. 

The most salient point made in the ads, 

however, was this one that expressed a significant 

need for a deep water channel and port: 

• Lake Charles is on the Calcasieu River, 

30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Light 

draft vessels operate between this point, 

Galveston and Mexican ports. Deep water is 

being worked for and will eventually be had. 

Business and community leaders had realized 

since 1879 that Southwest Louisiana 

could be a mecca for ocean going vessels, but 

the river connecting the lake to the Gulf of 

Mexico was too shallow and blocked by sandbars. 

When the Intracoastal Canal opened in 

1915, connecting the Calcasieu and Sabine 

Rivers, visionaries saw this as the time to act. 

In 1922, the Calcasieu ✧ Parish Police Jury was 

authorized to call a This bond is a election sample caption. for deepening 

and widening the PHOTOS Calcasieu BY River and Lake 

to make way for large ocean vessels to travel 

from Lake Charles to the Intracoastal Canal. 

The voters had vision, the bond issue was 

passed, and within a few years the Calcasieu 

River was dredged to 30 feet deep and 

widened to 125 feet. The Port of Lake Charles 

formally opened in 1926, and Lake Charles 

had become a viable industrial site. It had 

the raw materials, a port, and rail service. 

In 1938, President Roosevelt signed a bill 

to dredge the ship channel all the way to 

the Gulf of Mexico. The new channel, 

the outbreak of World War II, and the 

Below: Dredging of canals and the ship 

channel is an ongoing process to keep the 

waterways accessible to the port. Dredging 

also displaces and strengthens the land. 


60

petrochemical industries that moved to the 

lake area all sparked a second industrial 

growth. Ships lined the docks to load rice, 

lumber, walnuts, tires, resin, cotton and many 

other products. 

Today the marine cargo and vessel activity 

at the Port of Lake Charles generates over $8 

billion of the total economic activity in 

Louisiana. The City Docks, 34 miles inland, 

contain general cargo facilities, the Lake 

Charles Public Grain Elevator, and a vegetable 

oil packaging plant. The general cargo 

facilities include 12 transit sheds, an open 

cargo berth, and 13 ship berths which can 

accommodate 12 ships simultaneously with 

more than 1.3 million square feet of transit 

shed space. Concrete-floored warehouses— 

536,000 square feet—are accessible by rail 

and truck. Other facilities include: 

The automated terminal used for bag 

handling has: 4 palletizers which handle 

2,400 bags per hour; 6 depalletizers, 2 railcar 

unloaders, and 2 spiralveyor shiploaders— 

each handling 125 tons per hour. 

A dry bulk terminal on 71 acres with a 

2,200 foot long wharf and 40-foot depth at 

dockside, enabling it to load two vessels 

simultaneously. It has two traveling ship 

loaders and one travel clam-bucket unloader, 

which can load simultaneously 5,200 

short tons per hour of petroleum coke. 

The terminal processes of 3.1 million short 

tons of dry bulk material annually such 

as petroleum coke, calcined coke, barite, 

coal, rutile, woodchips, and other dry 

bulk commodities. 

The Port of Lake Charles is involved in 

community efforts such as partnering with 

McNeese State University to improve the 

environment and economy, and in humanitarian 

aid such as shipping rice and other grains 

for disaster relief food aid programs. 

Tugboats heading out to the Gulf in the evening light. 

They will escort barges and ocean-going vessels to 

the port and along the Intracoastal Canal. 


61

“The smart cowman is the one with oil 

derricks for his cows to scratch on.” 

Brownie Ford 

The Louisiana Cattleman 

A LOT OF ACRES, KNOWHOW, AND DETERMINATION 

We’ve been cow country since before the 

Civil War. The “Beef Trail” or “Opelousas Trail” 

ran right through Southwest Louisiana from 

Texas to the New Orleans shipping market in 

the 1800s. We also had a unique advantage 

for raising cattle—an abundance of nutritious 

grasses for grazing, good weather, plentiful 

fresh water, and few predatory animals. But, 

we didn’t quite have it down to a science until 

the 1880s. 

The “haphazard” way of cattle raising was 

improved when Midwesterners who came to 

the area for timber and rice lands, introduced 

Durhams, Herefords, Jerseys, and Brahmas— 

more marketable breeds. Cattlemen also 

learned to winter graze in Cameron Parish 

marshes where warm Gulf breezes kept the 

grass green. Once the railroad clamored in, 

we were off to market. 

Cattlemen of today multi-task their fields, 

growing rice, pumping oil, farming crawfish, 

and grazing cattle. Such mega ranches in 

Southwest Louisiana are hugely successful and 

high-tech. Today’s cattle rancher orders medicines 

and supplies online and has them overnighted, 

seeds his grass and hayfields by plane, 

and keeps up with market reports and trends 

on the internet. Cattlemen who diversify are a 

group of people who have been a major force 

in shaping Louisiana’s agricultural landscape. 

However, some things never change. The 

working cowboy is still in the saddle and 

carries all his gear with him—bedroll, slicker, 

dry clothes, rope, sickle, matches, hatchet, 

medicines, mosquito whip, and a branding 

iron. Even the brands are often handed down 

through generations, some dating back to 

1739—a serious source of family pride. 

Sorting cattle for market outside of Louisiana. 


62

The signs of diversity on a farm—the marsh, 

the tractor, and the haybarn. 

The Louisiana horseman—and his horse— 

have learned to make trails just about anywhere. 


63

THREE 

CHAPTER 

Living the 

Treasured Life 

Middle American 

Neighborhoods and Schools 

TOP NOTCH NEIGHBORS AND STUDENTS 


64 

Southwest Louisiana’s family-friendly neighborhoods range from cottage-lined streets, mature 

brick homes, and high-end architect’s dreams to on-the-water homes draped with cypress trees 

and moss. Property values in the area are above the national average, and home construction is 

on the rise. Many rural home sites dot the countryside complete with barns and fences; otherwise, 

numerous easy-to-maintain town homes and patio homes are available for those considering 

a downsize. Most neighborhoods have property restrictions that keep them in market-ready 

condition. Plus a new building phenomenon has begun in the area—privately managed 

neighborhoods for 50+ mature lifestyles with on site medical care, shopping, restaurants, 

recreation, golf, and numerous choices of home styles.

Because many homes have been remodeled 

following Hurricanes Rita and Ike, properties are 

in above-average condition. Yards are spacious, 

many with lofty oaks, flowering trees, and welldesigned 

gardens. The climate is mild with a 

long growing season, so neighbors get to know 

each other with outside barbeques, crawfish 

boils, and front porch chats. Even though we 

have cutting-edge industries, schools, medical 

care, and cultural opportunities, we still have 

enough small-town in us to wave at each other, 

hang over the back fence to trade fishing tales, 

and knock on our new neighbors’ doors to say 

welcome with fresh-baked pies. 

A good school is right around the corner in 

any neighborhood. Public schools are overseen 

by parish school boards and have classes from 

Pre-K to 12, including special programs such 

as French Immersion, Advanced Placement 

Classes, and, of course, high-spirited athletic 

competitions. Private schooling is an option— 

and tradition—for many families; beyond high 

school, technical and business schools prepare 

the workforce for local industries. McNeese 

State University, a four-year university, also 

offers graduate programs in numerous fields 

with stellar academic tracks paralleling 

the area’s workforce needs especially in 

the engineering, nursing, and education 

curriculum. Sowela Technical Community 

College fills the gap by preparing students to 

face a highly competitive technical workforce, 

offering degrees like Aviation Maintenance, 

Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Drafting and 

Design, Graphic Arts, Industrial Electricity and 

Office Systems Technology. 

Many private homes in Southwest Louisiana 

are situated on park-like lawns with 

sidewalks and a variety of walkways 

enjoyed by the public. 

CHAPTER THREE - Living the Treasured Life 

65

Chefs in training at Sowela Technical Community College. 

The Culinary Arts program prepares students to work in service, 

production, fast foods, and baking areas of the food service industry. 

Sowela’s mission is to empower students in career, 

transfer, and technical education so they 

can compete in the workforce. 


66

International Cuisine 

is one of the course 

offerings at Sowela 

featuring this 

outstanding clam 

dish ladled with 

a delectable 

cream sauce. 


67

Private Schools excel in academics and sports throughout Southwest Louisiana. Here cheerleaders 

root for their team during a home basketball game. Family night out at big sister’s basketball game. 

Washington Marion Magnet High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps in the 

Lake Charles Civic Center. These students receive military training and participate 

in competitions that include regulated and free-style rifle exhibitions, posting 

and recovering of the colors, and flag and physical fitness training. 

These kids are sharp…it’s hard to find any mistakes in their performance. 

Sgt. Justin Williams, a native of DeRidder, Louisiana, 

praising Washington Marion Magnet High School JROTC cadets. 


68

These girls may be best friends because they live right down the road from each other, 

but on the court their eyes are on one goal—to represent their school through good 

sportsmanship and playmanship. A few extra points would be nice too. 


69

Above and below: Music resounds from the 

walls of the 2010 Fine Arts Building on 

McNeese State University Campus. The 

McNeese Marching Band debuted with 

twenty-four members one year after 

McNeese Junior College opened. Once called 

Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show, 

today it is the Pride of McNeese. The Music 

Department oversees the McNeese Wind 

Symphony, Symphonic Band, and 

Percussion Ensemble, and offers 

undergraduate and graduate degrees in 

Music Performance and Education with 

student recitals held weekly. Many 

outstanding professional concerts, major 

productions, exhibits and recitals are 

available to students and the public. 


70

Bulber Auditorium 

National Register of Historic Places 

The 1939 Art Deco Bulber Auditorium, named after Dr. Francis Bulber of the Fine Arts Department on McNeese State University 

Campus is on the National Register of Historic Places. The entrance of this monumental, blond brick Modernistic building has 

subtle brick fluting and geometric metal grillwork. The grand lobby has halo glass lights, marble wainscoting and multi-colored 

terrazzo floors with stripes that lead to side staircases. The auditorium is surrounded by a lounge area, an interior U-shaped 

gallery and has suspended halo-style chandeliers. An alley of live oaks planted on the eve of World War II leads to the building; 

the trees are now designated as memorials. 


71

Field trip day! Close to home but in 

touch with the world at the Tupper Telephone Museum. 

Students can pick-up the phone and learn to say hello and goodbye 

in languages from around the world. The attached W. H. Tupper Museum 

also gives visitors a glimpse of early twentieth century life in rural Louisiana with 

its collection of untouched general store merchandise from 1910-1949 

when the store closed, but all the merchandise stayed. 


72

It looks calm now, but all rowdiness is getting ready to bust loose in Cowboy Stadium! 

On the field, in the air, and over the goal line. 


73

Right: We start them young at McNeese. 

Below: Fans in the stands with armor and 

battle gear. 

Opposite, top: He’s a rowdy rabble rouser. 

Rowdy, mascot for McNeese athletics, is 

ready for a stand-off with the “other side” 

at a Cowboy’s home football game. He also 

helps build McNeese athletics in programs 

like Rowdy’s Wranglers, the official kid’s 

club of MSU athletics. 

Opposite, bottom: The Cowgirl Kickers, 

McNeese Cowboys’ primo dance team, kicks 

it up a notch during a home game. 


74


75

Frogs are an important part of life in Southwest 

Louisiana. In the wetlands, they help balance the 

ecosystem. The have great legs for jumping in 

races and for jumping in the frying pan—quite 

a delicacy around here. Frogging is a nocturnal 

hunt, which explains the huge frog-eye lights 

mounted on the tops of so many trucks and jeeps 

around here. The lights dazzle the frogs, making 

them easier to grab with your hands or with a gig. 

As with other wildlife conservation efforts, 

there are limits and seasons to frog hunting. 


76

This bullfrog was just splashing around in his ditch earlier this morning, wondering 

what to do with his life. Now he is lead contender in a frog jumping contest at an 

elementary school celebrating Louisiana Week. He’ll go back to his ditch a hero. 


77

Opposite: Hold a baby alligator at Jennings’ 

Chateau des Cocodries (Alligator House) at 

the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park on 

Interstate 10. 

There’s a bumper sticker down here that says, 

“If you want to save an alligator, buy a handbag.” 

Ruth Elsey, wildlife biologist at the state-administered 

Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 


78

Alligators—From Marsh to Market 

A Keystone Species Thrives in Southwest Louisiana 

You have to respect a pair of large, fixed eyes periscoped above the water— eyes attached to one ton of bone-crushing bite. 

Dubbed a “living fossil”, the alligator crawled from the primordial gumbo 65 million years ago into bayous and swamps along 

the Creole Nature Trail. Today, very carefully, you can photograph one from many walkways and decks along the trail, or right 

from your car as he sometimes crosses the road. But keep your distance. He may look slow, but with his claws, muscled tail, and 

strong legs, he can lunge at you at about thirty miles per hour. And his bite is the most powerful in the animal kingdom—about 

two and a half times stronger than a lion’s. 

Thousands of alligators were harvested for leather boots, shoes, and saddles as early as 1800. The hides were used for Civil 

War shoe leather, then the alligator topped the fashion scale in the late 1860s. The gator has been prized ever since, not just for 

its hide, but also for its meat, a light-flavored delicacy that replaces chicken or veal in recipes. Without proper management, the 

alligator could have easily gone the way of the Chinese alligator—near extinction. 

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries gained full authority to regulate alligator hunting and farming in 1970, 

and a sustainable use program began in 1972. Alligator ranching developed during the 1980s, permitting landowners to sell 

precious alligator eggs to farmers—an incentive to keep the wetlands wild and wet. Farm-raised alligators grow three to four 

times bigger and faster than wild ones. To ensure a stable, increasing wild population, farmers each year airboat a varying 

percentage (average 14%) of their four-foot alligators back to the wilds where they are carefully monitored. 

Other impressive facts you should know about the alligator you will see lying in the sun to balance his cold-blooded body or 

submerged in the vast fresh water and brackish marshes: 

• His tail makes up about half its body and can propel the gator about five feet out of the water to grab unsuspecting prey. 

• He snaps and swallows small prey in one bite. He drags larger prey underwater to drown; often the gator spins in a “death 

roll” to loosen chunks of meat. 

• His jaws are studded with 70 to 80 cone shaped teeth that replace themselves. 

• During mating season, he bellows underwater to attract a mate; above water he does a lot of head slapping to really look cool. 

• The alligator embryo is used in cleft palate research. 

• He has remained virtually unchanged for about 65 million years; his extinct ancestors include dinosaurs and flying reptiles. 

The alligator is a keystone species—one that plays a critical role in keeping its ecological community balanced, more than 

would be expected based on its relative size. The most abundant alligators on the Creole Nature Trail are probably in Rockefeller 

Refuge; years of research at this site have provided scientists with the most information they have about the American alligator. 

The alligator is fiercely protected as are all wetlands areas in Southwest Louisiana. By protecting these invaluable places, 

we spare their renewable resources plus many species of plants, birds, fish, and mammals. 


79

Marsh Plants 

Are More Than Serenity 

BALANCING THE ECOLOGY ON LONG STEMS 

Cattails are uniquely beautiful and the most recognized plant in marshes and along roads in 

wet ditches. If you are tempted to cut a few to take home, don’t keep them too long; when the 

“cobs” dry, they burst into thousands of flying, fuzzy seedlings that are impossible to contain. 


80

Aquatic plants are vital to the wetlands’ 

ecology and have adapted in fascinating ways 

to live in a world of water. Some are emergents 

like cattails with only their roots and 

lower stems underwater. Others are submergents 

that live completely underwater. 

Others are floaters like water lilies flourishing 

with bright, conspicuous flowers. They 

all contribute to the ecosystem, providing 

hiding places for small fish and insects, 

food for thousands of birds and mammals, 

and eye-popping beauty for photographers. 

Sometimes plants grow so densely that it is 

difficult for boaters to row through them. 

Cattails have male and female flowers 

on the same stalk. The wind carries pollen 

grains to the female flowers; when seeds 

develop, they float on water until finding 

a place to lodge, germinate, and grow. 

Muskrats especially like cattails, and the 

young cobs are edible for humans—boiled 

and eaten like corn 


81

Water lilies are buoyant because large air 

spaces are between the cells of their leaves and 

stems. They depend on insect pollination, so 

their bright flowers and sugars call thousands 

of butterflies, bees, moths, and others that 

carry their pollen for miles. On the Creole 

Nature Trail you can stand in the flurry of 

thousands of “flying flowers”—butterflies— 

darting around Peveto Woods Bird and 

Butterfly Sanctuary. Pipevine swallowtails, 

gorgone and pearl crescents, red admiral, 

spring azure, zebra longwing, variegated and 

gulf fritillaries—even the names evoke visions 

of fairies and fantastic winged creatures. 

The marsh grasses that are often ignored 

are a vital part of Louisiana’s Outback— 

grasses with exotic names like bluestem, 

switchgrass, eastern gamagrass, pinewoods 

dropseed, and purple silkyscale. They 

provide food for shellfish, millions of 

migrating birds each year, and act as buffers 

against storms by breaking the power of 

storm surges and slowing their inland paths. 

These grasses are at risk mostly because of 

development along the Trail. 

Water lilies are stunning floaters with buoyant leaves 

connected by long, slender leafstalks to thick stems 

buried in the bottom sediment. 


82

A water lily pond in Lacassine Pool thrives along the Creole Nature Trail. 


83

Fur and Wildlife Festival 

Nature’s Heartbeat in Your Hands 

For newcomers, it’s an eye-opener to nature’s magnificence in the marshes. For old-timers, it’s a way to 

reaffirm your oneness with nature, and to calibrate your heartbeats. The Fur and Wildlife Festival began 

as a challenge between two cities—Cambridge, Maryland, and Cameron, Louisiana—regarding who had 

the best trapper. Mr. Leon Hebert, a twenty-five-year veteran trapper from Cameron won out over the 

Maryland trapper in the National Fur Skinning Contest. It didn’t take long for a group of grassroots 

organizers to throw their first 1955 festival celebrating the wealth of fur and wildlife in Cameron Parish. 

A huge success, the festival grew to eventually sister with The Cambridge, Maryland National Outdoor 

Show with the two exchanging fur skinners and festival queens each year. 

Superior hunters, trappers, fishermen, and nature lovers literally hold nature in their hands as they 

compete in events like oyster shucking, speckle belly goose calling, skeet shooting, trap setting, retriever 

dog trials, muskrat and nutria skinning, snow goose calling, and much more—for women, men, and 

children. You can imagine the exotic food offerings and Cajun music on various stages. 

Other festivals that celebrate the earth’s bounty along the Creole Nature Trail are the Cameron Saltwater 

Fishing Festival and Rodeo and the Alligator Festival with, yes, alligator skinning. 

Yet, a festival is just a high point of the year. Preserving and renewing nature is serious business yearround 

in Cameron Parish and the rest of Southwest Louisiana. Three of seven members of the state’s 

Wildlife and Fisheries Commission must be electors of the coastal parishes and representatives of 

commercial fishing and fur industries. And on an individual level—each responsible hunter, fisherman, 

trapper, photographer, and birdwatcher feels nature’s heartbeat in Cameron Parish as his own. 


84

Opposite: What is a festival without 

funnel cake? 

Left: Record numbers attend the Fur and 

Wildlife Festival that celebrates the wildlife 

that is part of the ecosystem of the wetlands 

and cheniers of Cameron Parish. 

Bottom, left and right: That’s what you think 

it is—the nutria skinning contest at the Fur 

and Wildlife Festival in Cameron Parish. 

Dubbed as “The Oldest and Coldest Festival 

in Louisiana,” it is a tribute to the full 

bounty of wildlife in coastal 

Cameron Parish. 


85

The Mississippi Flyway 

THOUSANDS OF BIRDS INSTINCTIVELY FLY 

TO SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA 


86

Look up. It is right over our heads. The 

Mississippi Flyway, 3,000 miles of beautifully 

timbered and watered land stretching from 

Canada to the tropics, is the longest migratory 

route for thousands of birds each year. 

Large flocks of white-fronted and snow geese, 

pintail, blue and green-winged teal, mallards, 

ring-necked ducks, gadwalls, black-bellied 

whistling ducks, plus hundreds more species 

fly right over us every year. 

Our rice fields, wetlands, prairies, bayous, 

swamps, and shorelines are virgin nesting and 

feeding places for millions of birds. This 

serene, teeming place is a birdwatcher’s, photographer’s, 

and hunter’s paradise. The Sabine 

National Wildlife Refuge, for example, is designated 

as an “Internationally Important Bird 

Area.” Over 250 species of migrating birds— 

shorebirds, great egrets, white pelicans, ducks, 

geese, and roseate spoonbills—will stop on 

their way to the tropics. Over 100,000 snow 

geese will spend the winter in this refuge alone. 

Likewise, the 16,000-acre freshwater marsh 

known as “The Pool” is on the Lacassine 

National Wildlife Refuge. Even endangered 

species such as bald eagles and peregrine 

falcons nest there. Cameron Prairie Refuge 

and Rockefeller Refuge round out Southwest 

Louisiana’s prime birding area, making The 

Creole Nature Trail one of the Top Ten Birding 

Destinations in the nation. 

This land is basically untouched, pristine. 

So thousands of visitors from all over the 

world come each year to see this place 

where they can get a once-in-a-lifetime shot— 

through the lens or the barrel—as the 

nation’s birds instinctively follow this flyway 

to the tropics. 

Opposite: Millions of birds each year find 

shelter and sustenance as they migrate over 

Southwest Louisiana on the Mississippi 

Flyway. Those of us who live here are the 

lucky ones; all we need is a duck call, a long 

lens, or a pair of binoculars. 

Below: Egret eggs discovered in the marsh. 

The egret is a wading bird that strides in the 

water seeking its prey. 


87


88


89

FOUR 

CHAPTER 


90

Treasured People 

CHAPTER FOUR - Treasured People 

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105


106


Partners 

Historic profiles of businesses, 

organizations, and families that have 

contributed to the development and 

economic base of Southwest Louisiana 

Quality of Life............................................108 

The Marketplace .........................................148 

Building a Greater Southwest Louisiana ..........182 

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA QUALITY PARTNERS 

OF LIFE 

107


108

Quality of Life 

Healthcare providers, school districts, 

universities, and other institutions that contribute 

to the quality of life in Southwest Louisiana 

Health Systems 2000 ..................................................................110 

The Broussard Group, LLC 

Broussard and Company, CPAs 

Broussard HealthCare Consultants 

SynergyCare 

High Hope...........................................................114 

Chennault International Airport Authority ....................................116 

City of Lake Charles ..................................................................118 

Gray Estate and Stream Companies ..............................................120 

Hart Eye Center ........................................................................122 

McNeese State University ...........................................................124 

St. Louis Catholic High School .....................................................126 

Southwest Louisiana Healthcare System 

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital 

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women ........................128 

Jefferson Davis Parish ................................................................130 

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury........................................................132 

Sowela Technical Community College ............................................134 

Women & Children’s Hospital ......................................................135 

Surgicare of Lake Charles ...........................................................136 

City of Sulphur .........................................................................137 

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital.................................................138 

Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana...............................139 

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital....................................................140 

Lake Charles Regional Airport .....................................................141 

Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau ......142 

Business Health Partners ............................................................143 

Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. ..............................................144 

Calcasieu Parish School System....................................................145 

Calcasieu Parish Public Library ...................................................146 

Cameron Parish.........................................................................147 

QUALITY OF LIFE 

109

HEALTH 

SYSTEMS 2000 

Above: Chief Executive Officer Lisa Walker, 

MSN, APRN, CNS. 

Below: Jonald Walker III, CPA, CHCE. 

Health Systems 2000, founded in 1994, is 

the parent organization of Home Health Care 

2000, Pediatric Home Care 2000, Hospice 

Care 2000, Home Health Care 2000’s Personal 

Care Services, Home Medical Equipment 

2000, and Health Staffers 2000. 

The story of Health Systems 2000 may be 

traced to 1993 when Lisa Walker accepted a 

position as Administrator/Director of Nursing for 

a local home healthcare agency in Lake Charles. 

A lifelong resident of Lake Charles, Lisa 

graduated from Washington High School and 

McNeese State University, where she earned 

both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. 

She is also an Advanced Practice Registered 

Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist. 

After ten years experience in acute care, 

long-term care, and administrative nursing 

management, Lisa had her first encounter with 

home healthcare and discovered that she really 

loved it. Having discovered her niche, she 

found her position with the home healthcare 

agency to be both challenging and rewarding. 

Under her direction, patients received high 

technological care in the home, enabling them 

to be discharged from the hospital sooner. In 

essence, they could leave the hospital quicker. 

Under Lisa’s administration, the company 

began to meet goals, grow, and make progress. 

The owners of the home healthcare agency, 

headquartered in New Orleans, were pleased 

with what Lisa and her team had accomplished. 

Unfortunately, the company faced mounting 

difficulties that threatened closure. 

Ironically, at this same time, the State of 

Louisiana had lifted a long-standing moratorium 

on licensing new home healthcare agencies. 

Seizing this small window of opportunity, 

Lisa took a giant leap of faith and opened a 

home healthcare agency of her own. She was 

supported in this new endeavor by a small 

group of close family and friends, such as 

friend and colleague Nona Leday, RN, APRN, 

and Jonald Walker, CPA, a home healthcare 

business consultant and friend. 

Lisa started the company in 1994 as a homebased 

business. She held the title of administrator 

with Director of Nursing Nona Leday and 

Home Health Aide Mary Elizabeth Malveaux. 

A local family practice physician, Dr. Melvin 

Morris, was the organization’s medical director 

and was a dedicated and constant supporter of 

the company from its inception. 

Jonald became the company’s president and 

chief financial officer shortly after the company 

opened its doors. He and Lisa were married 

in 1996 and he now operates J. Walker & 

Company, a Certified Public Accounting firm. 

The Senior Management Team for Health 

Systems 2000 includes Lisa’s brother, Mark 

Smith, and sister, Dawn Reed. Mark served as 

senior vice president and Dawn, chief operating 

officer, serves as liaison between all home 

healthcare locations and administration. 

Public Relations Manager Stephanie Morris, 

who joined the organization in 1998, has been 

successful in helping to brand the company 

and is director of the 2000 Health Foundation 

that supports diabetes care and education. 

When the company was founded, the turn 

of the new millennium was highly anticipated 

and one of the goals of the Presidential 

Administration was a healthcare reform 

program called “Healthy People 2000.” While 

considering a name for the company, Nona 

felt strongly that “2000” should be included 

in the name. Lisa felt it was also important 

that the name include the service that was 

being provided, “home healthcare.” This 

resulted in a name for the new company: 

“Home Health Care 2000.” 

Both Lisa and Nona thought the company 

slogan should reflect the name, so “Moving 

toward a New Generation in Health Care”, 

thus moving toward the year 2000 became 

the slogan. 

The three original employees grew into 

many and the company quickly outgrew its 

home-based office space. Home Health Care 

2000 became Medicare and Medicaid certified 

and developed a thriving customer base 

throughout the community. In 1995 the company 

met its goal of 100 patients and, a year 

later, the organization earned Joint Commission 

on Accreditation on Health Care Organizations. 

Before long, Home Health Care 2000 became a 

household name in the community. 

Changes in Medicare reimbursement in the 

late 1990s created financial burdens for some 

home healthcare agencies and acquisitions 

and mergers became more commonplace. As 

a result of this trend, Health Systems 2000 


110

was successful in acquiring five home healthcare 

agencies in Louisiana in a span of only 

three years. 

When Health Systems 2000 decided to 

pursue accreditation in 1996, part of the process 

involved having a stated mission statement. 

Rather than having top management impose a 

mission statement, the Senior Management 

Team challenged each employee to write a 

statement, with the winner to be announced at 

the annual employee Awards Banquet and 

Christmas Party. 

Glenda Froe, who was medical records 

coordinator at the time, authored the winning 

mission statement: “At Home Health Care 

2000, our goal is to provide preeminent quality 

home healthcare, which demonstrates our 

commitment to excellence, professionalism, 

and genuine compassion.” 

Every company employee memorized the 

Mission Statement and was able to recall the 

mission upon the request of supervisors, 

the Senior Management Team, or the Joint 

Commission Surveyor. Glenda now works as 

the organization’s Billing Manager and her 

hard work and dedication continues to reflect 

the Mission Statement. 

Health Systems 2000 serves as the parent 

organization and coordinates administrative 

activities throughout the system. The corporate 

headquarters is located at 1901 Oak 

Park Boulevard. 

• Home Health Care 2000 provides skilled 

nursing care, home health aide services, physical 

therapy, occupational therapy, speech 

pathology, medical social worker intervention, 

nutritional counseling, specialized 

wound care, light therapy for patients with 

diabetic neuropathy, and personal care in the 

comfort and convenience of the home. 

Traditionally, home healthcare is an intermittent 

level of care and is provided with a physician’s 

order. It has been found that patients are 

more responsive to treatment when administered 

in a relaxed and familiar environment. 

• Pediatric Home Care 2000, located at 

19909 Oak Park Boulevard, Suite A, specializes 

in home healthcare for women 

and children. Services provided include 

Neonatal ICU follow-up care, home phototherapy, 

bilirubin monitoring, apnea and 

bradycardia monitoring, growth and development 

monitoring, ventilator patient care, 

and many other services. Specialization 

includes home healthcare for women with 

high risk pregnancies. The Skilled Nursing 

Medicaid Extended Care Program provides 

care for patients from birth to twenty-one 

years of age for extended periods of time. 

This program offers private duty nursing so 

parents can work and leave the home for 

routine periods of time. 

• Hospice Care 2000 is located at 1909 Oak 

Park Boulevard, Suite B. The company 

provides hospice care for pediatric, adult, 

and adult geriatric patients in the home or 

place of residence, including assisted living 

facilities, nursing homes, or retirement 

centers. Hospice care is end-of-life care, 

which emphasizes palliative treatment 

through pain and symptoms management 

associated with terminal illness. Patients and 

their family members receive personalized 

care, which includes medical attention and 

emotional support. An interdisciplinary team 

consists of a physician, registered nurse, 

clergy person, social worker, and volunteers. 

• Home Health Care 2000’s Personal Care 

Services is located at 1820 Oak Park 

Boulevard. This is a non-skilled program 

that provides personal care attendants for 

assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, 

toileting, light housekeeping, meal 

preparation, laundry, grocery, personal and 

household shopping, transportation to 

medical appointments and social activities, 

as well as other social service needs. These 

services are available twenty-four hours 

each day, seven days per week. 

• Home Medical Equipment 2000 is located at 

2013 Oak Park Boulevard is a full-service 

medical equipment company with a convenient 

retail storefront with a full inventory of 

durable medical equipment. Home Medical 

Equipment 2000 houses the Diabetic 

Headquarters showcasing a full inventory of 

specialized diabetic supplies and equipment. 

Home Medical Equipment 2000 works with 

physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation 

facilities, assisted living facilities 

and home healthcare agencies to provide 

equipment set-up, training and free delivery. 

Above: Dawn Reed, M.E.d., CPHQ. 

Below: Senior Vice President Mark Smith. 


111

• Health Staffers 2000, located at 2013 Oak 

Park Boulevard, Suite C, provides skilled 

private duty, non-skilled care, and temporary 

staffers to homes, assisted living 

facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, longterm 

care facilities, physicians’ offices, 

clinics, schools, industries, retirement 

homes, and others. 

• Home Health Care 2000’s Light Therapy 

Program. Light therapy is a professional 

photochemical reaction that causes the 

release of nitric oxide in the tissues, resulting 

in increased circulation, wound healing, 

and pain reduction. The treatment 

must be authorized by a physician and 

administered by a physical therapist. This 

therapy can improve the quality of life for 

diabetics who experience numbness in the 

hands, feet, and legs. 

• The 2000 Health Foundation is a nonprofit 

organization whose mission is 

“Providing Help that Makes a Difference.” 

The Foundation, located at 1901 Oak Park 

Boulevard, addresses the need for diabetic 

care and education, respite care grants for 

hospice patients, nursing scholarships, 

and educational support. The Foundation 

is Partners in Education with Sacred Heart 

St. Katherine Drexel School. 

In only sixteen short years Health Systems 

2000 has become one of the largest freestanding 

home healthcare agencies and 

employers in Louisiana. The company has 

experienced a ten to fifteen percent growth 

rate for the past three years and now has 

about 300 professional and paraprofessional 

employees. Health Systems 2000 services 

more than 2,000 clients annually. 

In 2000 both the company and Lisa were 

recognized by both the State of Louisiana’s 

Small Business Administration and the 

Department of Economic Development. 

Along with a select group of entrepreneurs, 

Lisa was invited to a reception in her honor 

at the Louisiana Governor’s Mansion. Home 

Health Care 2000 has been recognized 

by many social and civic organizations 

and has received many awards and 

accolades, and has been listed as one of 

Lake Charles’ top fifty businesses for the past 

several years. 


112

Opposite, top: Pediatric Home Care 2000 

and Hospice Care 2000. 

Health Systems 2000 is noted for giving 

back to the community and supports many 

community organizations and events. The 

company is involved with community 

outreach and provides on-site healthcare 

seminars regularly. The organization supports 

a number of nonprofit organizations such 

as the American Diabetes Association, the 

National Alliance for Mental Illness, and the 

American Heart Association. The company is 

serving as the 2010 Corporate Sponsor of the 

March of Dimes March for Babies. 

The 2000 Health Foundation supports 

diabetes care and education, hospice grants 

for hospice caregivers who are experiencing 

burnout, nursing scholarships in response to the 

nursing shortage, and other charitable requests. 

Looking to the future, Health Systems 2000’s 

strategic plan includes increasing its continuous 

quality improvement and clinical program 

development efforts. The company plans to 

integrate more high-tech clinical programs 

through benchmarking with comparable 

healthcare businesses. To increase efficiency, 

the organization plans to expand its automation 

and increase the use of laptop computers for 

data entry during homecare visits. 

Health Systems 2000 recently implemented 

a tele-health monitoring system, and an 

expansion project for Home Medical 

Equipment 2000 is scheduled for fall 2010. 

The company has partnered with a national 

healthcare marketing firm and recently began 

a new community education program. 

For more information about Health Systems 

2000, see the website at www.hhc2000.com. 

Opposite, bottom combo: Corporate offices 

of Health Systems 2000, Inc. 

Above: Home Health Care 2000, Personal 

Care Services. 

Below: Home Health Care 2000, Home 

Medical Equipment 2000, Health Staffers 

2000, 2000 Health Foundation. 


113

THE BROUSSARD 

GROUP, LLC 

BROUSSARD 

AND COMPANY, 

CPAS 

BROUSSARD 

HEALTHCARE 

CONSULTANTS 

SYNERGYCARE 

HIGH HOPE 

Todd, Ken, and Beth Broussard (standing) 

with Reuben (seated). 

The nucleus of The Broussard Group began 

when Reuben Broussard founded the CPA firm 

of Broussard and Company in Sulphur in 1978. 

It was a typical CPA firm providing tax, audit 

and bookkeeping services to a variety of clients. 

The firm still provides those services today, 

but over the past two decades the scope of the 

business has expanded greatly and now includes 

a significant niche in the healthcare industry. 

The first opportunity for the accounting 

firm to enter the healthcare field came in 1979 

when Reuben Broussard helped the operator 

of a nursing home chain solve some financial 

problems. Later, Broussard negotiated a $12 

million deal so the client could buy out his 

partners. This relationship continued as the 

nursing home chain passed to the next 

generation and led to Broussard’s involvement 

in the Nursing Home Association. 

Meanwhile, the accounting firm had grown 

to a staff of about twelve when Broussard’s 

son, Ken, joined the firm in 1990. Ken 

received an accounting degree from McNeese 

State University and a master’s degree in 

professional accountancy from the University 

of Texas. He worked for a national accounting 

firm before deciding to join his father’s firm. 

Ken hired a young accounting graduate from 

McNeese State, Beth Jacobsen, who was soon 

on track to become a partner in the firm. She 

and Ken married in 1997, a decision welcomed 

by his father. “She is the best Medicare/Nursing 

Home Consultant in the South, with the charm, 

toughness and intelligence you would expect 

from a former Louisiana State High School 

Rodeo Queen,” remarks Ken. 

Ken’s brother, Todd, left a career in the music 

business in Nashville to join the firm in 1997 as 

a staff accountant and soon passed the CPA 

exam. As the business expanded, Todd was 

instrumental in the growth and development of 

SynergyCare and now serves as CFO. 

Today Broussard & Company Certified 

Public Accountants continues to provide 

accounting and financial consulting services 

to businesses and individuals. The firm 

recognizes that certain types of businesses 

require specialized expertise and accounting 

support and has developed highly trained 

personnel who work as a team to meet these 

special needs. 

Broussard HealthCare Consultants—the 

first expansion into the healthcare field 

came in 1995 with the founding of Broussard 

HealthCare Consultants. Founded by Reuben, 

Ken and Beth, this organization concentrates 

in clinical, regulatory and financial consulting 

for long term care providers, primarily skilled 

nursing facilities. Beth, a highly respected 

Medicare consultant, was the creator of most 

of the services and concepts utilized by 

Broussard HealthCare Consultants. Broussard 

HealthCare Consultants, which now serves 

clients in twenty states throughout the country, 

has established a reputation as a leading 

and proactive clinical consulting service 

provider to the long-term care industry. A distinct 

advantage to their clients is that they add 

financial insight and reimbursement knowledge 

to the clinical aspect of providing care. 

SynergyCare—other opportunities identified 

by the firm’s principals led to creation of 

SynergyCare in 1999. Under the leadership of 

Ken, SynergyCare was developed to provide 

physical, occupational and speech therapy 

services on a contract basis to skilled nursing 


114

facilities as well as small hospitals and clinics 

throughout Louisiana and Texas. Clients had 

developed so much trust in Broussard’s CPA 

and consulting relationships that it was natural 

for them to hire SynergyCare to run their 

therapy programs. 

Although the concept was initially a very 

hot political button in the long term care 

industry, SynergyCare has helped set the 

industry standard for quality rehabilitative 

therapy and long term rehab care. 

High Hope Retirement Center—In 2008, 

Ken was presented with the opportunity to 

purchase a skilled nursing facility, High Hope 

Retirement Center in Sulphur. Although a 

great opportunity, the move had the potential 

of placing The Broussard Group in 

competition with existing client facilities in 

the area. After moving slowly and seeking 

‘permission’ from its core clients, the deal was 

done. Today, High Hope Retirement Center 

enjoys one of the highest occupancy rates in 

Calcasieu Parish and remains a locally owned 

skilled nursing facility. 

Over the years The Broussard Group, 

under the visionary leadership and driving 

force of Ken, has been involved in the start up 

and continuation of several other related 

ancillary businesses in the healthcare field. 

Several of these businesses have other 

participants/owners with common interests. 

The Broussard Group is the driving force 

behind each of these entities. 

In 2005 The Broussard Group founded 

Brighton Bridge Hospice, a premier provider of 

hospice and palliative care that provides comfort 

and support for terminally ill patients and their 

families throughout Southwest Louisiana. 

In 2010 The Broussard Group founded 

Partner’s Pharmacy, a non-retail institutional 

pharmacy that specializes in providing 

medicine to skilled nursing facilities. 

Reuben, Ken, Beth and Todd are all very 

active in church and civic organizations. 

Reuben and Ken have both served as 

Chairman of the Board of the Southwest 

Louisiana Chamber and Alliance Foundation. 

The Broussards have a special interest in 

music and enjoy sharing their talents with 

their church and friends. 

Although each entity has its own mission 

statement, The Broussard Group as a whole 

recognizes that its roots and success are 

based upon strong client relationships, 

trust, creative thinking, the highest level of 

competency and always doing the right thing. 

For more information about The Broussard 

Group, visit www.thebroussardgroup.com. 

Top: The Broussard Group blends their 

financial expertise with clinical expertise for 

their healthcare clients. 

Above: SynergyCare provides PT, OT, and 

ST services to patients of skilled nursing 

facilities and hospitals. 

Left: The Broussard Group purchased a 

majority interest in One Lakeside Plaza 

(aka The Chase Building) months after 

Hurricane Rita in 2005. Their corporate 

headquarters moved to this location 

in 2009. 


115

CHENNAULT 

INTERNATIONAL 

AIRPORT 

AUTHORITY 

Chennault International Airport, established 

in 1986, is an engine of economic 

growth in Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish, 

attracting hundreds of high-skill, high-wage 

jobs to Southwest Louisiana. 

The airport was resurrected from the 

Chennault Army Air Corps base, which closed 

in 1965. As a result of the combined efforts 

and vision of the City of Lake Charles, 

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and State of 

Louisiana officials, the airport became a major 

contributor to the local economy. 

The airport is operated by the Chennault 

International Airport Authority with the goal of 

supporting business growth and expansion 

in the area. The authority offers impressive 

facilities and 800 acres of available, developable 

property with access to a 10,700 foot runway. 

The Authority has more than $100 million in 

capital assets. 

The State of Louisiana, 

Calcasieu Parish and the City 

of Lake Charles plan to partner 

and offer incentives that 

support the long term prosperity 

for the companies that 

do business in the area. 

Located in the middle of the 

country, Chennault provides 

immediate access to I-10, 

railroads, the Port of Lake 

Charles, and an airfield capable 

of accepting the largest 

aircraft built today. 

Chennault accounts for 

sixteen percent of non-petrochemical 

employment across 

five parishes. Nearly 1,000 

people work at the airport and those jobs 

pay an average of $50,000 per year. Spillover 

regional economic activity accounts for 

another 3,000 indirect jobs. The airport’s 

original 1,000 acres has grown to 1,600, 

complemented by 1.5 million square feet of 

hangar and office space. 

Current tenants include Northrop 

Grumman, which holds several large military 

aircraft logistics program contracts; Aeroframe 

Services, which provides primary maintenance 

for Airbus series aircraft; Louisiana 

Millwork, which manufactures value-added 

products for the home improvement industry; 

and Million Air, a high-end fixed-base operator. 

In addition, Sowela Technical Community 

College maintains their facility adjacent to 

Chennault that provides customized technical 

training and workforce development. 


116

According to Randy Robb, executive director 

of Chennault Airport Authority, strategic 

partnerships are the reason for the tremendous 

growth. “When the city, parish, and state 

gained control of the facility, there was very little 

left of the former base assets,” he explains. 

The state invested $37.5 million, matched by 

$5 million from Calcasieu Parish, to reactivate 

the site and attract Boeing to the facility. 

In 1991 Northrop Grumman replaced 

Boeing at Chennault. Northrop Grumman 

plays a role as the anchor organization at 

Chennault. “We feel confident that Northrop 

Grumman will be growing here,” says Robb. 

“As that happens, we’ll be investing in the 

facility to support the growth.” 

Aeroframe Services operates a world class 

aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul 

(MRO) facility at Chennault. In 2008 the 

Chennault International Airport Authority 

worked with the company to secure a state of 

Louisiana Economic Development grant to 

invest in infrastructure improvements to 

support Aeroframe’s business. “Even in a 

down economy, the MRO business is forecast 

to be a $115 billion industry worldwide,” 

comments Robb. “It makes sense for us to 

help Aeroframe compete. They bring in 

planes from all over the world that otherwise 

wouldn’t come to Louisiana.” 

This commitment to supporting tenants 

attracted others, including Million Air and 

Louisiana Millwork. The airport was also a perfect 

location for Sowela Technical Community 

College. After Hurricane Rita, Chennault 

partnered with Sowela to build space for the 

school’s Transportation Technology program. 

“The jobs here require high skill levels and having 

Sowela at the airport is a big selling point,” 

says Robb. 

“Everything we do is based on teamwork 

between many different partners, all involved 

in work and life in the area,” Robb continues. 

“This helps us attract prospects. By pooling 

these resources, we opened a new control 

tower in January 2010. We will complete a 

new administration building to replace some 

of our existing facilities this year, and we’re 

looking at the possibility of a larger hangar in 

the future. All this development creates new 

jobs and investment—both at the airport and 

in the community.” 

Future plans at Chennault call for continuing 

support for existing tenants, increasing 

the number of jobs, and bringing in as many 

people as possible. As Northrop Grumman 

and Aeroframe expand, the Authority will 

position itself for additional growth. 

The Authority would also like to see the 

Chennault infrastructure continue to grow. 

The airport could also make use of one or two 

more large hangars, as well as warehousing 

and distribution facilities. 

Today the huge facility governed by the 

Chennault International Airport Authority 

is poised to continue generating high-skill 

and high-wage jobs for the region. “Our 

partnership approach supports our tenants 

very effectively,” says Robb. “We just put 

our nose down, our tail up, and go to it. 

That’s why we’re continuing to grow.” 


117

CITY OF 

LAKE CHARLES 

Above: Lake Charles Lakefront. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY MONSOURSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM. 

Below: Lock Park Playground. 


Lake Charles, a beautiful, vibrant and 

growing city, is an inviting place to call 

home. The city boasts rail, air and Interstate 

transportation centers and borders bayous, 

rivers and lakes, with a deep water channel 

leading to the Gulf of Mexico. Access to these 

waterways provides excellent fishing, hunting 

and other sports activities. Lake Charles is 

noted for its diverse arts and cultural events, 

gaming resorts, music venues, excellent cuisine 

and great festivals throughout the year. 

A strong business climate includes manufacturing, 

petrochemical, aviation, and gaming—all 

providing new jobs and economic 

development for Southwest Louisiana. 

The City of Lake Charles was first 

incorporated in 1867. Prior to that, the city 

was known as Charleston from 1861 to 1867. 

Even earlier, the settlement was known as 

Charlie’s Lake and Charles Town. 

In the early and mid-1800s, the United 

States offered land to settlers who would move 

to the area and these ‘Rio Hondo’ claims lured 

many to Lake Charles. This led, in 1840, to the 

formation of ‘Imperial Calcasieu’ which, today, 

are the five parishes of Calcasieu, Cameron, 

Beauregard, Allen and Jefferson Davis. 

Lumber production spurred a great deal of 

trade between Lake Charles and Galveston in 

the late 1850s and Lake Charles established 

itself as a major producer of lumber from the 

surrounding longleaf pine forests. The lumber 

industry continued to flourish into the early 

twentieth century. 

During this period a number of larger 

homes and mansions were built by carpenters 

from the north who created an architectural 

style distinct to Lake Charles. Today, this area, 

known as the Charpentier Historic District, is 

a major tourist attraction. 

Agriculture also played an important role 

in the early days of Lake Charles and 

Southwest Louisiana and continues so today 

with crops being exported through the Port of 

Lake Charles. 

Arts and culture have always played an 

important role in Lake Charles. Beginning in 

the early 1880s, the Williams Opera House 

provided nationally known entertainment. 

In the early 1900s, the Majestic Hotel and 

Arcade Theater opened, becoming popular 

sites for social activities. A popular social 

activity in that era was to ride the Borealis Rex 

stern-wheel steamer. The Little Theater held 

its first play in 1927 and from then on was a 

major factor in the town’s artistic fabric. 

A defining moment in the history of 

Lake Charles was the Great Fire of 1910. 

The devastating fire destroyed much of the 

downtown area, including the court house, 

city hall, fire station and numerous homes. 


118

Construction of Gerstner Air Field near Lake 

Charles to provide aviation training during 

World War I brought an influx of people from 

throughout the country. Many liked what they 

found and remained in the area to establish 

families and become prominent citizens. 

A major event in the development of Lake 

Charles occurred in 1922 when voters approved 

the widening and deepening of the Calcasieu 

River and Lake from the Intracoastal Canal to 

Lake Charles, followed by the opening of the 

Port of Lake Charles in 1926. Today, the Port is 

the nation’s eleventh largest seaport and a major 

contributor to the economic development of 

Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana. 

Another defining event occurred in the 

1930s when Matheson Alkali Works built a 

chemical plant on the Calcasieu River near 

Lake Charles. Other major petro-chemical 

plants soon followed, making the petrochemical 

industry a major employer in the area. 

The growth of Lake Charles and the surrounding 

area led to the opening of Lake 

Charles Junior College in 1939. The school 

is now known as McNeese State University 

and attracts students from all over the United 

States and foreign countries. Sowela Technical 

Community College in Lake Charles was 

established as the Southwest Louisiana Trade 

School in 1938. Sowela serves a five parish area 

in Southwest Louisiana and provides a highly 

trained workforce. 

World War II brought construction of the 

Lake Charles Air Force Base. Today, the former 

military air base is the site of Chennault 

International Airport, which has major 

aviation tenants. 

The post World War II building boom 

contributed to the continued growth of Lake 

Charles and was a major factor in the 1961 

opening of the Lake Charles Regional Airport. 

Also in the 1960s, the city began 

construction of the Lake Charles Civic Center. 

Located adjacent to the lake, the Civic Center 

opened in 1972 and immediately became a 

focus of civic pride. 

In 1993 Central School was restored and 

became the Central School Arts & Humanities 

Center. In 2004, the 1911 historic city hall 

reopened as Historic City Hall Arts and 

Cultural Center. These civic improvements, 

along with many others, paved the way for the 

growth and prosperity enjoyed by today’s 

Lake Charles residents. 

However disaster struck in September 

2005 when Lake Charles and much of 

Southwest Louisiana was devastated by 

Hurricane Rita, one of the worst natural 

disasters in American history. Lake Charles, 

however, soon began a recovery process. 

In 2006 citizens voted in favor of a $90 

million bond issue to provide for major road, 

utility, downtown/lakefront and city park 

improvements. This was followed in 2007 with 

approval of a referendum for development 

of the lakefront. This was another historic 

moment for the city, allowing for commercial 

and other mixed use development. 

Lake Charles today is a community of more 

than 74,000 people living in an area of 

approximately forty-four square miles. Lake 

Charles City Government employs about 

1,100 people and operates with an annual 

budget of $61.8 million. 

Visit the City of Lake Charles’ website at 

www.cityoflakecharles.com. 

Top: Epps Library. 

Above: Historic City Hall. 



119

GRAY ESTATE 

AND STREAM 

COMPANIES 

Above: The Gray Estate was built 

around 1923. 

Below: Ged Oilfield, April 1925. 

In the late 1880s John Geddings (Ged) Gray, 

enamored with the vast beauty and ripe potential 

of the Southwest Louisiana area, began purchasing 

land. One very well known portion of 

coastal marsh land and lush prairie was acquired 

which stretched from the town of Vinton south 

to the Gulf of Mexico at Johnson’s Bayou, 

Louisiana. From this humble place, the Gray 

Ranch was founded in 1896 and is now owned 

by Matilda Gray Stream, Ged’s granddaughter, 

and her son and daughter, Harold “Spook” H. 

Stream III and Sandra Stream Miller. 

The thirty-thousand-acre Gray Ranch (M- 

Heart Corporation) is home to large herds of 

Brahman-cross cattle driven from Ged—the 

small unincorporated town named for its 

founder and summer home to the herd—south 

to the Gulf in winter. Ged sprung up in the 

early 1900s after the discovery of rich oil pools 

in the depths beneath the prairie grasses. The 

picturesque town has been the subject of many 

books, articles and artists. 

The ranch, also a much featured enterprise, 

is noted in part for its success at “rotational 

grazing” and preservation of the old time cattle 

drives using specially bred quarter horses. The 

horses are selected for their good mind, good 

disposition, and structure that can hold up to 

a hard day’s work. At this writing, the ranch 

houses seventy-five American Quarter Horses 

under the brand TLC. 

Coexisting with the Gray Ranch is the Ged 

Oilfield. The oilfield has been producing 

since 1912 and is still attracting new oil and 

gas interests. Approximately forty wells can 

be seen scattered across ranch property. On 

a summer day, one may see a low flying 

helicopter or airboats skirting the marsh 

grasses and bayous scouting alligator nests in 

order to harvest the eggs. On a yearly basis, 

the eggs are collected and sold to alligator 

farmers. When gators reach four feet in length 

about fourteen percent of them are returned 

to the wild to maintain the population. 

Almost as naturally as native grasses spring 

from the marsh floor, a wetland restoration and 

mitigation business grew from the vast coastal 

holdings of the Stream family into the largest 

and most diverse provider of wetland services 

in Louisiana. Since 1996, Stream Wetland 

Services has assisted many of the major oil and 

gas companies, pipeline and transportation 

companies, developers, the state of Louisiana, 

and the U.S. government with their particular 

projects and needs. The company maintains 

a diverse fleet of boats that enables the staff 


120

to reach destinations regardless of the 

environment. Stream Wetland Services offers 

project design, GIS mapping, permitting 

assistance, land acquisition, construction, plant 

production, plus installation and monitoring. 

Through the generations, the Stream Family 

has continued to acquire large tracts of land. 

Gray Estate managers have diversified the family 

businesses to include domestic and international 

real estate development, timber development 

and sales, agriculture, and leasing of land for 

hunting, fishing, grazing and recreational use. 

Matilda Gray Stream has often been 

recognized for her commitment to historic 

preservation. The family has preserved 

Evergreen Plantation as a working sugarcane 

plantation located on the west bank of the 

Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish. 

Evergreen is the most intact plantation complex 

in the South with thirty-seven buildings on the 

National Register of Historic Places, including 

twenty-two slave cabins. Evergreen has the 

country’s highest historic designation and joins 

Mount Vernon and Gettysburg in being granted 

landmark status for its agricultural acreage. 

The Streams’ investment in the preservation 

of the natural beauty of Louisiana led to the 

development of the premiere master planned 

community, Graywood, located in southwest 

Louisiana. Gray Stream, son of Harold Stream, 

serves as president of the development 

company. Beautiful green spaces, sparkling 

lakes, and teeming wildlife envelope a 

collection of neighborhoods designed for 

individual lifestyles. Patio homes, townhomes, 

four to five acre country estates and traditional 

neighborhood developments are all well 

thought out and designed to wed the natural 

character of surrounding property with the 

facilities and amenities of Graywood living. 

One such amenity is the award-winning 

semi-private golf course, Gray Plantation, 

known for its spectacular views and challenging 

seventy-two-hundred-yard course designed by 

golf architect Rocky Roquemore. The course has 

been named among the top public courses in 

the U.S. by Golf Digest and “The Gray,” as it is 

affectionately called, received the number three 

ranking for Louisiana in 2009. ZagatSurvey 

has rated the course in its “extraordinary to 

perfection” category. Also, Gray Plantation is one 

of the charter members of The Audubon Golf 

Trail, part of the Louisiana Department of 

Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. The course 

challenges professionals and amateurs alike. 

Also sharing a symbiotic relationship with 

the community is the state-of-the-art sports and 

fitness club, aptly named The Sports Club at 

Graywood. The club has all that is expected and 

more; an adult lap pool, children’s interactive 

pool, professional grade clay tennis courts, 

professional tennis instruction, the latest in 

Precor and Nautilus fitness equipment, 

extensive group and private classes, summer 

camps, and social events. 

The Gray and Stream families have made a 

very distinct imprint upon the fabric of 

Louisiana life. Adaptability, keen use of 

resources, and a good work ethic have 

enabled the Gray Estate to weather many 

economic storms during its over 120-year 

history. Likewise, a great deal of care for the 

region of their upbringing remains an integral 

part of the family’s business decisions. 

Above: Gray Ranch cowboys at Johnson 

Bayou, Louisiana. 

COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN QUARTER 

HORSE ASSOCIATION. 

Below: Gray Plantation Golf Course 

Signature Hole #6. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOANN DOST. 


121

HART 

EYE CENTER 

At Hart Eye Center the goal is to provide 

patients with optimum vision—the best vision 

they can achieve in spite of the limitations life 

may have placed on their eyesight. 

The center was founded in 1956 by Dr. 

Clinton Hart, an Illinois native who trained 

at a New Orleans hospital. When the only 

eye doctor in Lake Charles died, an optical 

salesman suggested that Dr. Hart look into 

taking over the practice. Dr. Hart had driven 

through Lake Charles on his way from 

Houston to New Orleans and remembered 

the city fondly, especially how pretty it was 

around the lake. Dr. Hart also considered an 

offer in California, but chose Lake Charles. 

He remembered driving into town over the 

old ‘swing bridge’ and purchasing a building 

on Foster Street across from St. Patrick’s 

Hospital. This location became the first home 

of Hart Eye Center. 

Dr. Clinton Hart was the only certified eye 

surgeon in Lake Charles for approximately 

three years. At the time, surgery was 

performed at St. Patrick’s Hospital and Dr. 

Hart had only one nurse to assist him. 

Because of the lighting, retinal surgery in that 

era had to be done in the dark, so Dr. Hart 

would go home for dinner, then return to the 

hospital after dark to perform retinal surgery. 

In the early days there were no government 

programs to pay for healthcare and few 

patients had adequate health insurance. Dr. 

Hart developed a fee schedule that was based 

on what the patient could afford to pay. If they 

could not afford anything, they either paid in 

fruits and vegetables or received free care. No 

one was ever turned away because they could 

not afford to pay. 

Even patients from Hurricane Audrey in 

1957 were treated free of charge, including 

one particular patient whose eyes were 

sandblasted by the blowing sand from the 

strong winds. 

When the Lake Charles Cities Service 

Refinery had a major explosion in 1967, Dr. 

Hart, along with other members of the 

medical society, rose to the occasion to help 

those injured in the blast. The doctors did not 

wait to be called in; they just showed up to 

take care of the injured at no charge. 

Dr. Hart always kept up with the latest 

surgical techniques. He traveled to England 

to learn how to implant intraocular lenses 

at the time of cataract surgery. He learned 

the technique from Dr. Peter Choyce, the 

physician who developed the first successful 

intraocular lenses. Dr. Hart became the first 

surgeon in Lake Charles to implant the lenses. 


122

There were no implantable lenses when 

Dr. Hart began his practice, so patients had 

to wait until cataracts were ‘ripe.’ The surgery 

required a three-day hospital stay and very 

restricted activity for a time after surgery. 

Even after the cataracts were removed, 

patients had to wear very thick glasses, which 

restricted their vision. 

Cataract surgery improved as lens implants 

and sutures were developed, but the process 

still required a three-day hospital stay with 

limited activity. The patients, however, 

no longer needed thick glasses and could 

wear more fashionable glasses with much 

thinner lenses. 

Today, cataract surgery is a seven-minute 

procedure done under general anesthesia. No 

hospital stay is required and patients may 

return to normal activities the next day. There 

are even newer refractive implants that allow 

patients to get rid of glasses completely. 

In recent years, Hart Eye Center has offered 

LASIK (laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis) 

eye surgery, which can bring more clarity to a 

patient’s vision and eliminate dependency on 

glasses or contacts. 

LASIK is a corrective procedure utilized to 

repair refractive errors that prevent the eye 

from focusing properly. The procedure 

reshapes the cornea so that it will focus 

light correctly. 

Hart Eye Center accommodates the 

individuality of each person’s vision by 

performing custom LASIK procedures with 

the Technolas Zyoptix ® System. The Zyoptix ® 

system uses wavefront-guided technology to 

map thousands of data points to create a 

detailed, three-dimensional picture of each 

patient’s specific vision problem. This picture 

enables Dr. Hart to provide a custom LASIK 

procedure to fit each patient’s special vision 

needs. Custom LASIK has better results than 

traditional LASIK because it caters to the 

patient’s individual vision needs. 

Dr. Hart’s son, William, graduated from 

medical school and joined his father’s 

practice in 1983. They practiced together for 

seventeen years until Dr. Clinton Hart retired 

in 2000 at the age of eighty. Dr. William 

Hart is now sole owner and operator of Hart 

Eye Center. 

The practice, now located at 1920 West 

Sale Road, currently employs 1 optometrist, 

11 assistants and administrative personnel, 

and 2 opticians in Lakeside Optical, the 

clinic’s in-house optical center where patient’s 

eyeglass needs are met. 

“Each person who walks into our office is 

an individual,” says Dr. Hart. “Each person 

has a history and a set of problems that 

is totally distinct and unique. You can’t apply 

a formula that will work for every person, 

so we concentrate on the unique needs of 

each patient.” 

For more information about Hart Eye Center, 

check their website at www.harteyecenter.com. 


123

MCNEESE STATE 

UNIVERSITY 

Above: F. G. Bulber Auditorium hosts 

musical and theatre events for both 

McNeese and the Lake Charles area. This 

includes some of the Banners Cultural 

Series programs, high school and middle 

school honor bands and choirs, McNeese 

bands and choirs and the annual 

performance of Handel’s Messiah. Although 

the Auditorium was first called the Lake 

Charles Junior College Auditorium, then the 

McNeese Auditorium, it was renamed in 

1992 for Francis G. Bulber, a prominent 

longtime member of the McNeese music 

faculty. The building was placed on the 

National Register of Historic Places 

in 1989. 

Below: The “Pride of McNeese” Cowboy 

Marching Band is recognized as one of the 

finest marching bands in the South. This 

time-honored organization, comprised of 

students from nearly every major within 

the University, combines fantastic spirit 

and quality musicianship to create 

gridiron excitement. 

Since it was established by the Louisiana 

Legislature in 1939, McNeese State University 

has grown to become one of the region’s 

premier institutions of higher education. 

McNeese provides its students with education, 

research and service that support core 

values of academic excellence, student success, 

fiscal responsibility and universitycommunity 

alliances. 

When the school first opened for classes 

on September 11, 1939, it was known as Lake 

Charles Junior College and was a division 

of Louisiana State University. The following 

year, the school name was changed to John 

McNeese Junior College to honor John 

McNeese, a renowned Southwest Louisiana 

educator and the first Superintendent of 

Schools in Imperial Calcasieu Parish. 

The institution became a four-year college 

in 1950 and came under the authority of the 

Louisiana Board of Education. McNeese State 

University became the school’s official name 

in 1970. 

The student body at McNeese totals more 

than 8,900 and includes students from 

throughout Louisiana, the United States and 

50 other nations. The faculty and staff include 

around 800 employees. 

As a member of the University of Louisiana 

System and a selective admissions institution, 

McNeese offers programs through General 

and Basic Studies, six academic colleges— 

Business, Burton College of Education, 

Engineering and Engineering Technology, 

Liberal Arts, Nursing and Science—and the 

Doré School of Graduate Studies. 

McNeese was first accredited by the 

Commission on Colleges/Southern Association 

of Colleges and Schools in 1954 and maintains 

its regional accreditation status as a Level IV 

institution authorized to award associate, 

bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees. 

The University also provides opportunities for 

continuing education in support of its mission 

to value lifelong learning. 

Hundreds of live oak trees and azalea 

bushes add charm to the beautiful campus, 

located between Ryan Street, Sale Road, 

Common Street and McNeese Street 

in Lake Charles. Among the University’s 68 

buildings are three original structures— 

Kaufman Hall, Ralph O. Ward Memorial 

Gym (the Arena) and Francis G. Bulber 

Auditorium. Bulber Auditorium, a striking 

example of Art Deco architecture, is listed on 

the National Register of Historic Places. 

Notable McNeese alumni include: Dr. Cecil 

Cyrus Vaughn, a pioneer in cardiovascular 

medicine and artificial transplant surgery; 

Sheryl L. Abshire, one of the first five 

inductees into the National Teacher Hall of 

Fame and a Christa McAuliffe fellow; and 


124

Andre Dubus, a critically acclaimed novelist 

and short story writer. 

Athletic programs at McNeese are NCAAcertified 

at the Division I and Football 

Championship Subdivision (football) levels. 

The football team achieved national prominence 

when it advanced to the national playoffs 

in 1997 and 2002. Many traditions have 

developed around the athletic program over 

the years, including the adoption of Joli Blon 

as the team’s unofficial fight song. The tune 

is played by the “Pride of McNeese” marching 

band at the beginning of each football game 

and after every touchdown. 

The McNeese Hall of Fame was founded in 

1980 by Sports Information Director Louis 

Bonnette. The Hall, located in the foyer of the 

Doland Athletic Field House, recognizes those 

who have distinguished themselves in athletics 

at the University. Membership in the hall 

now totals 110. 

McNeese continues to pursue a long 

tradition of service to Southwest 

Louisiana and the nation. The University 

motto of “Excellence with a Personal 

Touch” extends far beyond the classroom. 

During World War II, the campus was the 

headquarters of the Louisiana Maneuvers, 

an extensive military exercise to prepare 

American soldiers for battle. In 1957 the 

McNeese community provided aid and 

comfort to the victims of Hurricane 

Audrey and served as the National Guard’s 

base of rescue operations. More recently, 

McNeese provided shelter for New 

Orleans residents and university students 

fleeing from Hurricane Katrina. 

McNeese faced one of its greatest 

challenges when Hurricane Rita struck in 

the fall of 2005. The storm caused devastating 

damage to campus facilities and infrastructure. 

The recovery effort after Hurricane Rita 

demonstrated the school’s resilience and 

commitment of the McNeese faculty, staff 

and students to higher education and to 

moving forward in support of the University’s 

core values. 

The foundation for student success at 

McNeese begins with faculty commitment to 

excellence in teaching, research and creative 

and scholarly activity. At McNeese State 

University, students cultivate skills for critical 

thinking and effective expression and gain an 

understanding of the global community. The 

learning and social environment integrates 

discipline-specific knowledge with the values 

of lifelong learning, ethical responsibility and 

civic engagement. 

For more information about McNeese State 

University, visit www.mcneese.edu. 

Left: A $15.7-million addition to the 

Shearman Fine Arts Building officially 

opened on May 7, 2010. SFA is home to the 

departments of performing and visual arts 

and now includes a new 526-seat state-ofthe-art 

theatre and stage, costume and 

scene shops, dressing rooms, concessions and 

a ticket office, rehearsal hall, choral library, 

ensemble room, a grand gallery, sculpture 

and ceramics studios, with a kiln patio, 

mixing and glaze rooms and a 3D studio, 

photography darkrooms, a digital 

photography studio, an art history/visual 

resource center, classrooms, faculty offices 

and storage. A balcony exhibition gallery is 

located on the second floor. The original 

Shearman Fine Arts structure was built in 

1950 with an extension added in 1962. 

Below: McNeese’s Cowboy Stadium was 

constructed in 1965 and renovated and 

expanded to a 17,410 seating capacity in 

1975 and is affectionately known as “The 

Hole.” The Noland SkyRanch was added 

in 1998 to Cowboy Stadium. A stadium 

renovation and scoreboard/sound system 

upgrade was completed before the 2005 

season. McNeese debuted its “replicated 

grass” playing field during the 2008 

season. It is named Louis Bonnette Field, 

in honor of the school’s longtime sports 

information director. 


125

ST. LOUIS 

CATHOLIC 

HIGH SCHOOL 

Left: Blessing and dedication of “Our Lady 

of Life” prayer garden by Bishop Glen 

John Provost. 

Right: Weekly mass celebrated in the 

St. Charles Chapel. 

St. Louis Catholic High School, located 

on sixteen acres in the heart of Lake Charles, 

is home to the eighth generation of Catholic 

school students in the diocese. The goal of 

St. Louis Catholic is to encourage the 

intellectual, moral, physical, social and 

spiritual growth of its students and to 

create an atmosphere in which the students 

value God and develop their own sense 

of giftedness. 

Following a sizable building renovation 

and expansion, the enrollment at St. Louis 

Catholic has generally been at capacity. The 

campus now boasts fully refurbished 

classrooms, modern science labs, a new 

library/media center, a restored historic 

Landry Memorial Gymnasium, which has 

been recognized with a “landmark award” 

from the Calcasieu Historical Preservation 

Society, additional athletic facilities, including 

a lighted football/soccer field, architectural 

enhancements throughout the complex, 

and a beautifully landscaped “Our Lady of 

Life” courtyard/prayer garden. 

The history of St. Louis Catholic is intermingled 

with the histories of the first 

three Catholic schools in Calcasieu Parish. 

St. Charles Academy, located in Immaculate 

Conception Parish and established in 1882 

under the guidance of the Marianites of the 

Holy Cross, was the first Catholic school in 

Lake Charles. Although designed for girls 

only, the school educated boys as well. In 

1927, thanks to the generosity of Wylie 

Eugenia Stanton Landry, the J. A. Landry 

Memorial High School for boys was opened. 

Landry, a convert to Catholicism, purchased 

and donated sixteen acres of land and the 

former Baptist orphanage on the property for 

the purpose of providing boys with an education 

to equal that which the girls received at 

St. Charles. The Christian Brothers operated 

the school until 1963, when church parishes 

in the Lake Charles metropolitan area took 

over ownership, with Father Harry Benefiel 

serving as the school’s principal. The third 

school, Sacred Heart, has the unique honor 

of being founded by a saint—Saint Katherine 

Drexel—who established it as the first black 

private school in southwest Louisiana in 

1922 under the direction of the Sisters of the 

Blessed Sacrament. 

By the early 1960s it became apparent 

that a consolidated Catholic high school 

would better serve the needs of the 

community. Consequently, Sacred Heart 

High School closed its doors (though the 

elementary and middle schools remain), 

St. Charles Academy graduated its last senior 

class in 1970, and the hallways of what 

had been Landry Memorial welcomed its 

first students in the fall of 1970. The new 

consolidated school was named for Crusader 

King Louis IX of France and patron saint 

of Louisiana. 

St. Louis Catholic is justly proud of its 

contributions to the Church and to the community. 

Its students study Theology for four 

years, and each is responsible for contributing 

service hours each semester to needs in 

the community. Prayer, school masses, class 

retreats, and personal counseling are an 


126

integral part of the religious atmosphere of 

the school. Academic standards are high, and 

over ninety-seven percent of graduates enroll 

in four-year colleges and universities. 

At St. Louis Catholic, athletics means 

much more than games. “Saints” are taught 

sportsmanship, team spirit, and the inherent 

beauty in fair competition. Through the gifts 

of a distinguished coaching staff and the 

hard work of dedicated athletes, St. Louis 

Catholic has garnered honors in volleyball, 

football, cross country, tennis, swimming, 

basketball, soccer, track and field, golf, 

softball, and baseball. 

Teachers and administrators at St. Louis 

Catholic put in extra hours to ensure that all 

students have an opportunity to pursue their 

personal interests and goals through a variety 

of extracurricular offerings. 

The names of some educators and 

benefactors associated with Catholic 

education in the Lake Charles area deserve 

special attention. Father Michael Kelly, pastor 

of the Church at Lake Charles, is the true 

father of Catholic education here; it was he 

who laid the plans for the first school for girls 

in 1881, followed by a school for boys a few 

years later. Father Cramers, another pastor at 

Immaculate Conception, responded to a plea 

from the black community for a school in 

North Lake Charles, and solicited Eleanor 

Figaro to be the lone teacher for the new 

students. When Father Anthony Hackett 

became pastor at Sacred Heart Parish, he 

acquired the services of the Sisters of the 

Blessed Sacrament; their foundress, Mother 

Katherine Drexel, was canonized by Pope 

John Paul II on October 1, 2000. 

Though vast changes have taken place 

between the fall of 1970 and today, the 

essentials remain the same. The school’s 

mission statement—Called as friends of Christ 

and led by the knowledge and wisdom of the 

Spirit, St. Louis Catholic High School gathers to 

honor and praise God—reflects the same faithfilled 

spirit that motivated the Marianites, 

Christian Brothers, Blessed Sacrament sisters, 

and countless dedicated lay teachers who 

have served over the last 130 years. 

Top: J. A. Landry Memorial Gymnasium 

and Bridge are designated as a historical 

landmark by the Calcasieu Historical 

Preservation Society. 

Above: Book Club in Landry Library, 

Monsignor Irving A. DeBlanc 

Multimedia Center. 


127

SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA 

HEALTHCARE 

SYSTEM 

LAKE CHARLES 

MEMORIAL 

HOSPITAL 

LAKE CHARLES 

MEMORIAL 

HOSPITAL 

FOR WOMEN 

At Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, the 

pursuit of quality and innovation is more than 

a goal. Our mission is to identify and improve 

the health of the people of southwest 

Louisiana by providing a full spectrum of 

innovative services. 

Founded in 1952 Memorial is the only 

community-based, not-for-profit hospital in 

Lake Charles. Memorial’s original 100-bed 

facility has subsequently grown to become the 

region’s healthcare leader. 

The hospital was first expanded in 1972 to 

include accommodations for 211 patients. A 

ten-story tower was added in 1980, greatly 

increasing the range of services offered. In 

recent years, the hospital has continued to add 

specialized services, advances in medical technology, 

and outreach programs in order to provide 

the latest medical treatment and amenities. 

Today, Memorial continues its proud legacy 

with 324 licensed beds at its original Oak 

Park campus and with the thirty-eight bed 

Memorial Hospital for Women located at the 

corner of Gauthier and Nelson Roads. 

Treating approximately 12,000 inpatients and 

more than 35,000 emergency room patients 

annually, Memorial is the leading healthcare system 

in Southwest Louisiana. Behind this success 

is a team of nearly 1,500 employees and 300 

physicians representing 50 specialties and subspecialties. 

All are dedicated professionals with 

unsurpassed skills, uncommon compassion, and 

an unshakable commitment to the community. 

Recognized as the area’s Trauma and 

Emergency Center, Memorial’s emergency 

department provides comprehensive trauma 

care, most notably cardiac, orthopedic, neurologic, 

psychiatric, and pediatric. The experienced 

staff includes board certified, residencytrained 

emergency medicine physicians, nurse 

practitioners and registered nurses with certification 

in emergency nursing, a clinical educator, 

and certified sexual assault nurse examiners. 

Memorial’s Cancer Center provides inpatient 

and outpatient care unsurpassed in the 

region and comparable to nationally recognized 

cancer treatment programs. The Cancer 

Center is accredited by the American College 

of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and provides 

a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team 

approach to breast health, medical, radiation 

and surgical oncology, and chemotherapy. 

As southwest Louisiana’s leader in orthopedics 

and sports medicine, Memorial has a full 

continuum of care that includes orthopedic 

specialists and surgeons, rehabilitation, and 

specialized sports medicine programs. Our 

board certified orthopedic physicians not only 

treat, but also teach many of the latest techniques 

to medical professionals in the field of 

orthopedics and sports medicine. Utilizing the 

latest diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation 

options for musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses, 

our specialists provide expert approaches to 

bone and joint problems. At the forefront of this 

progress, Memorial’s Sports Medicine program 

is southwest Louisiana’s recognized resource for 

adolescent and adult sports injury assessment 

and treatment. As such, we are the official 

sports medicine provider for McNeese State 

Athletics and twenty-two high school athletic 

programs. Memorial’s Sports Medicine Program 


128

is led by renowned, fellowship-trained, sports 

medicine experts—providing clinical instruction 

for orthopedic residency programs and 

authoring nationally recognized sports medicine 

medical journal essays and text books. 

Memorial’s pediatric services treat more kids 

than any other hospital in Lake Charles. With 

the only pediatric intensive care unit and the 

only pediatric intensive care specialist, Memorial 

brings the same extraordinary dedication, skill 

and expertise of our adult care to children. 

Every pediatric registered nurse is certified in 

pediatric advanced life support, and the pediatric 

unit is specially designed and equipped to 

care for children requiring surgery or hospitalization 

for acute or chronic conditions. 

In the arena of cardiovascular care, from 

prevention to cardiac rehabilitation, Memorial 

offers total heart and vascular care by putting the 

most advanced cardiology technology, diagnostics, 

and treatment options in the hands of experienced, 

board certified cardiac professionals. 

In addition Lake Charles Memorial provides 

a full spectrum of medical and surgical 

services in a comfortable, private, and caring 

environment, and offers the region’s only 

comprehensive mental health treatment center 

for both adolescents and adults. 

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for 

Women is a state-of-the-art facility specializing 

in childbirth, neonatal specialty care and 

women’s health. 

The thirty-eight bed facility, where comfort 

and style go hand-in-hand, combines all the 

security of superior healthcare with special 

attention to detail to make every hospital stay 

a memorable one. Specially designed birthing 

suites, educational programs, patient-centered 

nursing care and the advanced technology help 

ensure that every patient’s health needs are met. 

Memorial Hospital for Women offers comprehensive 

inpatient and outpatient services 

for obstetrics, gynecology, general surgery, 

breast health, and vein and vascular treatment. 

Additionally, the most advanced 

integrated diagnostics, including digital 

mammography, laboratory testing, radiology, 

and ultrasound, are available. 

It is important for women to have choices 

and be in control of their pregnancy and birth 

experiences, which is why Memorial provides 

family-centered maternity care. 

The Family Birth Center offers twenty-four 

labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum 

suites that are specially designed to accommodate 

women throughout the delivery 

process. The center is staffed with registered 

nurses skilled in both high-risk and normal 

deliveries, and includes three surgical suites 

for cesarean deliveries. 

A portable bassinet, equipped with oxygen 

and warming lights, is located in each suite. 

The use of this baby care unit means the baby 

never has to leave the mother, except when 

medically necessary. 

Although Memorial treats birth as a 

healthy, natural process, the staff is capable of 

providing the highest level of professional and 

technical care should complications arise. 

Memorial also provides Level III Neonatal 

Intensive Care, the highest level of specialized 

care for infants. 

With osteoporosis affecting more than 25 

million women in America, Memorial is 

dedicated to screening and educating highrisk 

patients and teaching them how to 

increase or maintain their bone mass. 

In the Breast Health Center, digital 

mammography is used to screen for breast 

cancer, as well as in the evaluation of 

breast masses. Fully accredited by 

the American College of Radiology, 

the Breast Health Center provides 

a comfortable, private environment 

dedicated to the early detection and 

treatment of breast cancer. 

Putting the needs of our patients first 

and caring for them with dignity and 

respect are the most valued attributes of 

the skilled healthcare providers at Lake 

Charles Memorial Hospital and Lake 

Charles Memorial Hospital for Women. 


129

JEFFERSON 

DAVIS PARISH 

Jefferson Davis Parish is blessed with the 

kind of economic development assets that 

cannot be built or purchased; namely location, 

location, location. The parish is poised for 

solid economic growth as companies discover 

this transportation hub with open land for 

ready for development. The parish combines 

access by interstate highway, federal highway, 

rail, water and air to provide businesses with 

unparalleled opportunities for growth. 

Jefferson Davis Parish sits in the middle 

of the Gulf Coast economic corridor midway 

between Houston and New Orleans. 

Interstate 10 bisects the parish from east to 

west and is paralleled by US 90. Interstate 10 

is the major transportation corridor along 

the Gulf Coast handling 12 million vehicles 

per year. 

Burlington Northern and Union Pacific 

operate main line rail service just south of I-10. 

The parish is served by the shallow water 

Port of Mermentau on the east side of the 

parish and provides access to the Intracoastal 

Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico maintaining 

a nine-foot deep navigational channel. 

The Jennings Airport features a fixed-base 

operator handling the needs of business and 

corporate clients and a 5,000 foot main 

runway capable of handling most business 

jet aircraft. Several properties on or around 

the airport are available for development 

including a fifty-four acre tract along the 

main runway. 

The Lacassine Agri-Industrial Park is a 200 

acre site owned by the Louisiana Agricultural 

Financing Authority. It is a major industrial 

development site with all infrastructures in 

place including two 6,000 foot rail spurs 

connected directly to the main line tracks of 

BN and UP. It presently houses a sugar cane 

syrup mill and construction is set to begin on 

a high-speed rail loading facility for all types 

of grain. 

Surrounding properties include a 150-acre 

industrial development park that already 

includes one of the world’s fastest and most 

efficient cotton spinning plants. 

The parish economy was established and is 

still sustained today on agriculture. Located in 

rich coastal prairie land, the parish is always 

one of the top two rice producers in the state. 

In Louisiana the presence of rice always 

means that crawfish will not be far behind. 

The parish produces 225,000 metric tons of 

rice on 80,000 acres and 12.5 million pounds 

of crawfish on 25,000 acres. These acres of 

flooded land also provide a bountiful food 

supply for wintering waterfowl. 

All of this is growth is aided by the Jeff 

Davis Parish Office of Economic Development, 

which also includes the Jeff Davis Parish 

Tourist Commission and the Jeff Davis Parish 

Film Commission. The Economic Development 

Office helps communities develop, grow and 

improve their overall quality of life by targeting 

financial and technical resources, thus creating 

opportunities, leveraging government resources 

and promoting the private sector. 

The abundance of natural beauty and 

variety of possible locations is an asset to any 

film location director. The Film Commission 

coordinates with Louisiana State Film Office 

to help production crews to select sites and 

provide cost-effective shoots. 


130

Tourism is another growing aspect of the 

economy of Jeff Davis Parish. The Jeff Davis 

Tourist Information Center, located in the 

Louisiana Oil & Gas Park, greets visitors with 

a cup of hot coffee in a replica of an early 

Acadian home. The park features walking 

paths around the eleven acre lake and visitors 

can see live alligators in an open-air enclosure 

and even hold a baby gator at the Chateau 

des Cocodries. 

The Zigler Art Museum in Jennings features 

a magnificent collection of American and 

European painters from the past six centuries. 

Visitors come from across the globe to see 

masterworks by Helen Turner, Sir Anthony 

Van Dyck, William Tolliver and Albert 

Bierstadt. The museum also features many 

Louisiana artists and boasts an elephant folio 

of Audubon’s Birds of America from the 

Abbeville Press. 

Wandering through downtown Jennings 

one will find the Strand Theater, a 1939 

Art Deco movie theater, and visit Founder’s 

Park and the Tupper General Store Museum. 

Stepping into the Tupper transports one back 

into a rural general store with thousands of 

items that were on the shelves of the old store 

when it closed in 1949. 

The FlyWay ByWay is a newly designated 

state Scenic Highway beginning at Welsh and 

leads visitors from the interstate through the 

rich agricultural lands that are home to 

thousands of migratory waterfowl and down 

to the Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge. The 

refuge features driving trails out into a 35,000 

acre marsh impoundment that puts a visitor into 

a natural setting shared by hundreds of species 

of fish, birds and animals. Other features on the 

FlyWay include an extreme bike trail and canoe 

trails on the scenic Bayou Lacassine. 

Capitalizing on the rich cultural heritage of 

the region, the Tourist Commission offers a 

Crawfish Farm Tour for field trips and group 

tours that run from January to May during the 

crawfish harvest season. 

The Commission also arranges for groups 

to experience a rural Mardi Gras “Chicken 

Run.” Masked horseback riders travel the back 

roads of the parish to entertain households 

and to collect the ingredients for a communal 

gumbo that night. The celebration traces its 

roots back to the Middle Ages in Europe. 

Jeff Davis Parish holds fast to its rich rural 

cultural traditions while standing ready to 

capture the economic benefits offered by 

business expansion. 


131

CALCASIEU 

PARISH 

POLICE JURY 

Above: The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury 

Courthouse, Lake Charles. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JESSICA CONRAD. 

Below: Flags at Prien Lake Park, 

Lake Charles. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF KENNY LOUP. 

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, composed 

of fifteen jurors with one serving as president, 

is the governing body for Calcasieu Parish. The 

mission of the Police Jury is to consistently and 

efficiently provide the highest quality of 

services to the People of Calcasieu Parish in a 

manner that is responsive to the will and needs 

of the citizens. 

The duties and responsibilities of the 

governing body have changed greatly since 

the organization was first formed in 1840 

from the Parish of Saint Landry, one of the 

original nineteen civil parishes established by 

the Legislature in 1807. 

The river from which the parish derives its 

name is shown on some older maps as “Bayou 

Quelqueshue” and sometimes as Calcasieu. 

Calcasieu, which means “crying eagle” in 

English, is said to have been the name of an 

Attakapas Indian chief who gave a peculiar 

cry resembling an eagle as he went into battle. 

On August 24, 1840, representatives of six 

wards that later became five parishes met to 

organize the new parish. The first jury men 

were David Simmons, Alexander Hebert, 

Michel Pithon, Henry Moss, Rees Perkins, and 

Thomas M. Williams. There was no courthouse 

or other public buildings at the time, so the 

meeting was held in the rough-hewed home of 

Arsene LeBleu near present-day Chloe. 

The original jury’s first challenge was 

selecting a “parish town” to serve as the seat 

of government. After considerable deliberation, 

the jury deadlocked between Centre, Faulk’s 

Bluff, Comasaque Bluff and Lisbon. The 

president broke a tie by voting in favor of 

Comasaque Bluff. 

Also at that first meeting, the jury men 

took the easy route in approving a slate of 

parish laws—it simply adopted all the laws 

then in force in Saint Landry Parish. The jury 

also appointed a parish constable, a parish 

treasurer, two parish assessors, and an 

operator for the ferry at Buchanan’s Crossing. 

The assessors were given a salary of $90 


132

and allowed two months to assess all of the 

property in the parish. 

When the seat of justice was relocated to 

Lake Charles in 1852, Sheriff Jacob Ryan 

loaded the log cabin courthouse onto an oxdrawn 

wagon and moved the small building 

through the piney woods to its new location. 

The parish boundary was reduced in 1870 

when Cameron Parish was cut off from the 

south portion of Calcasieu. These limits, 

which remained until 1912, comprised an area 

of over thirty-six hundred square miles and 

made Calcasieu the largest parish in the state. 

For this reason, it was often referred to as 

“Imperial Calcasieu.” 

A new courthouse was completed around 

1853 and this structure was replaced by a 

colonial brick building erected in 1891. An 

annex was added to the building in 1902. 

However, the courthouse was destroyed during 

a disastrous fire that burned most of downtown 

Lake Charles on April 23, 1910, and many of 

the parish records were burned or damaged. 

A new courthouse was built on the old site 

in 1911 and is now listed in the Federal 

Register of Historic Buildings. The magnificent 

brick and terracotta structure is a replica of 

the famous Villa Copra in Italy. The dome 

atop the courthouse is of solid copper. 

In 1912 the three parishes of Allen, 

Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis were created 

from 2,548 square miles of Calcasieu and 

became the last parishes created in Louisiana. 

In 1967 a Parish Government Building 

was constructed to house the various 

offices of the Police Jury. The building was 

expanded in 2003 and houses a number of 

government departments. 

In 1987 a new building was constructed 

to house the District Attorney’s office. A 

new state-of-the-art correctional center 

was completed in 1990 to replace the old 

jail and a separate building was completed 

in 1991 for the Third Circuit Court of 

Appeals. A newly constructed Judicial 

Center to house the Fourteenth Judicial 

District was completed in 1994 and sits on 

the site of the old jail. 

Between 1993 and 1998 an extensive 

interior and exterior restoration and 

renovation was performed on the Parish 

Courthouse. The Courthouse now houses 

several offices including the Clerk of Court, 

Juvenile and Family Court, Registrar of 

Voters, Sheriff’s Civil Division, Veteran’s 

Affairs, and others. 

The various departments of the Police Jury 

employ approximately five hundred people 

who provide such services as a government 

television channel, engineering and road 

maintenance, animal services, homeland 

security, housing, parks and recreation, 

planning and development, and many others. 

The population of Calcasieu Parish, 

according to the 2000 census, is 183,577. The 

parish comprises an area of 1,086 square 

miles and the total assessed valuation of 

property is in excess of $1,202,967,430. 

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury is located at 

1015 Pithon Street in Lake Charles and on the 

Internet at www.cppj.net. 

Above: Alligator Park, Starks, Louisiana. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JESSICA CONRAD. 

Below: Lorrain Bridge, Hayes, Louisiana. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF KENNY LOUP. 


133

SOWELA 

TECHNICAL 

COMMUNITY 

COLLEGE 

Above: A chemistry student works in the 

newly upgraded chemistry lab, one of the 

science labs on campus to receive funding 

through the Support for Educational & 

Economic Development of Southwest 

Louisiana (SEEDS-LA) grant. 

Right: Thomas Despangent (left) and Allen 

Champion (right) are French nationals 

adding an international flair to Sowela’s 

Aviation Maintenance Technology Program. 

Both are enjoying successful careers at a 

major airline in Paris. 

Below: Sowela Technical Community 

College conferred diplomas to 307 students 

at its Spring 2010 Commencement 

Ceremony. More than one-third of the 

graduating class completed with honors. 

For more than seventy years, Sowela 

Technical Community College has been a major 

factor in the economic growth and development 

of Southwest Louisiana. 

The college provides opportunities 

for students to 

increase their knowledge in 

various disciplines and programs, 

while also meeting the 

needs of the local industry for 

workforce training and collaborative 

educational initiatives. 

One of the ten original 

state-operated vocational-technical 

schools in Louisiana, 

Sowela was founded in 1938 as 

the Southwest Louisiana Trade School. The 

school opened its doors in September 1940 

and by May 1941 there were 248 students 

enrolled in auto mechanics, 

commerce, drafting, 

electricity, and machine 

shop curricula. Over the 

years, the school has 

advanced in the education 

that it provides to the community. 

One of the most 

significant advancements 

is the school’s status was 

changed to a technical 

community college in 

2003. Under the leadership 

of current Chancellor 

Dr. Andrea Lewis Miller, 

Sowela’s enrollment has increased thirty-four 

percent within the past three years to the current 

figure of 2,133. 

Looking to the future Sowela Technical 

Community College is developing the college’s 

technology infrastructure to enhance wired 

and wireless network communications. In 

addition, the school is enhancing academic 

offerings to offer associate degree programs in 

the arts and sciences and has future plans to 

implement an Honors College, Evening and 

Weekend College, Associate Degree in 

Nursing, and a Corporate Training Center. The 

Corporate Training Center will provide 

customized training specifically tailored to 

meet workforce needs. 

Sowela is located at 3820 Senator J. 

Bennett Johnston Avenue in Lake Charles and 

on the Internet at www.sowela.edu. Sowela 

employs 128 full-time faculty and staff. The 

campus is in Calcasieu Parish and serves 

the citizens of Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, 

Allen, and Beauregard Parishes. 


134

WOMEN & 

CHILDREN’S 

HOSPITAL 

Women & Children’s Hospital began 

with a group of eight obstetricians and 

gynecologists led by Floyd A. Guidry, M.D., 

who wanted to offer the most advanced 

healthcare services to women in Southwest 

Louisiana. They dreamed of a hospital that 

would put patients first, one that would 

strive to meet the special needs of women 

and newborns. 

In 1981 Dr. Guidry contacted Humana, 

Inc., the largest hospital company of its time, 

to discuss the idea of building a women’s 

hospital in Lake Charles. After conducting 

several demographic studies, Humana agreed 

that Southwest Louisiana would benefit from 

a women’s specialty hospital. Dr. Guidry was 

selected as chairman of the steering committee 

and three years later, he was named the 

hospital’s first chief of staff. 

When the hospital opened on October 21, 

1984, it was the first women’s hospital in the 

Lake Charles area. With eighty patient beds 

and eight physicians, the hospital featured 

state-of-the-art-technology, spacious rooms, a 

neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), complete 

gynecological services, mammography and 

surgical services. 

Just two years later services were expanded 

to include care for women, children and men. 

Then in 1988, a new emergency department, 

intensive care unit and orthopedic services 

were opened. 

In 1989 Charles Washington, M.D. performed 

the first laparoscopic laser cholecystectomy 

(gall bladder removal surgery) in 

the Lake Charles area at Women & Children’s 

Hospital. Only eleven other facilities in the 

U.S. were equipped to perform this procedure, 

including one in Houston and another 

in New Orleans. 

Between 1999 and 2007, Women & 

Children’s Hospital completed several large 

expansion projects, which doubled the size of 

the obstetrics and neonatal intensive care 

units, added a new day surgery lobby, chapel, 

medical records department, surgery extension 

and a new adult ICU wing. 

Today, Women & Children’s Hospital is 

an eighty-eight bed facility, offering a full 

range of services for the entire family 

including complete obstetrical care, bariatrics, 

orthopaedics, urology, a twenty-four hour 

emergency department, intensive care services, 

diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation services 

and much more. 

Known as the area’s preferred leader for 

women’s services with over 1,400 babies 

delivered annually, Women & Children’s 

Hospital has also gained recognition for 

receiving high scores in patient and employee 

satisfaction, in addition to achieving high 

scores for quality patient outcomes. 

With nearly 500 employees and an experienced 

medical staff consisting of over 200 

physicians offering over thirty specialties, 

Women & Children’s Hospital remains an 

important healthcare resource for the residents 

of Southwest Louisiana. It has been recognized 

as a Bariatric (Weight Loss) Surgery Center of 

Excellence since 2006 and is accredited by 

The Joint Commission, one of the healthcare 

industry’s most recognized quality and performance 

standards organizations. 

With such a rich history of innovation and 

dedication to providing exceptional healthcare 

services, it is no wonder why families 

continue to choose Women & Children’s 

Hospital as the birthplace for their children 

and the hospital they will trust for generations 

to come. 


135

SURGICARE OF 

LAKE CHARLES 

Above: Surgicare’s original facility at 214 

South Ryan Street. 

Below: Surgicare’s current facility at 2100 

Lake Street in Lake Charles. 

Surgicare of Lake Charles is a multispecialty 

outpatient surgery center that has 

served the Lake Charles community for thirtyfive 

years. The center offers a safe, convenient 

and cost-effective option to hospital-based 

surgery for both physicians and their patients, 

and accommodates a full range of advanced 

surgical outpatient care. 

Originally named Surgical Center of Lake 

Charles, the facility was owned and operated 

by E. L. Troutt, local attorney William Baggett 

and eight Lake Charles physicians including 

Dr. Lionel De La Houssaye, Dr. J. R. Enright, 

Dr. Robert C. Looney, Dr. Frank H. Marek, 

Dr. Lee J. Monlezun, Jr., Dr. John E. Sorrells, Jr., 

Dr. Charles T. White, and Dr. B. M. Woodard. 

Surgicare was the first outpatient surgery 

center in the state of Louisiana when it 

opened on December 15, 1975. Initially 

located at 214 South Ryan Street, the facility 

was the “first free-standing, independent 

surgical center not associated with a hospital 

or a professional building,” explained Troutt, 

the center’s first administrator. 

The original 982-square-foot building had 

two operating rooms, a procedure room and 

a cystoscopy room, used for urological 

procedures. Dr. Charles White performed the 

first procedure under local anesthesia and 

Dr. Lee J. Monlezun, an obstetrician and 

gynecologist performed the first general 

anesthesia procedure. By the end of the 

second year, the facility averaged 720 

procedures annually. 

In 1982 an ambulatory surgery company 

purchased the facility and the name was 

changed to Surgicare of Lake Charles. 

Then, in 1994, with an average of twentythree 

hundred procedures being performed 

annually, Surgicare’s leadership recognized they 

had outgrown their current facility. Several 

physicians banded together to form a limited 

liability partnership and initiated Surgicare’s 

expansion. A committee was created to oversee 

the project and by June 1997, the new 

Surgicare of Lake Charles was built at its 

current location at 2100 Lake Street. 

According to Administrator Debbie Boudreaux, 

the 12,600-square-foot facility offers five operating 

rooms, two procedure rooms, post-operative 

waiting area, surgical recovery area and a 

step-down area where patients are monitored 

before they are discharged. Averaging five 

thousand cases per year, Surgicare’s medical 

specialties include ENT (ear, nose and throat) 

procedures, general surgery, ophthalmology, 

orthopedics, plastic surgery, gynecology, podiatry, 

urology, pain management and adult and 

pediatric dental surgery. 

Surgicare employs a staff of 35 medical and 

administrative professionals and partners with 

160 credentialed physicians, podiatrists, and 

dentists located in Lake Charles and Sulphur. 

With such a large group of affiliated physicians, 

area residents can easily find a physician that 

utilizes the facility, which offers a convenient 

central location, covered patient drop-off and 

pick-up areas, free parking, and other amenities. 

Surgicare of Lake Charles is an important 

healthcare resource and because we understand 

patients have a choice in where they 

receive healthcare, the physicians and staff 

remain committed to continuing the tradition 

of providing quality-conscious, cost-effective 

outpatient care to the residents of Lake 

Charles and the surrounding communities. 


136

The rich heritage of the City of Sulphur 

dates to the 1700s when French hunters and 

trappers first explored the western boundary 

of Louisiana. The area boomed in the late 

1800s after sulphur was discovered and immigrants 

from France, Germany, and Mexico 

moved to the area to work in the mines. 

Construction of the Louisiana Western 

Railroad in the 1870s spurred interest in the 

area and, in 1878, the original town of Sulphur 

was laid out by an engineer named Thomas 

Kleinpeter. Completion of the railroad combined 

with the lure of the mines and fertile 

farm land attracted many new residents from 

the north and midwest. 

Sulphur began to grow in the early twentieth 

century and, in 1916, the village was 

proclaimed a town. Population at the time 

was 1,702. By 1950 the town had grown to a 

population of 5,996 and Governor Earl Long 

proclaimed Sulphur a city. 

Today, Sulphur is home to more than 

20,000 people who proudly proclaim the 

city’s motto: “Faith, Family, Community.” 

Located only a short drive from the Gulf of 

Mexico, Sulphur is noted for its outstanding 

recreational facilities that play host to state 

championships and major sports tournaments. 

The jewel of Sulphur’s recreation facilities is 

the $12 million SPAR Recreation & Aquatic 

Center, which provides two indoor pools, 

basketball courts, an indoor jogging track and 

fitness center, and an outdoor water park. 

In Sulphur residents are proud of their 

schools and work to make sure students have 

the best opportunities available. The city is 

home to diversified schools that feature leading 

technology to help students prepare for 

college. Many area schools have been recognized 

as Schools of Excellence. 

At the kindergarten through eighth grade 

levels parents may also choose from several 

Catholic schools, as well as a Montessori 

School. The area is also home to McNeese 

State University and Sowela Technical College. 

Sulphur is the premier destination for quality 

healthcare for the area’s surrounding parishes. 

As the area’s leading hospital facility, West 

Calcasieu Cameron Hospital in Sulphur offers 

comprehensive care and has recently expanded 

both its radiology and intensive care facilities. 

From new stores to new recreation facilities, 

Sulphur is in the midst of exciting economic 

development. Helping Sulphur grow is 

the city’s competitive incentives which have 

helped local businesses prosper. 

Sulphur’s real estate market offers a wide 

range of homes in all price ranges, with a very 

competitive median home cost of $139,000. 

Many quaint historic neighborhoods such as 

the Garden District feature homes with classic 

architecture and nostalgic character. 

With a vibrant economy, beautiful neighborhoods, 

and superb recreation options, 

Sulphur is a wonderful place to live, work, 

and raise a family! 

CITY OF 

SULPHUR 

Top: The Water Park at SPAR 

Aquatic Center. 

Middle: The City of Sulphur welcome sign. 

Bottom: Sulphur City Hall. 


137

WEST 

CALCASIEU 

CAMERON 

HOSPITAL 

Above: The GE Innova ® 2100 IQ all digital 

cardiovascular and interventional X-ray 

imaging system is WCCH’s latest equipment 

acquisition, and will assist physicians in 

treating a growing number of chronic heart 

and vascular conditions. 

What began as a small fifty bed hospital to 

meet the needs of a fast-growing population 

in the post-World War II decade has grown 

to a 101 bed cornerstone of the West 

Calcasieu community. Since 1953, West 

Calcasieu Cameron Hospital has provided 

Southwest Louisiana with local access to 

experienced physicians, skilled healthcare 

professionals, the latest medical technology 

and an unsurpassed tradition of caring. 

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital 

(WCCH) is committed to providing 

advanced quality healthcare with 

attention to patient satisfaction and 

clinical excellence. Recent renovations 

and additions have included a new 

twelve bed Intensive Care Unit, Cardiac 

Catheterization Laboratory, Radiology 

Department, Admitting Department, and 

Ambulatory Preadmissions Treatment 

Center. Patient rooms have also recently 

been updated, including labor, delivery 

and recovery suites. Slated for future 

expansion are the Laboratory, Dietary 

and Materials Management departments 

as well as the construction of a new 

patient tower. 

“Through a three-phase master facility 

plan, we are essentially creating a new 

hospital in place without interrupting the 

services and patient care we currently provide,” 

said Bill Hankins, CEO of the hospital. 

WCCH, in partnership with local 

physicians, has a long-standing tradition of 

excellence in surgical care. From general 

surgery and orthopedic surgery, to 

gynecological surgery and ear, nose and 

throat surgery, the hospital is on the cutting 

edge of interventional medicine. 

The hospital’s Cardiology program provides 

new and advanced procedures such as angioplasty/stent 

and percutaneous peripheral 

atherectomy procedures, utilizing a cardiac 

catheterization laboratory with one of the lowest 

radiation dosages available on the market. 

Nuclear stress testing, echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, 

cardiac CT and cardiac calcium 

scoring are all offered on an outpatient basis. 

WCCH’s Emergency Department is staffed 

24/7 with highly skilled physicians and 

nurses, trained to meet the needs of those 

requiring immediate medical attention. 

WCCH also provides exceptional care in 

orthopedics, diagnostic imaging, physical 

medicine, labor and delivery, home healthcare, 

wound healing and many other disciplines. 

Through the ownership of three rural 

medical clinics west of the Calcasieu River in 

Hackberry, Vinton and Johnson Bayou, WCCH 

delivers on its long-standing commitment to 

the health of the residents in these rural areas. 

With a variety of healthcare services offered at 

each site, medical care is provided by nurse 

practitioners under the supervision of a clinic 

medical director. 

Before the police juries in Calcasieu and 

Cameron Parishes first created a Hospital 

Service District in the early 1950s, individuals 

residing west of the Calcasieu River who could 

not be treated in doctor’s offices had to be sent 

to Lake Charles or Houston for care. Today 

WCCH has made it more convenient than ever 

to receive the most advanced healthcare 

through its continued investments in technology 

and infrastructure. Its strong history is rooted 

in the many physicians that helped make 

local healthcare delivery a reality, including Dr. 

Charles Fellows, Dr. Frank LaBarbera, Dr. Kyle 

Lyons, Dr. W. A. K. Seale and Dr. J. W. Swafford. 

WCCH has approximately 650 employees, 

many who are actively involved in such 

organizations as the American Cancer Society 

Relay for Life, American Heart Association 

Heart Walk, and the United Way of SWLA. 

For additional information, please visit the 

hospital’s website at www.wcch.com. 


138

COMMUNITY 

FOUNDATION 

OF SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA 

The Community Foundation of Southwest 

Louisiana is one of more than seven hundred 

community foundations across the nation and 

one of seven in the state of Louisiana. Serving 

the people and communities of Allen, 

Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jeff 

Davis Parishes, the Community Foundation 

unites human and financial resources to affect 

permanent, positive culture change. 

Providing a simple, but powerful and highly 

personal approach to philanthropy and 

charitable giving, the Community Foundation 

helps people achieve their charitable goals 

and create lasting positive effects in the 

community and region. 

Donors are the lifeblood of the Foundation 

and donor funds are like savings accounts for 

charitable use and allow the donor to: 

• Maximize their gift by carrying out their 

charitable goals in an effective, efficient, 

and creative way; 

• Ensure a lasting community impact 

and legacy; 

• Make charitable donations that maximize 

tax benefits; 

• Avoid the high costs and administrative 

requirements of a private foundation; 

• Tap the Foundation staff’s local insight and 

grant-making expertise. 

The Foundation offers donors several types 

of funds from which they may direct their 

charitable goals: 

• Donor Advised Funds or Corporate Advised 

Funds are the most popular type of funds. 

Donors deposit money in the funds and the 

Foundation invests the money so the gift 

can endure. Donors recommend grants and 

projects to be supported through the fund 

earnings and money. As with all funds, the 

Foundation handles all of the administration 

work and the Board of Directors 

approves grant recommendations. 

• Unrestricted Funds have not been directed 

to specific use and are available for general 

distribution by the Foundation with the 

approval of the Board of Directors. These 

funds allow the Foundation to move 

quickly to meet unexpected needs and 

to invest in emerging opportunities in 

the community. 

• Field of Interest Funds are established to 

support a broad range of uses within a 

specific area, such as education, healthcare 

or community services. 

• Designated Beneficiary Funds are directed 

to a specific use by the donor, such as 

supporting a named agency or project. 

• Scholarship Funds aid in educating 

students. The Foundation will assist in 

designing a selection process that fund 

worthy students for scholarships. 

Helping donors achieve their philanthropic 

goals is one way the Foundation does its 

work. The other is civic leadership projects, 

the initiatives that can change the direction 

of communities and the arc of the region. 

Firm in their direction, the Community 

Foundation stands to create a brighter future 

for all of Southwest Louisiana. 

For more information about the Community 

Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, check their 

website at www.foundationswla.org. 

Above: The Sallier Oak. 

COURTESY OF THE IMPERIAL CALCASIEU MUSEUM. 


139

CHRISTUS 

ST. PATRICK 

HOSPITAL 

Lake Charles was the center of a growing 

lumber industry in the early 1900s, but 

there was no hospital to serve the expanding 

population. The president of the local 

medical society, John Greene Martin, M.D., 

and Reverend Hubert Cramers, rector of 

Immaculate Conception Church, resolved 

to fill this need. 

The two men approached the Sisters of 

Charity of the Incarnate Word in 

Galveston, Texas, for help in founding a 

hospital in Lake Charles similar to the one 

the sisters had established in Galveston. 

The new three-story hospital was 

dedicated as St. Patrick Sanitarium on St. 

Patrick’s Day, 1908. The new facility had 

fifty beds, an operating room and a sterilizing 

room. The name was selected by Dr. Martin, a 

native of Ireland, who insisted it be named 

after the patron saint of his homeland. 

The hospital’s name was later changed to 

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital. The hospital 

has now served more than five generations of 

Southwest Louisianans and continues its 

mission to extend the healing ministry of 

Jesus Christ year after year. 

The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word 

and CHRISTUS Health began in 1866 when 

three brave sisters from Lyon, France answered 

the call of Bishop Claude Dubuis to minister to 

the “sick and infirm of every kind.” The first 

members of the Congregation of the Sisters of 

Charity of the Incarnate Word worked to fulfill 

this call by opening Texas’ first Catholic 

hospital in Galveston, followed by San 

Antonio’s first private hospital. 

Out of the original call grew the Houstonbased 

Sisters of Charity Health Care System 

and the San Antonio-based Incarnate Word 

Health Care System. CHRISTUS Health was 

formed in 1999 to join the two health systems 

and strengthen the sisters’ faith-based, notfor-profit 

healthcare ministry in Louisiana, 

Texas, Arkansas, Utah and Oklahoma. This 

co-sponsored healthcare system is one of ten 

largest Catholic health systems in the nation. 

Today, St. Patrick Hospital continues its 

tradition of dedication and quality medical care 

through a variety of inpatient and outpatient 

services. These include behavioral health, 

children’s services, diabetes management, 

emergency medicine, gastrointestinal, heart 

care, imaging and diagnostics, oncology, 

rehabilitation, senior services, surgical 

services, women’s services, wound care, and 

health education. 

After more than a century CHRISTUS St. 

Patrick Hospital continues to move forward. 

Its nationally-recognized clinical team has 

continued to set the bar for excellence with 

awards on both state and national levels. 

From the outstanding quality of its cardiac 

team to the latest technological expansions in 

oncology and radiology, St. Patrick continues to 

provide patients with the finest services available. 

As new diseases and medical conditions arise, St. 

Patrick strives to be the best prepared with an 

extraordinary staff knowledgeable in the latest 

medical advancements. 

For more information about CHRISTUS St. 

Patrick Hospital, visit www.christusstpatrick.org. 


140

LAKE CHARLES 

REGIONAL 

AIRPORT 

The Lake Charles Regional Airport was 

first envisioned in 1957 after plans were finalized 

in Washington, D.C. to construct an 

airport in Calcasieu Parish. The facility, funded 

by bond issues, began operations in 1961 

and the Airport Authority of District One was 

created in January of 1962. 

Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) is a 

commercial service airport and serves the air 

travel needs of more than 180,000 residents 

of Southwest Louisiana. Continental and 

American Airlines operate frequent flights 

from Lake Charles to hubs in Houston and 

Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, allowing access to 

virtually any destination in the world. LCH 

served nearly 106,000 passengers in 2009 

and current forecasts predict that airport 

passengers will exceed 300,000 by 2024. 

In addition to commercial air travel a $1.8 

million fixed base operator terminal opened in 

2006 to serve general aviation and corporate 

travel needs. LCH is also home to two helicopter 

operators that serve the oil and gas industries 

in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico. 

ERA Helicopters, LLC, currently operates 

a large facility that performs maintenance, 

repair, training, and painting services. The airport 

also serves as headquarters for the parent 

company’s helicopter operation (Seacor, Inc). 

PHI, Inc., is one of the world’s largest helicopter 

service companies. 

Known industry-wide for 

the relentless pursuit of 

safe, reliable helicopter 

transportation, PHI offers 

services to offshore oil and 

gas platforms, onshore 

mining and international 

operations, air medical 

services, and technical 

services industries. 

Lake Charles Regional Airport property 

also includes a 300 acre industrial park and 

leases land and building space to over twenty 

businesses and individuals. LCH is also home 

to five rental car agencies and houses a total of 

202 based aircraft. 

LCH serves as a major economic engine for 

Southwest Louisiana. The provision and use 

of aviation services at the airport, as well as 

capital outlays, support a variety of economic 

activities that generate business revenues, 

jobs, and income. 

Results from a recent economic impact 

study revealed that the Lake Charles Regional 

Airport provides employment for 1,698 people, 

including eighteen Airport Authority 

employees. This generates $45.1 million in 

annual earnings. The value added impact of 

the airport is estimated well in excess of $96.6 

million annually. 

The Airport Authority consists of five members 

appointed by the Calcasieu Parish Police 

Jury to serve five-year terms. The Authority 

works with the airport staff to coordinate 

business development and act as ambassadors 

for the airport through their interaction with 

community and government leaders. 

For more information about the Lake 

Charles Regional Airport, check the website 

at www.flylakecharles.com. 


141

LAKE CHARLES/ 

SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA 

CONVENTION & 

VISITORS BUREAU 

PHOTOS BY MONSOUR’S PHOTOGRAPHY, 

WWW.MONSOURSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM. 

The Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana 

Convention & Visitors Bureau promotes six 

cities in Calcasieu Parish with Lake Charles 

being the hub city, and Sulphur, Westlake, 

DeQuincy, Vinton and Iowa all adding a hint 

of flavor that makes Southwest Louisiana a 

colorful place to visit and live. 

Southwest Louisiana is a place you can call 

home, and it promises a variety of activities 

that truly run the gamut of expectations for 

Louisiana destinations. That is because the 

area is not only known for the great outdoors, 

but it is also a top casino gaming destination 

with sophisticated amenities and diverse 

entertainment options—still all the while 

steeped in traditional Cajun culture, food 

and music. 

Here the cuisine is as robust and steamy as 

Louisiana in the summertime—from étouffée 

to jambalaya, mudbugs to courtboullion, and 

everything in between. For the best places in 

Calcasieu Parish to taste boudin, check out 

the “Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail” where 

you can get a variety of boudin flavors straight 

from the boudin masters. 

Take it outdoors and enjoy year round golf 

or drive along the Creole Nature Trail All- 

American Road where four wildlife refuges 

make it accessible to learn about natural 

surroundings or experience encounters with 

birds and other wildlife, including a glimpse 

of the American Alligator—or fishing and 

hunting adventures! 

Once back to big city living you can try 

your hand at games of chance at Delta Downs 

Racetrack Casino & Hotel, the Isle of Capri 

Casino Hotel or L’Auberge du Lac Casino 

Resort. Find out why this area is a premier 

gaming destination where entertainment, spa 

and golf facilities, quarter horse racing, retail 

outlets and dining options are endless. 

Visitors are also encouraged to explore the 

Charpentier Historic District in downtown 

Lake Charles where brightly colored Victorian 

homes survive alongside the massive 

mansions owned by lumber barons in the 

early 1900s. Museums and galleries add to the 

charm of the history and culture of the area 

from Mardi Gras to railroads, while 

performing arts groups from theatre to the 

Lake Charles Symphony live to entertain. 

The area is also the Festival Capital of 

Louisiana with Mardi Gras leading the 

way. The Contraband Days Pirate Festival is 

the longest festival in the state behind Mardi 

Gras and it is the only pirate festival in 

Louisiana. Other festivals include the Iowa 

Rabbit Festival, the Louisiana Railroad Days 

Festival in DeQuincy, Sulphur’s Christmas 

Under the Oaks, Vinton’s Heritage Days and 

the Westlake Family Fun & Food Festival. 

Also, the Cal-Cam Fair represents the 

blending of cultures between Calcasieu and 

Cameron Parishes. 

To learn more about the Lake Charles/ 

Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors 

Bureau and the many attractions of the region, 

log onto www.visitlakecharles.org. 


142

BUSINESS 

HEALTH 

PARTNERS 

Business Health Partners, founded in 1995 

by the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Jack 

Drumwright and Dr. Bonnie Drumwright, 

has become the recognized leader for 

occupational medicine and safety services in 


The medical clinic provides full service 

occupational medicine and safety services for 

employees of area businesses and industries. 

These services include safety training and 

consulting, injured worker treatment, physical 

exams, X-ray services, drug and alcohol 

testing, pulmonary function, respirator fit 

testing and audiometric testing. 

“Drug screening is one of our major functions,” 

explains David Drumwright, a University 

of Oklahoma graduate who serves as director of 

business operations for the clinic. “We can do 

drug screens wherever the client is. We have 

clients who we have ridden boats and helicopters 

to get out to and do a drug screen. We have 

a lot of offshore clients who travel all around the 

world and require immunizations, blood work 

and other lab work. We can provide all that and 

we’re a lot cheaper, and quicker, than going to a 

traditional provider.” 

Doctors Jack and Bonnie Drumwright 

founded Business Health Partners after long 

careers as corporate medical directors for 

several refineries and other industries. Jack 

received his degree from the University of 

Tennessee medical school and Bonnie graduated 

from the medical school at the University of 

South Carolina. 

An office fire in May 1997 caused extensive 

damage to the clinic but the staff managed to 

continue treating patients with the help of 

local hospitals and other clinics. “On the day 

of the fire, other businesses let us use their 

offices for testing and services,” says David. 

“By the next day, we were providing our usual 

services in three different locations.” 

The fire was a blessing in disguise because 

it resulted in an opportunity to purchase a 

clinic owned by St. Patrick’s Hospital. “This 

allowed us more space and equipment and 

helped us provide more services for our 

clients,” says David. 

Business Health Partners is now located in 

the old Walmart building at 299 Cities Service 

Highway. In addition to ample office and 

clinic space, the location offers plenty of parking 

for clients who drive eighteen-wheelers. 

The clinic has grown from 4 employees 

and a small office in 1995 to 25 full-time 

employees, including 2 physicians and 2 

nurse practitioners. Employees of Business 

Health Partners are active in a number 

of community and charitable activities, 

including the American Cancer Society, 

CCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Children’s 

Miracle Network, Rotary Club, Chambers of 

Commerce and several medical organizations. 

Looking to the future Business Health 

Partners is dedicated to providing superior 

occupational health and medical services in a 

timely fashion. 

Below: Dr. Jack Drumwright and 

Dr. Bonnie Drumwright. 


143

JUNIOR LEAGUE 

OF LAKE 

CHARLES, INC. 

Right: The Junior League headquarters, 

built in 1903, was once a horse stable and 

was placed on the National Register of 

Historical Places in 1980. 

Below: Marshes to Mansions is an 

extensive collection of treasured recipes, 

photographs and stories. Sales of this 

cookbook are used to fund their 

community projects. 

The women of the Junior 

League of Lake Charles, Inc., 

are committed to promoting 

volunterism, developing the 

potential of women, and 

improving the community 

through the effective action 

and leadership of trained volunteers. 

What began in the 

1930s as a group of eleven 

compassionate women, has 

flourished into a diverse 

group of 500. But, like the 

historical building now used 

as their headquarters, they 

are rooted in excellence, 

and have withstood the test 

of time. 

Widely recognized for 

their successful fundraisers 

the women of this vibrant 

organization use their proceeds 

to put their passion into action. Over 

the past five years, these dedicated volunteers 

have performed more than 120,000 hours 

of community service and funded over 

$600,000 in community projects and 

volunteer training. 

In the early days they were called the 

Junior Welfare League. Initial projects focused 

on the needs at that time, which included 

Health and TB clinics and Soup Kitchens. 

Then, in the 1940s the adaptable women 

established five casualty stations to tackle 

emergency needs of a nation at war. This 

extraordinary act of compassion changed the 

face of Lake Charles forever. 

As years went by, they became the 212th 

member of the Association of Junior Leagues 

and officially changed the organization’s name 

to the Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc. They 

performed Follies and published Pirates’ Pantry 

to fund projects such as the Lake Charles 

Symphony, Literacy Council of SWLA, and 

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). 

Proud of their impact on the community, 

this passionate group has served as a catalyst for 

the creation of many projects, including the 

Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA, Calcasieu 

Community Clinic, Kids’ Choice Puppets, Arts 

Fest, and the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. 

Each November families from near and far 

join them for the highly anticipated Mistletoe 

and Moss Holiday Market. In the spring, they 

host the Leaguers and Links Golf Tournament. 

And they sell cookbooks, not only to share 

recipes, but to enrich the lives of local families. 

During the production of the award-winning 

Marshes to Mansions, Hurricanes Katrina and 

Rita hit. Production stood still as these 

resilient women sprung into action, volunteering 

countless hours to shelter and care for 

displaced neighbors and friends. 

In the past few years, members have distributed 

personal care packages for children 

newly placed in foster care and have taught a 

series of life skills classes to students. They 

strive to combat childhood obesity with 

“Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen,” and 

promote literacy and art projects for pediatric 

and cancer patients at a local hospital. They 

also provide “Branch Out and Grow” grants to 

local educators. Furthermore, they assist 

autistic children in developing social skills 

through supervised LEGO projects. 

Their logo, a majestic oak tree inscribed 

with, “Serving, Strengthening, Sustaining the 

Community”, continues to inspire them. 

Surely the eleven founding members would 

be proud of the incredible legacy they 

left behind. Please visit their website at 

www.jllc.net for more information. 


144

CALCASIEU 

PARISH SCHOOL 

SYSTEM 

The Calcasieu Parish School System, the 

fifth largest school district in Louisiana, 

provides a quality education for nearly 33,000 

students. By focusing on the vision that 

all students are important, the system 

emphasizes high academic achievement in a 

safe, productive environment. The system is 

also committed to operational efficiency and 

stakeholder satisfaction. 

Education has always been important to 

the citizens of Calcasieu Parish. In the early 

days, children were taught in homes by 

itinerant school masters. In 1810 a one-room 

log building was erected near the corner of 

Ryan and Kirby Streets and the first school 

building in Lake Charles was opened. When 

public money was available, state and parish 

funds paid tuition costs for needy children. By 

1890, however, public schools were able to 

serve most children and the private school 

movement ended. 

By 1888 there were forty schools in the 

Parish and John McNeese was elected Parish 

Superintendent. That same year, the Board of 

School Directors purchased the block on 

which Central School now stands in Lake 

Charles. The Lake Charles Central and High 

School was opened in 1890. 

The Louisiana Legislature created a City 

School System in Lake Charles in 1906 and, 

a year later, the Lake Charles City School 

System was separated from the Calcasieu 

Parish Public School System. Imperial 

Calcasieu was divided into the present 

parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, and 

Jefferson Davis in 1913, and the Lake Charles 

City School System was merged with Calcasieu 

Parish Schools under a single board in 1967. 

Today the Calcasieu Parish School System 

consists of 32 elementary schools, 13 middle 

schools, and 11 high schools. The school system 

also operates 2 alternative facilities, 1 adult 

education facility, 2 career and technical 

facilities, and an Academy of Learning. The 

system’s annual budget exceeds $271 

million, with nearly forty-four percent 

coming from local sources. 

The Calcasieu Parish School 

System boasts a number of very distinguished 

graduates, including famed 

heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey; 

David Filo, the co-creator of Yahoo!; 

Pulitzer, Tony, and Emmy Award 

winner Tony Kushner; and Academy 

Award winner Ralph Eggleston. 

Sheryl Abshire and Ron Blanchard 

have been inducted into the National 

Teachers Hall of Fame, and Jackie 

Stevens was named the NFL Teacher 

of the Year. 

The district has national accreditation 

by SACS/CASI and AdvancED, 

an international accrediting agency. 

Superintendent of Schools Wayne 

Savoy was honored with the prestigious 

2010 AdvanceEd Louisiana 

Excellence in Education Award. 

For additional information about 

the Calcasieu Parish School System, 

visit the website at www.cpsb.org. 

Above: Calcasieu Parish School System 

Central Office. 

Below: Superintendent of Schools, 

Wayne Savoy. 


145

CALCASIEU PARISH PUBLIC LIBRARY 

Above: Carnegie Memorial Library as it 

appeared in 1904. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE MCNEESE STATE 

UNIVERSITY FRAZAR LIBRARY ARCHIVES. 

Below: Central Library as it looks today. 

The Calcasieu Parish Public Library was 

formed with the merging of the Lake Charles 

Public Library and Calcasieu Parish Library in 

1974. Library services had existed in the area 

for many years, starting with the Carnegie 

Memorial Library founded in 1901 through 

the efforts of local businessmen and a 

$10,000 building grant provided by Andrew 

Carnegie. The city agreed to appropriate not 

less than $1,000 annually for maintenance. 

By March 1904 the Carnegie Memorial 

Library was open to the public, on the same 

land—at the corner of Pujo and Bilbo Streets— 

where it stands today. Hurricanes and time 

weathered the building, and in 1949, a bond 

issue was passed by the citizens of Lake Charles 

to build a new one. The new library, called the 

“Lake Charles Public Library,” opened to the 

public on March 14, 1952. 

On January 22, 1944, members of the first 

Calcasieu Parish Public Library Board of 

Control met in the Police Jury Office of the 

Calcasieu Parish Courthouse to plan a 

Demonstration Library, supervised by the 

Louisiana Library Commission, which would 

operate for one year. Headquarters for the 

system would be in Lake Charles, at Kirby 

and Hodges Streets, with branches located in 

municipalities throughout the parish. At the 

end of 1944, residents of Calcasieu Parish 

voted in a parish-wide election for a .75 mill 

tax for the next decade to keep the public 

library system in Calcasieu Parish. 

The two libraries were combined in 1974 

when the City Council and Policy Jury 

approved consolidation of the Lake Charles 

Public Library with the Calcasieu Parish 

Public Library. 

Between 1990 and 1995, under the leadership 

of Director Lynda Lee Carlberg, the library 

was able to renovate or rebuild every library in 

the system, doubling square footage available 

for library services. Calcasieu Parish residents 

continued to stand behind and support their 

public libraries through the years, voting to 

increase their level of support to 1.5 mill in 

1954, and finally, to 5.99 mills in 1999 and 

continue to pass the ten-year property tax 

renewals by wide margins. 

Library service in Calcasieu Parish has 

grown over 109 years from a single building 

in 1901 serving 5,000 people to fourteen 

buildings serving over 189,000 people with 

over 1,000,000 checkouts annually. 

To learn more about the Calcasieu Parish 

Public Library, please visit the website at 

www.calcasieulibrary.org. 


146

Cameron Parish, once the bed of the Gulf 

of Mexico, has a rich history. The earliest 

inhabitants are thought to have been Indians 

of the Attakapas tribe. Spanish explorers and 

pirates explored the area before the first white 

settlers built crude houses on the western 

end of Grand Chenier beside the bank of 

the Mermentau. 

The boundary between the United States 

and Mexico was not officially determined until 

1819 and this disputed area became a virtual 

‘no-man’s land.’ Devoid of supervision, and 

due to its extreme remote character, the area 

became a haven for individuals seeking recluse 

from the law or other intemperate behavior. 

With the boundary issue resolved, a wave 

of migration from Virginia, the Carolinas, 

Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi swept 

into the Cheniers in the 1830s and 1940s. 

On March 16, 1870, the Legislature 

created the new Parish of Cameron. It was 

carved from the southern part of Calcasieu 

and the southwestern corner of Vermilion. 

When the Parish was organized in 1870, 

an already existing building was purchased 

for use as a courthouse. The building burned 

in 1874 and tradition has it that this was a 

clear case of arson, the fire set to destroy 

certain land records. 

Cameron Parish continued to flourish in 

the early twentieth century and was noted for 

one of the largest fish landing operations 

in the country, as well as their historical 

presence with cattle and animal husbandry. 

What was emerging, however, was a strong 

interrelationship with energy, which grew to 

be a major oil and gas port, even through to 

current times. While the residents of the 

Parish seemed to always survive, they too felt 

the economic crunches of post Civil War, the 

Great Depression of the 1930s, and continue 

to feel the effects of a spiraling economy and 

a very fluid energy policy. 

The greatest disaster to strike the parish 

occurred in June 1957, when Hurricane 

Audrey came ashore and reeked extensive 

devastation throughout the Parish, along with 

the loss of at least 600 lives of area residents. 

Although an extensive respite was experienced 

by the Louisiana coast after that, the Parish also 

faced devastating influences from the ravishes 

of Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike 

in 2008. This created a substantial area-wide 

shift in population, housing, and the economic 

base. The Parish quickly engaged in one of 

the most comprehensive recovery efforts since 

Hurricane Audrey. 

Cameron Parish today is proud to boast 

its energetic community rebirth with a series 

of generational projects aimed at long-term 

sustainability. Cameron Square, the waterfront 

fisheries project, various port maritime interests, 

the development of Rutherford and Holly 

Beach, along with parish-wide housing, transportation 

and infrastructure improvements, 

are just a sample of the type of successes 

that the Parish has underway. Its long-term 

objective is to continue the development of 

the Ship Channel and its continued marine 

and maritime historical presence with development 

along the loop and east fork with 

support infrastructure throughout. 

Despite the ravages of the storm events and a 

relatively unforgiving environment, Cameron 

Parish still boasts some of the most breathtaking 

and unique scenery in Louisiana. Although the 

Parish has a progressive eye on its promising 

future, it still retains a strong embrace of its 

ancestral beginnings that has made it one of 

American’s last frontiers. 

CAMERON 

PARISH 


147


148

The Marketplace 

Southwest Louisiana’s retail and 

commercial establishments offer 

SPECIAL 

THANKS TO 

an impressive variety of choices 

CSE Federal Credit Union ...........................................................150 

Cameron State Bank...................................................................154 

Lindsey Janies Photography .........................................................156 

First Federal Bank of Louisiana ...................................................158 

Don’s Carwash 

Don’s Express 

Don’s Quik Lube .............................................................160 

Jeff Davis Bank & Trust Company ................................................162 

Calcasieu Federal Employees Credit Union ....................................164 

Schlesingers Wholesale ...............................................................166 

Southwest Beverage Co., Inc. .......................................................168 

Steamboat Bill’s.........................................................................170 

Chamber SWLA .........................................................................172 

Southland Coins & Collectibles ....................................................173 

McDonald’s of Southwest Louisiana...............................................174 

The User-Friendly Phone Book .....................................................175 

Lake Charles Coca-Cola Bottling Company ....................................176 

City Savings Bank......................................................................177 

Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance.......................178 

Scofield, Gerard, Singletary & Pohorelsky Attorneys at Law, L.L.C....179 

Southwest Louisiana Credit Union ................................................180 

Krause & Managan Lumber Co., Limited .......................................181 

First Choice Couriers, LLC 

Inn on the Bayou 

Paramount Companies 

The BEL Group 

THE MARKETPLACE 

149

CSE FEDERAL 

CREDIT UNION 

For nearly seventy years the CSE Federal 

Credit Union has stayed true to its goal of 

helping members experience the joy of 

achieving their financial goals. CSE was 

established in 1943 with eleven initial 

subscribers; today it serves more than 30,000 

members and is the sixth largest credit union 

in Louisiana. 

The new credit union held its first meeting 

on January 6, 1944, and R. L. Christian was 

elected the first President/Chairman of the 

Board. Organizers established a loan limit of 

$100 and a deposit limit of $500. Growth was 

slow at the beginning and board members 

pleaded with coworkers at Cities Service 

Refinery to join. At the end of 1944 the credit 

union had seventy-eight members with share 

deposits of $1,575.84. Outstanding loans 

totaled $1,183.76, and the credit union had 

$446.17 cash in the bank. 

Growth continued to be slow in 1945, with 

only twenty-one new members. The share 

limit was raised the following year to $500 for 

a single account, $1,000 for a joint account, 

and $250 for a minor account. The higher 

limits, combined with the end of World War 

II and the resulting economic resurgence, 

helped the credit union grow to 375 members 

and it began to gain momentum. 

CSE Federal Credit Union was established on 

December 7, 1943, when the Federal Deposit 

Insurance Corporation granted a charter to 

establish a federal credit union. Originally, 

membership was limited to employees of Cities 

Service Refinery Corporation in Calcasieu 

Parish, employees of the credit union, and 

members of their immediate families. 

CSE Federal Credit Union is a cooperative, 

not-for-profit financial institution chartered 

by the federal government. It is owned and 

controlled by its members and is organized to 

promote thrift and provide credit to its 

members. As a not-for-profit financial services 

cooperative, CSE returns earnings to its 

members through higher savings account 

rates, better service, lower rates on loans, and 

many other free services. 

The individual share limit was raised again 

in 1947, this time to $750 for single accounts, 

and the loan limit was increased to ten 

percent of paid-in capital. Payroll deductions 

were offered for the first time in 1947 and 

since both loan and share totals had reached 

$10,000, the credit union’s first dividend of 

four percent was paid to the members. 

Mary Freeman was appointed treasurer of 

CSE in 1948 and the operation of the credit 

union was moved to her home. By the end of 

1949, the credit union boasted 492 members 

and assets reached $72,000. That same year, the 

field of membership was amended to include 

employees of CIT-CON Oil Corporation. 


150

The small credit union continued to grow 

and, in 1951, CSE operations were moved 

from the Freeman home to the clock house at 

Cities Service Refinery and a full-time clerk, 

Elgine Mouton, was hired. Richard S. ‘Dick’ 

Freeman, succeeded his wife as treasurer. 

By 1954, after ten years of operation, CSE 

had impressive assets of $734,700. Loans 

passed the million dollar mark in 1956. The 

credit union found itself with more capital 

than it could loan out and started loaning 

money to other credit unions in 1957. Loan 

customers included the Barksdale Air Force 

Base Federal Credit Union, which borrowed 

$60,000 from CSE. Barksdale Federal Credit 

Union is now the largest credit union in 

Louisiana with assets approaching $1 Billion. 

Membership had increased to 3,000 by 

1960, aided by the addition of employees of 

the Cities Service Petrochemicals Division to 

the field of membership. CSE outgrew the 

clock house at the refinery and land was 

purchased on Cities Service Highway in 

Maplewood for a new office building. The 

credit union moved into the new building in 

1961. Meanwhile, real estate loans were 

granted to members for the first time and the 

credit union paid most of the member’s loan 

closing costs. 

Additional services were added in the 

1960s, including free credit life insurance up to 

$10,000 on all loans and a no-charge travelers’ 

checks program. In addition, membership was 

extended to include Cities Service retirees 

within the field of membership. 

CSE Federal Credit Union had become an 

established, well-respected financial institution 

when it celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary 

in 1968. The credit union had five full-time 

employees, including Mary Freeman and Frank 

Caruso, the organization’s first office manager. 

At the twenty-five year mark, assets totaled 

$4 million and the credit union had 3,320 

members. During its first twenty-five years of 

operation, CSE had granted more than $35 

million in loans. 

Another milestone was reached in 1971 

when assets surpassed $5 million. By the end 

of the credit union’s thirtieth year, assets had 

reached $6.3 million and membership totaled 

3,910. A dividend of six percent on deposits 

was paid in 1975, and a refund of twenty 

percent of the interest paid on loans was 

returned to the members—a benefit that 

would continue until 2006. 

Dick Freeman retired as treasurer/manager 

in 1977 after twenty-eight years of dedicated 

service. A year later, Eddie Oakley was named 

the organization’s second office manager after 

the retirement of Frank Caruso. Meanwhile, 

assets continued to grow, passing the $10 

million mark in 1978. Share certificates, 

similar to certificates of deposit, were 

instituted and the deposit limit for shares was 

increased to $100,000. 

Discussions concerning the feasibility 

of merging CIT-CON Employees Credit 

Union with CSE began in 1982. Following 

negotiations, a plan was approved by the 

National Credit Union Association and the 

Louisiana State Department of Banking 

allowing the two credit unions to merge, 

effective January 1, 1983. 

Meanwhile, the NCUA revised regulations 

governing credit unions and allowed 

companies that did not have credit union 

services to be added to the field of 

membership of existing credit unions. This 

allowed CSE to add several companies to its 

field of membership, strengthening the credit 

union and allowing it to better endure layoffs, 

strikes, and economic downturns. 


151

The merger with CIT-CON Credit Union 

added about $2 million in assets and in 

its fortieth year of operation—1983—CSE’s 

assets totaled $22 million and were 

continuing to grow. After forty-five years in 

operation, assets reached $45 million. 

In March 1990, after forty-one years of 

dedicated service, Mary Freeman retired. She 

had been the organization’s first Secretary/ 

Treasurer, then a part-time employee, and 

retired as a full-time employee. She had 

helped CSE grow from a small, struggling 

credit union to one of the largest in Louisiana. 

As membership, deposits, and services 

increased, the need for a new facility to 

accommodate the growth became apparent. 

In 1992 land on Swisco Road in Sulphur 

was purchased from CITGO, formerly Cities 

Service, and construction began on a new 

$1.8 million building. 

Dick and Mary Freeman participated in 

the ribbon cutting ceremony when the new 

building was occupied on September 1, 1994. 

Dick died a month after the grand opening, 

but Mary continued to visit the office 

frequently until her death in 2006. 

After fifty years of operation, CSE Federal 

Credit Union reached $100 million in assets 

and more than 14,000 members. 

Ken Gardner became the twelfth Chairman 

of the Board in 1995 and the credit union’s 

third manager, Bill Roberts, was hired to 

replace the retiring Eddie Oakley. 

By 1997 CSE had grown to $116.5 million in 

assets, with a membership in excess of 16,000. 

The by-laws of the credit union were upgraded 

and ATM cards were issued to members to give 

them more access to cash. At the close of 1997, 

CSE assets had reached $122.2 million and 

membership totaled 17,640. 

Keeping in step with technological 

developments CSE launched its website, 

www.csefcu.org, in 1999. Assets had grown 

to $133.5 million when President/CEO 

Roberts retired in mid-2000, and Clark J. 

Yelverton became the fourth manager of the 

credit union. 

The credit union’s membership passed the 

20,000 mark in November 2000 and in April 

2001, loans outstanding went over $100 million 

for the first time in the credit union’s history. 


152

By the end of 2003, CSE’s sixtieth anniversary, 

assets had reached $171 million and 

membership was over 23,000. The growth 

continued, and assets exceeded the $200 

million mark in 2005, with membership of 

more than 25,000. By this time, there were 

eighty-seven Select Employee Groups (SEG’s) 

in the field of membership. 

A major expansion of services offered by 

CSE began in 2005. After more than six 

decades of operation as a ‘plain vanilla’ 

shares-and-loans credit union, CSE began 

offering checking accounts, debit cards, and 

bill-pay products. Online account access was 

already in place by then, so members were 

able to access their checking and share 

accounts through several delivery channels. 

CSE’s first ATM was unveiled at the new— 

although temporary—Lake Charles branch on 

Nelson Road in 2006. The credit union was 

gearing up for a major expansion into Lake 

Charles with a new main office. The Sulphur 

office ATM was also deployed that year. 

After sixty-seven years of operation, the 

small, struggling credit union that began with 

eleven members has grown to a membership 

of more than 30,000, representing over 250 

Select Employee Groups. Assets now total 

$265 million and CSE is by far the largest 

credit union in Southwest Louisiana. 

CSE’s main office, named the Dick and 

Mary Freeman Building, is located at 4321 

Nelson Road in Lake Charles and the Sulphur 

branch is located at 2154 Swisco Road. 

CSE’s seventy-five hard working and 

dedicated employees believe not only in serving 

the credit union’s members, but also in giving 

back to their community and are involved in 

a number of local organizations, including 

Big Brothers Big Sisters-Bowl for Kid’s Sake, 

and Children’s Miracle Network (Credit Unions 

for Kids). CSE has also sponsored and/or 

participated in area walks for NAMI, Ethel 

Precht, and Pan Can Lake Area Stride. 

“We have come a long way since our 

organization was founded in 1943, but our 

mission and goals have never changed,” 

says President and CEO Clark Yelverton. 

“The only reason for our existence, and our 

highest priority, is to serve our members. 

And I think the fact that we have been in 

existence in Sulphur and Lake Charles for 

sixty-seven years proves that we have been 

very successful.” 


153

CAMERON 

STATE BANK 

Above: Leslie Richard, first president of 

Cameron State Bank. 

Below: Roy M. Raftery, Jr., current president 

and chief executive officer of Cameron 

State Bank. 

Since it was founded 45 years ago Cameron 

State Bank has grown to become one of the 

major financial institutions in Southwest 

Louisiana, with 22 banking centers, more than 

50 ATMs, and assets of $790 million. 

Bauer Financial Reports and Veribanc, two 

of the nation’s most respected independent 

rating services, have awarded Cameron State 

Bank the highest ratings for safety, soundness, 

performance and financial strength. 

Leslie Richard was the bank’s first 

president when the first CSB branch opened 

in Cameron on January 15, 1966. A year later, 

Richard was named Chairman of the Board, 

a position he held until his death in 1997. 

Another of the bank’s organizers and its first 

Vice President, Jerry G. Jones, Sr., now serves 

as the Chairman of the Board. 

When Dronet became president, CSB 

operated banking centers in Cameron, Creole, 

Grand Chenier and Hackberry. In addition, a 

banking center in Grand Lake/Sweetlake was 

opened in 1975 and the Johnson Bayou/Holly 

Beach banking center was constructed in 

1979. Cameron State Bank has continued its 

progressive expansion and moved into 

Calcasieu Parish with the opening of its first 

Lake Charles Office at the corner of Alamo 

and Ryan in July 1988. The Maplewood Office 

was then opened to serve the Sulphur 

Community in January 1990. 

CSB has achieved phenomenal growth in 

deposits, loans, capital and assets over the 

past twelve years. Current President and Chief 

Executive Officer Roy M. Raftery, Jr., came to 

the bank in April 1992 with twenty-seven 

years of successful banking experience to 

his credit. Under Raftery’s leadership and 

reorganization Cameron State Bank’s stability 

and performance have emerged to make these 

last ten years the most profitable in the bank’s 

history. This is evident through the fact 

that Cameron State Bank has added eighteen 

more banking centers since Raftery came to 

the bank. 

CSB offers many different financial 

products and services, including twenty-four 

hour account information service, Internet 

banking, bill payer and a network of ATM’s 

throughout Southwest Louisiana. Internet 

banking, offering the latest technology, allows 

customers to check their balances, view 

statements, pay bills and transfer money 

between accounts whether they are at home, 

at work or on vacation. 

Mallard Investments, a subsidiary of 

Cameron State Bank, is located on the second 

floor of the new main office. Mallard 


154

Investments provides CSB customers and 

the general public with a full range of 

brokerage and investment services. Through 

a partnership with UVEST Financial Services 

and its affiliates, a registered broker 

dealer and member FINRA/SIPC, Mallard 

Investments has access to a complete line of 

investment products and services including 

securities, brokerage services, financial 

analysis, professional money management, 

stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities and 

other products. 

CSB now has twenty-one convenient 

banking centers throughout Calcasieu, 

Cameron and Allen Parishes. There are ten 

banking centers in Lake Charles, including 

two supermarket offices. The bank also has 

three banking centers in Sulphur, and centers 

in Moss Bluff, Westlake, DeQuincy and 

Vinton. The Hackberry and Grand Lake 

banking centers serve Cameron Parish and the 

Allen Parish banking centers are located in 

Kinder, Oberlin and Oakdale. 

The bank has its own data processing 

center to process checks and deposits and its 

own loan operations center for the processing 

of loans. An administrative building on West 

McNeese Street in Lake Charles houses 

the Accounting Department and Human 

Resources, as well as other administrative 

offices. The Real Estate Mortgage Division is 

housed at the Plaza facility on Ryan Street. 

CSB’s main office is located at 4440 

Nelson Road and the Operations Center is 

located on Common Street. The Loan 

Operations Department is located on Oak 

Park Boulevard. 

Realizing the importance of teaching 

children about money and how to save, CSB 

recently introduced the Moolah Mallard Kid’s 

Club, a savings account designed especially 

for children. Kid’s Club members receive a 

welcome letter from the mascot, Moolah 

Mallard, as well as a membership card, 

deposit cards, a plush toy version of Moolah 

and many other benefits. The club is open to 

anyone seventeen years or younger. 

CSB’s 275 employees are very involved 

in their communities and help sponsor 

many community activities ranging from 

Bowl for Kids Sake to the Contraband Days 

Festival to the Swashbucklers and many 

other worthwhile programs and events. The 

bank is committed to providing personal 

service to its many customers and investing its 

time and resources in school, charitable, and 

civic organizations. 

CSB has received numerous accolades for 

this commitment and is proud to have 

received the 1997 “Distinguished Partners in 

Education” award for Louisiana and of being 

named “Best Bank” in the Times of Southwest 

Louisiana reader’s poll eleven times since 

1998. CSB has also been named “Best of Lake 

Charles” for nine straight years in the 

Lagniappe’s poll. CSB was also awarded the 

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s Eagle Award for 

Business Achievement and the United Way 

Corporate Spirit Award. 

For more information about Cameron State 

Bank, please visit www.csbbanking.com. 


155

LINDSEY JANIES 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Above: Lindsey Janies taking a photograph 

of the mayors from five cities just before 

they jump ship to kick-off the annual 

Contraband Days Festival. 

Below: Lindsey Janies. 

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF LINDSEY 

JANIES PHOTOGRAPHY. 

I’d like to use this space to give thanks 

to so many people. For me, “A Treasure 

Revealed” became a year-long adventure! 

Many business relationships and new friendships 

were formed through the dozens of people 

I had the honor of meeting. The images in 

this book were taken with much love and 

heartfelt respect. It is awesome to think that 

each picture truly has a story to tell! I was 

behind the camera to capture every image… 

and virtually every “Treasure Revealed” outing 

became an adventure for my camera and me. 

Whether I was shooting from an airboat in the 

marsh, a car on a scenic highway, the bed of 

a truck in an open field, a dirt road in the 

woods, or the cockpit of a helicopter, every 

trip out to work on this book showed me 

more and more of who and what Southwest 

Louisiana really contains. 

When I was first asked to participate in the 

creation of “A Treasure Revealed”, the title was 

given to me before I had even begun shooting. 

Quite honestly, I wasn’t very enthusiastic 

about the title and I wondered how we could 

name a book that wasn’t created yet. I pondered 

over the title at the beginning of this 

project, but now that it’s done, I can now 

see how fitting it is for this book. For every 

trip to an alligator farm, shipping yard, or 

water excursion, a new Southwest Louisiana 

lifestyle was introduced and my eyes would 

open a little more. Spending the afternoon 

next to the saddle of a real cowboy, seat of 

a pilot, or the fields of a crawfish farmer, 

showed me first hand just how diverse and 

vital every citizen’s career is to our area! Each 

of us wakes up every morning and goes to our 

workplace, never thinking about how important 

we are to our community. It’s just the 

“same old, same old” for each of us because 

it’s OUR version of normal. For me to have the 

opportunity to jump into a few different seats 

and put the entirety of our area and lifestyle 

together as one large picture was quite amazing! 

Feeling the REAL diversity between every 

one of us and the roles we play for our community 

is awesome! 


156

However, as diverse as we are in our jobs 

and lifestyles, there is definitely one thing 

ALL of us share. What we all have in common 

is a true TREASURE that I think is revealed to 

EVERYONE we meet! It is our Southern compassion, 

our charm as a unique, five parish 

community, and the size of our hearts that 

reveal the treasure of WHO WE ARE. This 

book is only a “snapshot” of our Southern 

hospitality and genuine sincerity. This book 

would not be what you see now, had it not 

been for the collaboration and teamwork of 

the people who said “yes” to the photographer 

and granted her the favor and chance to 

come into their busy worlds and observe. 

I realize there are only so many pages in 

this book to introduce outsiders to our world. 

I also know everything couldn’t be squeezed 

in between these two covers. My objective 

was to introduce the people and just some of 

the places of this area, and represent us as a 

community to newcomers and visitors. I hope 

I have your approval! 

In conclusion, “A Treasure Revealed” truly 

became a treasure that was really was 

revealed… to ME! The treasure being who we 

are, what we do, and what we are all about! 

I have grown up here in Southwest Louisiana, 

and at twenty-five, had only thought I knew 

our five parish area. As the creative writer 

and artist of this assignment, I thank you, 

Southwest Louisiana! Thank you for showing 

me who you are: thousands of diverse individuals, 

a community built on a beautiful land 

and heritage, and a family of one! YOU are the 

true “Treasure Revealed”! This book is yours! 

Our gallery is located on 900 Ryan Street, 

Suite 100, or call 337.439.5367, or visit us 

on the Internet at www.LindseyJanies.com. 

A Special Thanks to: 

Mayor Randy Roach 

Ron Johnson 

Ariel Caraway 

Wildlife fisheries 

Gray Stream and staff 

Port of Lake Charles 

Era Helicopters 

Chenault Airport 

Coushatta Casino & Resort 

Coushatta Reservation 

Pujo Street Cafe 

Fox 29 

Tupper and Zigler Museums 

Gray Ranch 

Sowella Technical and Community College 

McNeese State University 

Thank you! 

Sincerely, Lindsey Janies 


157

FIRST FEDERAL 

BANK OF 

LOUISIANA 

First Federal Bank of Louisiana has deep 

roots in Lake Charles, dating to July 20, 1949, 

when the institution was chartered as First 

Federal Savings and Loan Association of Lake 

Charles. The founders of First Federal were 

President of Gulf National Bank of Lake 

Charles Sam M. Richard and former Governor 

of Louisiana Sam H. Jones along with several 

prominent businessmen in the community. 

Each initial member invested their 

personal funds in the new venture although 

there was no assurance the endeavor would 

be a success. These business leaders, however, 

shared a common commitment to see the 

Lake Charles area grow. 

This time First Federal moved to its current 

seven-story structure on Lakeshore Drive, 

which opened its doors in November 1981. 

In 1956 First Federal opened its first 

branch on Napoleon Street in Sulphur with 

W. H. “Bill” McCurley, Jr., as manager. This 

branch office continued to expand and First 

Federal purchased a former Louisiana Savings 

branch office on Maplewood Drive. After 

extensive renovations, the new Sulphur office 

opened in April 1993. 

Clockwise, starting from the left: 

November 1, 1949, First Federal Savings & 

Loan Association opened their doors for 

business in an office located on the second 

floor of the Gulf National Bank on Ryan 

Street. Photograph taken late 1970s. 

In 1953 a need for more space prompted a 

move to 322 Pujo Street. Photograph taken 

late 1970s. 

With continued growth over the next five 

years, another move was required and the 

property on the corner of Kirby and Moss 

Street was purchased in 1958. Photograph 

taken late 1970s. 

Opposite: Current main office at 1135 

Lakeshore Drive opened in November 1981. 

First Federal first opened its 

doors on November 1, 1949, in 

an office located on the second 

floor of the Gulf National Bank 

in downtown Lake Charles. The 

first employee and manager was 

Susie Guenther. 

A need for more space 

prompted a move in 1953 to 

322 Pujo Street, next to the 

Pioneer Building (now the Lake 

Charles City Hall). First Federal 

continued to grow and, in 1958, 

purchased the property at the corner of Kirby 

and Moss Streets. After several additions to 

that office building, First Federal was ‘bursting 

at the seams’ and needed space to expand. 

First Federal’s leaders prudently managed 

operations, always staying within regulations 

and making sound lending decisions, and 

weathered the turbulent financial industry of 

the 1980s. 

As regulations changed First Federal 

underwent many changes, including a name 

change to include the term “Bank” and became 

known as First Federal Bank of Louisiana. 


158

Currently, First Federal Bank of Louisiana 

offers many products and services and 

is constantly reviewing and identifying 

programs to better serve its rapidly growing 

customer and community base. In today’s 

dynamic world of Internet and information, 

First Federal Bank has become a leader in 

providing secure, cutting-edge technology 

and support for its banking customers. 

In addition to the full line of services 

already provided, such as checking, savings 

accounts, mobile and on-line banking, 

First Federal has investment and insurance 

opportunities available to individuals 

and businesses. 

First Federal Bank has a presence that 

reaches business, community, media and 

customer markets with fifteen locations 

and various stand-alone ATMs across the 

State of Louisiana, including Lake Charles, 

Sulphur, Westlake, Moss Bluff, DeRidder, 

Oberlin, Oakdale, Natchitoches, Alexandria 

and Pineville and is continuing to grow with 

plans for additional locations currently on 

the drawing board. 

Along with the operation of the current 

offices across Southwest, Central and 

North Louisiana, employment has grown to 

over 250 and the bank has enjoyed a 

remarkable history of growth and success 

while remaining one of the top financial 

leaders in each of the markets it serves with 

assets in excess of $700 million. 

First Federal Bank of Louisiana is still 

governed by its original charter and is still 

a mutually owned institution. In essence, 

First Federal plays a major role in the local 

economy by investing money in the 

communities it serves. This is the premise on 

which First Federal was originally founded 

and it is the same principle that guides the 

leadership of President and CEO Charles V. 

Timpa and the board of directors under the 

Chairmanship of M. A. Pierson, III. 

The board and management are committed 

to contributing to the community 

through various causes and charities. What 

better way to serve the community than to 

give back to it, which is exactly what First 

Federal has always done—and will continue 

to do. 


159

DON’S 

CARWASH 

DON’S 

EXPRESS 

DON’S 

QUIK LUBE 

Around Lake Charles people know they 

can depend on Don’s Carwash, Don’s Express 

and Don’s Quik Lube to keep their vehicles 

looking—and running—like new. Whether it 

is an oil change, inspection sticker, fullservice 

carwash and detailing, or a drive-thru 

express carwash, Don’s is the place to go. 

With two locations—Don’s Express on 

Nelson Road and Don’s Full Service on Ryan 

Street—Don’s is committed to catering to 

your needs with unmatched customer service 

and a variety of service options. Don’s equipment 

incorporates the latest state-of-the-art 

computer and electronic sensor technology 

and is on the cutting edge of cleaning agent 

chemistry and fluid engineering. 

Don Bruno has always had a passion for 

automobiles and he has long understood 

that proper maintenance is the key to keeping 

any vehicle running for a many years. In 

1966, Don decided to share his passion with 

the community when he and Wilse Kleckly 

opened Wizard Carwash on Broad Street. 

After several years with Kleckly, Don 

bought out the carwash that was located in 

the Kmart parking lot on Ryan Street. That 

location operated until 1988 when a new 

location was constructed a few blocks away at 

3700 Ryan. A few years later, Don purchased 

an existing transmission shop and reequipped 

it to become an oil change. 

Although the basics of washing a vehicle— 

plenty of soap and water—have remained 

the same over the years, the technology of a 

professional carwash has changed greatly. 

In the 1960s, cars and trucks were pulled 

through the carwash tunnels by a chain 

while they were washed with big brushes. 

The equipment was big and bulky and daily 

maintenance was required to keep everything 

running smoothly. New technology in the 

1980s introduced less abrasive brushes and 

rollers, and then further evolved into a system 

that is essentially brushless. 

In addition to the automatic carwash, Don’s 

customers at the Nelson Road location may 

vacuum their own cars and purchase ArmorAll 

and similar products to complete the process. 

The managers at Don’s are quick to point 

out that washing your car in the driveway at 

home is very unfriendly and dangerous to the 

environment. That is because when you wash 

your vehicle at home, everything that runs off 

your car flows into the storm drains and is 

eventually carried into nearby waterways. This 

toxic, dirty water, which includes cleaning 

chemicals, gasoline, oil, tar and the residue 

of exhaust fumes, can poison wildlife and 

severely damage the delicate ecosystems of 

local lakes, rivers, streams creeks and wetlands. 

Commercial carwashes are a greener option 

because we collect our wash water in a separate 

sanitary sewer, which funnels it to wastewater 

facilities where it is treated and recycled. 

According to the Nature Conservancy, the 

world’s leading conservation organization, not 

only is choosing to use a commercial carwash 

a more environmentally friendly option in 

terms of disposal, but washing a car at home 

may use between 80 to 140 gallons of water, 

while a commercial carwash averages less than 

45 gallons per car. 


160

Over the years, Don’s Carwash and Quick 

Lube operations have become very successful. 

Don washes thousands of cars through the 

year, and the average employee base totals 

more than 100. A number of locally prominent 

individuals have started their careers 

washing cars or changing oil at Don’s. 

Bruno’s future plans include a third 

location at McNeese Street and Fifth Avenue 

in the near future. 

Bruno and his employees believe in giving 

back to the community and are involved in a 

number of civic activities, including the donation 

of products and services to local churches 

and schools. Don’s has also 

sponsored a Haunted Carwash 

to benefit local charities. Senior 

citizens receive a discount at all 

locations on Tuesdays. 

About the only thing that 

has slowed Don’s growth in 

recent years was Hurricane 

Rita in 2005. The facilities 

received some wind damage, 

but the greatest damage 

was to the Lake Charles workforce. 

The locations reopened 

quickly, but worked with 

skeleton crews and abbreviated 

hours for nearly a year after 

the storm. 

Bruno is still active in the 

daily operation of the business. 

“We have been extremely 

blessed to have great leadership in our company 

for many years. Don Breaux, Bill 

Humphreys, and thirty-six year employee 

Karen DiGiglia are key to this organization’s 

success,” said Bruno. 

For more than forty years, Don’s has been a 

fixture in the Lake Charles business and 

automobile communities. Known for our 

dedication to customer service, we take pride 

in assisting the community with vehicle 

services and educating and supporting the 

local workforce. 

To learn more about Don’s, please check the 

website at www.donsallclothcarwash.com. 


161

JEFF DAVIS BANK & TRUST COMPANY 

Above: Jeff Davis Bank groundbreaking at 

the corner of Main and Academy Street in 

Jennings, Louisiana, on May 5, 1958. 

Shown are (from left to right) Jeff Garrett, 

contractor; John Conner, mayor of Jennings; 

John LeJeune (on bulldozer); W. B. “Bunk” 

Donald; Frank Gallaugher, CEO of Jeff 

Davis Bank. 

Below: Jeff Davis Bank employees and 

community leaders at the re-grand opening 

of the Jennings office on December 10, 2009. 

Jeff Davis Bank & Trust Company has 

offered quality financial services to Southwest 

Louisiana since 1947. Founded and headquartered 

in Jennings, Louisiana, Jeff Davis Bank 

strives to be the community bank in the area. 

The bank provides a wide range of 

financial services including checking and 

savings accounts, consumer and small 

business loans, mortgage originations, and a 

full service trust department. It also manages 

various types of investments and insurance 

policies. Clients include individuals, small 

businesses, and local government agencies. 

Starting with a modest six employees in 1947, 

Jeff Davis Bank currently employs over 200 

persons, all trained and dedicated to quality 

customer service. The bank has grown to 

include twelve branch offices in Jeff Davis, 

Calcasieu, and Allen Parishes. 

Jeff Davis Bank maintains a high degree 

of community involvement in Southwest 

Louisiana. When Jeff Davis Bank claims “Our 

Prime Interest is You,” they are not referring 

only to banking services. Jeff Davis Bank 

supports numerous community organizations 

such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, American 

Heart Association, American Cancer Society, 

Boy and Girl Scouts, Special Olympics, Autism 

Services of SWLA, Jennings Community 

Against Domestic Abuse, Black Heritage 

Festival, McNeese State University and the 

Louisiana Oil and Gas Foundation, as well as 

local churches and both school and community 

athletic organizations. Each of the twelve 

branch offices is a “Partner in Education” for a 

local school. 

This community involvement includes 

more than financial support. Jeff Davis Bank 

employees actively participate at community 

events. They enter the annual Heart Walk, the 

Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and the Ethel 

Precht Breast Cancer Walk. They distribute 

“How to do your Banking” workbooks to area 

schools. They show up in school cafeterias as 

Big Brothers/Big Sisters “Lunch Buddies.” 

The history of Jeff Davis Bank is one of 

steady growth. During the 1940s, Jennings and 

the surrounding community experienced significant 

development and several prominent 

citizens believed the region would benefit from 

a new bank. Under the direction of Frank 

Gallaugher, CEO from 1947-1981, the business 

prospered. The new bank opened on 

March 12, 1947, in the front portion of 

the Miller Building’s first floor. Gallaugher 

and the five other employees opened the 

doors at 9:00 a.m. and awaited customers. 

By 10:00 a.m., the lobby bustled with patrons. 

At the end of the day, a total of $335,000 had 

been deposited; an impressive start. 

As the town of Jennings grew so did the 

bank. By 1957 booming business warranted 

building a bigger bank. The new facility 

boasted all the latest features in banking 


162

security and amenities. The building was 

constructed of fireproof masonry and steel; the 

vault made burglar-proof with more than a 

million pounds of concrete and intricate time 

locks. The new drive-through feature, 

the first in Jeff Davis Parish, added 

convenience for customers. Moving 

the money from the old bank to the 

new bank proved to be quite an ordeal. 

While armed guards stood watch, the 

employees loaded more than 4,000 

pounds of silver, representing over 

$200,000 into a pick-up truck and 

drove it to the new site. 

In 1967 the bank opened its first 

branch office in Lake Arthur. The 

1980s and 1990s witnessed even 

more expansion for Jeff Davis Bank. 

Branches were opened in Iowa, Welsh, 

Kinder, Moss Bluff, and Lake Charles. 

Today, customers can bank at twelve 

convenient locations. 

Jeff Davis Bank prides itself on 

being a “hometown” bank with an 

emphasis on quality service. The bank 

credits its success to loyal customers. 

In the fiftieth anniversary celebration 

booklet, the bank tells its patrons, “You are 

the reason we are successful, you are the 

reason we continue to grow, and you are the 

reason for us being here.” 

Above: Jeff Davis Bank employees 

participate in the annual American Heart 

Association Heart Walk. 

Below: Jeff Davis Bank employees visit a 

local elementary school to teach 

about banking. 


163

CALCASIEU 

FEDERAL 

EMPLOYEES 

CREDIT UNION 

Top: The historical U.S. Post Office and 

Federal Courthouse, which still stands on 

Broad Street, was the original location of 

credit union. 

Above: The original Founders of Calcasieu 

Federal Employees Credit Union, journal, 

and P. O. Box. 

In 1946 James Lusby, a postal 

employee and the first treasurer 

of Calcasieu Federal Employees 

Credit Union (CFECU) organized 

and chartered the oldest credit 

union originated in Lake Charles, 

Louisiana. From the historical 

U.S. Postal Office and Federal 

Courthouse, he met with charter 

members and provided them basic 

saving and borrowing services 

basically from his own pocket. He 

recorded transactions and kept 

handwritten income statements 

and balance sheets in the original credit union 

journal. He also established the credit union’s 

mailing address, which is still valid today— 

P.O. Box 200, Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

By 1952 the credit union had grown to 

over $30,000 in assets, but unfortunately, so 

had bad loans. The State Banking Agency cited 

the credit union for loan delinquencies and 

ordered that no further dividends could be 

paid to the members, without State approval. 

By the next year, Robert David Lucky stepped 

into the treasurer position. With Lucky’s 

aggressive collection tactics, by 1955 the State 

Banking Agency had reinstated CFECU’s 

authority and rights to pay dividends. Lucky’s 

significant contributions to the credit union 

continued throughout his tenure as treasurer 

until his resignation from the position in 

1964—strong capital had been built and the 

credit union’s assets increased to $540,000. 

The reins of the treasurer were then 

transferred to the late Thomas O. Lee who 

served the credit union, in that position 

alone, for more than twenty-two years. 

Known as “T. O.” by his friends, Lee was the 

last volunteer to actually manage the credit 

union. He continued to handwrite every 

member statement and all general ledger 

journal entries, including the income 

statement and balance sheet without any 

assistance, until the credit union’s assets 

grew to about $1 million. CFECU’s Board of 

Directors then hired the credit union’s first 

employee—Ernie Ward. Ward helped keep 

the books of the credit union part-time for 

five years until he resigned in 1976. 

Upon Ward’s resignation, the Board of 

Directors determined that CFECU needed a 

full-time employee to help manage the 

Credit Union. In 1977 the Board of Directors 

hired Wanda “Gale” LeBato to assist Lee. 

Working together, LeBato and Lee had the 

credit union’s books transferred to its first 

computer within the first year of her 

employment, although she also continued to 

keep handwritten ledgers to double check 

the computer for another eighteen years. The 

Board of Directors quickly realized LeBato’s 

leadership qualities and accounting skills and 

she eventually became the credit union’s first 

official CEO/Manager. 

LeBato went on to manage CFECU for 

twenty-eight years and, during her tenure, 

the office location moved twice—first to the 

Main Post Office on Moss Street and then 


164

to the current location of the main office 

downtown—519 Kirby Street. With Board 

approval she implemented payroll deduction 

and direct deposit for credit union members 

in the 1980s, Christmas Club Accounts; and, 

after the Internet was introduced in the mid- 

1990s and the Y2K scare was over, she set up 

an informational website for credit union 

members. In 2003 the Board approved the 

addition of American Express Traveler’s 

Cheques and LeBato offered free notary 

service to credit union members. She also is 

considered the instrumental force in the 

credit union’s opportunity to purchase the 

old Pitt Theatre property that was adjacent to 

519 Kirby Street location. One month after 

receiving an award by the Louisiana Credit 

Union League for “Professional of the Year,” 

LeBato sadly passed away on July 9, 2005. 

Her work with bringing credit unions 

together with the Make-a-Wish Foundation 

and Children’s Miracle Network is still 

memorialized today. 

On August 15, 2005, the CFECU Board 

of Directors hired Jessica LaRocca as the 

CEO/Manager. With her employment the 

Board developed a new business plan to give 

members more financial services and methods 

of conducting business with the credit union. 

First they decided they needed a new office 

and the 519 Kirby Street Office was renovated 

and doubled in size with two drive-thru 

lanes. Once that was completed, a palette of 

services was added over the past five years. 

Today, CFECU offers a variety of share 

certificates and share draft/checking accounts 

along with debit cards; twenty-two local 

no surcharge ATMs; e-statements; online 

banking; online bill-pay; text banking; online 

loan and membership applications and a new 

website. In addition the credit union now has 

a South Lake Charles Branch. 

Over the past sixty-four years Calcasieu 

Federal Employees Credit Union’s membership 

has slightly progressed to now include “all 

federal employees living or working in the 

706 zip code; or employee or retirees of 

the Cameron Parish School Board, Melisa 

Nelson McMillian’s Allstate Insurance Agency, 

Calcasieu Federal Employees Credit Union; 

and/or an immediate family member of a 

current member.” Its asset size has increased 

to $15 million. However, Calcasieu Federal 

Employees Credit Union’s main value has 

never changed—“to always exceed our 

members’ expectations.” 

Above: The exterior of the main office. 

Below: The interior of the South Lake 

Charles Branch. 


165

SCHLESINGERS 

WHOLESALE 

Schlesingers Wholesale was 

established in September 1946 at 

1832 East Broad Street in Lake 

Charles. The company was the 

brainchild of Frank T. Fertitta, 

whose desire was to form a familyrun 

business to ensure his family’s 

future livelihood. 

Frank’s dad, Tony Fertitta and 

his three brothers came to the 

U.S. from Sicily. The four brothers 

settled in Leesville, Louisiana, where 

they owned grocery and hardware 

stores. Frank was born in Leesville 

on August 18, 1898, and moved to 

Beaumont, Texas, as a young man. 

Clockwise, starting from above: 

Frank T. Fertitta. 

Barbara Ann, daughter of Anthony and Bea 

Fertitta with Johnny Roventini, the famous 

Philip Morris Bellhop, 1950. 

Johnny Roventini, Barbara Ann, Bea 

Fertitta, Delores Tuminello (sister of 

Anthony, Sr.) with three representatives from 

the Philip Morris Company, 1950. 

Frank T. Fertitta. 

Frank T. Fertitta and his son, 

Anthony D. Fertitta. 

Frank had worked in sales for many years as 

a route salesman and felt that was good 

experience for what he wanted to accomplish. 

He was associated with a relative-owned 

business, Texas Coffee Company, at different 

times. He also, at one time, owned a small 

candy-making business where football suckers, 

peanut patties, and a variety of other candies 

were made. The candy was made by two 

Swedish immigrants and sold by Frank to 

the customers from his truck. 

It was at this time that Frank became 

acquainted with A. W. Schlesinger, a 

business man and philanthropist who 

owned a candy and tobacco wholesale 

business in Beaumont. 

At this time, Anthony Fertitta, Frank’s 

son, was training with the Army Air 

Corps at Langley Field, Virginia, to 

bomb Japanese submarines. He was a 

bombardier on a B-24 and was only days 

away from being sent to Japan 

to bomb enemy submarines 

stationed in caves along the coast 

of Japan. A crew of B-24s had 

already been painted black for 

the night missions when the U.S. 

dropped the atomic bomb. When 

World War II drew to a close, 

Anthony returned to Beaumont 

in October 1945, following VJ 

Day and his honorable discharge 

from the Air Force. 

Frank approached Schlesinger 

about going into a business partnership 

in Lake Charles. He agreed, and Schlesinger 

became a silent partner. Frank and his wife, 

Margaret, and daughter, Delores (Tuminello) 

moved to Lake Charles from Beaumont to 

get the business started. Thus the doors 

of Schlesingers Wholesale were opened in 

September 1946. 


166

In May 1946 Anthony was married to 

Beatrice DiGiglia from Lake Charles. At the 

time the business opened in Lake Charles, 

Anthony and Beatrice were still living in 

Beaumont and Anthony had returned to his 

pre-war job at Texas Coffee Company. He did 

not join the business until July 1947. Upon his 

arrival he was put in charge of all sales routes 

and business matters. 

Originally the majority of items sold were 

candy and tobacco, but gradually many 

other items were added to the inventory. The 

company now carries everything from Mardi 

Gras supplies to paper goods and everything 

in between. 

During the 1950s a cigarette vending 

machine business, Automatic Cigarette 

Service, was acquired. This was also run by 

Anthony. Later, the business incorporated 

and became Schlesingers Wholesale & 

Automatic Cigarette Service, Inc. 

Some of the early employees were Charlie 

Lupo, Matthew Badolato, Matthew Rideau, 

Antoine Migues, Rabbit Manual, Allen 

Carrier, Allen Desomeaux, Floyd Stutes, Lee 

Gerard, and Craig Gerard. Felix Stone was 

bookkeeper for many years. 

Sometime later Anthony became a third 

partner by buying into the business. 

When Schlesinger was ready to 

retire, Frank and Anthony bought 

him out, although the name 

Schlesinger remains. 

After his father’s death in 1969 

Anthony bought out the entire 

business and became sole owner. 

In the late 1970s Schlesingers 

Wholesale relocated to their new 

building at 1002 Highway 14. 

Anthony’s son, Anthony, Jr., 

started working as a teenager during 

summers and vacation time. 

Upon graduation from school, he 

came into the business full time. 

Grandsons Patrick and Sean 

Diamond also worked in the 

business during their teen 

years. They always valued their 

experience in the business world. 

When Anthony, Sr., retired in 

2007 at the age of eighty-five, 

Anthony, Jr., stepped into his dad’s position. 

He is now vice president and general 

manager of the business. 

Route territories were expanded over 

the years and the company now covers 

approximately a sixty mile radius of the 

Lake Charles area. The business has eight 

employees and five trucks in operation. 

In September 2009, Schlesinger Wholesale 

marked its sixty-third anniversary in business. 

The Fertittas credit their success to faith in 

God and a lot of hard work. 

Below: Left to right, Anthony Fertitta, Jr., 

Anthony Fertitta, Sr., Bea Fertitta and 

Sandra McComb Fertitta. 


167

SOUTHWEST 

BEVERAGE CO., 

INC. 

Left: A route delivery truck c. 1959. 

Right: The original Southwest Beverage 

Company facility on Broad Street in 

Lake Charles. 

As World War II came to a close in the 

mid-1940s, locally brewed beers dominated 

the Louisiana market. Falstaff and Jax, for 

example, held sixty-six percent of the market 

between them, compared with Budweiser’s 

three to four percent market share. 

Concerned over these conditions, August 

Busch, Jr., president of Anheuser-Busch 

Brewing Company, gave existing wholesalers 

the choice of selling Budweiser or Falstaff, but 

not both. They all opted for Falstaff. As a 

result, B. A. Marriner, manager for the beer 

and liquor departments of the wholesale 

house handling Budweiser, was awarded the 

Budweiser distribution rights in early 1954. 

Those rights covered an eleven parish 

territory in Southwest and Central Louisiana. 

Marriner, known as “B. A.” opened locations 

in Lake Charles and Alexandria and, in 1955, 

added Leesville. 

Late in 1959 B. A.’s son, Richard Marriner, 

took a leave from his management duties with 

Standard Oil Company Refinery and helped 

his Dad reorganize the business, introduce 

new brands, move to better locations in 

Alexandria and Leesville, and open a branch 

in Eunice. Richard then returned to Standard 

Oil, where he held top-level positions in New 

York, Holland, and London. 

In 1966, however, B. A.’s failing health presented 

a dilemma for Richard. In those days, 

there were no ‘wholesaler-brewer equity 

agreements’. Regardless of the contribution of 

the wholesaler, they received no compensation 

from the brewer for building the 

business, should the wholesaler wish to cease 

operations. In B. A.’s case, he had built the 

business from 113,000 cases sold in 1954 to 

well over a one million cases in 1967. Richard 

was faced with continuing his career with 

Standard Oil, or coming home to Lake 

Charles and taking over the family business so 

it could survive. 

In January 1967 Richard returned to the 

business hoping to share management 

responsibility with his father. Unfortunately, 

B. A. died on July 2, 1967. 

Despite a 1969 Teamsters strike that closed 

access to breweries for over a month, business 

continued to grow and more products were 

added. During this era, Southwest Beverage 

became one of the first five wholesalers in the 

United States to put handheld computers on 

their routes. 

Southwest Beverage sales reached two 

million cases in 1980. The Lake Charles warehouse 

was full, employees were sharing 

offices and there was no room for expansion. 

Construction began on new facilities and on 

Memorial Day weekend in 1984, the company 

moved into a new seventy-five-thousandsquare-foot 

warehouse in Lake Charles. 

In 1982 Richard’s son, Ben Marriner, graduated 

from college and began his career with 

Southwest Beverage. He had worked in the 

warehouse and on route trucks during school 

and continued to work his way up the line, 

becoming general manager in 1993. 

As business continued to grow Southwest 

Beverage purchased and renovated a warehouse/ 

office facility in Alexandria in 1989. Shortly 

afterward, the Eunice location was closed. 


168

In 1994 sales hit three million cases! 

In 2004, during the celebration of the firm’s 

fiftieth year, Richard assumed the role of 

Chairman of the Board and appointed Ben as 

president of Southwest Beverage. 

In 2008 Southwest Beverage branched out 

and began distributing non-alcoholic products. 

Sales that year reached four million cases. 

In 1954 Southwest Beverage sold only 

two products, Budweiser and Michelob. The 

company had twenty-five employees and 

delivered 116,683 cases of beer. In 1954 the 

average retail price for a case of Budweiser 

was less than five dollars. 

Today Southwest Beverage handles more 

than 105 products and expects to deliver 

4,355,196 cases of beer, 11,840 kegs, and 

18,716 cases of non-alcoholic products to 1,110 

accounts in 2010. The average retail price for 

a case of Budweiser is now twenty dollars. 

Southwest Beverage employs 184 people, 

thirty-seven of whom have been part of the 

Southwest Beverage family for more than 

fifteen years. 

Southwest Beverage is a third generation 

family-owned business with a firm belief that a 

thriving community is an important element 

in its success. The company demonstrates this 

belief through extensive community support 

in all three of its locations: Lake Charles, 

Alexandria, and Leesville. Southwest Beverage 

is a major partner with dozens of local organizations 

that present safe and rewarding events. 

Especially close to the hearts of the owners 

and employees is the support of the Calcasieu 

Association for Retarded Citizens and the 

Southwest Louisiana War Veteran’s Home. 

Southwest Beverage is involved in events such 

as private showings and dinner for the clients 

when The Clydesdale Team is in town and 

sponsors the annual Poker Run fundraiser. 

These events are coordinated entirely by 

employee volunteers and their families and 

have proven both fun and successful. 

The Budweiser presence has been represented 

at many events over the years by The 

Clydesdale Team, Miss Budweiser racing boat, 

NASCAR race car, Bud racing airplane, the 

Bud Light entertainment truck, the Budweiser 

Brewing School, as well as Spuds McKenzie 

and Rhett Budweiser, the ‘walking robot’. 

The Bud Light Daredevils even did a parachute 

drop at the halftime celebration of a 

McNeese Homecoming football game. And, 

the Southwest Beverage 1924 Model ‘T’ Ford 

Beer Truck has been present at many parades 

and festivals throughout the area during the 

past forty-two years. 

B. A.’s motto in his early career was 

“Making Friends is Our Business.” In his 

words, “You know, it all really does come 

down to making friends and providing the 

best customer service possible. We can’t help 

it if we make a lot of friends in bars and at 

special events; Laissez les bon temps rouler!” 

Above: Three generations of leadership— 

B. A. Marriner (pictured), Richard Marriner 

(seated), and Ben Marriner (standing). 

Below: The signature 1924 Budweiser 

Model T driven by “Charlie T” Thomas 

alongside a sixteen-bay 2010 route delivery 

truck at the current Lake Charles facility. 


169

STEAMBOAT 

BILL’S 

Few of the customers enjoying the delicious 

seafood at Steamboat Bill’s on North Lakeshore 

Drive realize that the popular restaurant is 

the culmination of a dream that began twentyeight 

years ago with a road-side shrimp 

peddler named Kathi Bonamici Vidrine. 

It is a story straight out of Hollywood (or 

Louisiana in this case), with a vivacious, hardworking 

heroine determined to overcome all 

the odds and build a successful business. 

The story begins in 1982 when the end 

of an ill-fated marriage found Kathi and her 

three young daughters stranded in Lake 

Charles, far from her home town of Chicago, 

with little money and no friends or family in 

the community. Kathi, however, was driven 

by a strong will for survival and an uncanny 

ability to overcome obstacles that would 

overwhelm less motivated individuals. 

Kathi had a dream of peddling shrimp on 

the side of the road but had only $1,800 to 

her name. Rather than forget her dream, she 

put a little sink in the back of her truck and 

drove to DeRidder each day to sell shrimp by 

the side of the road. Kathi named her business 

Steamboat Bill’s in honor of her father, and 

had the name painted in large letters on the 

side of the truck. 

“I didn’t know if I could sell in Lake 

Charles so I got a license in DeRidder,” Kathi 

explains. “I would go down to Hackberry at 

2:00 a.m. each morning to get the fresh 

shrimp from the boats coming in, come home, 

get my kids off to school, and drive an hour to 

DeRidder to sell my shrimp.” 

After a while, Kathi learned that she could 

qualify for a license to sell shrimp in Lake 

Charles and moved her road-side operation 

closer to home. “I thought that was great 

because I didn’t have to commute to DeRidder 

every day,” she says. 

Kathi’s bubbling personality and strong 

desire to deliver the freshest shrimp possible 

at very reasonable prices quickly gained her 

the respect of customers and fishermen alike. 

The business grew to the point that she called 

on her brother, Billy Bonamici, for help. 

“Billy came down from Vegas without a 

dime in his pocket,” Kathi recalls. “We would 

take turns peddling the shrimp from the back 

of the truck. He would ride the bike out in 

the afternoon to take my place so I could 

make dinner for the girls. He was so loved by 

the customers that he became the face of 

Steamboat Bill’s. Still to this day he is known 

as Brother Billy or Steamboat Bill. He later 

passed away. 

“It was nothing for us to sell a couple of 

hundred pounds at one time,” she says. “We 

met everybody in the whole town and it was 

just wonderful. We developed a one-on-one 

relationship with all the customers.” 

Kathi remembers one lady with several 

children who would come by every afternoon 

about 4 o’clock to buy shrimp. “I told her that 

instead of coming at 4 o’clock, you need to 

come when I’m ready to close up and I’ll 

make you a deal on whatever I have left. I 

gave her a really good deal so she could feed 

her kids.” 


170

In 1982, with her brother’s help, the business 

grew to the point where they needed a 

shrimp dock to supply the demand, and Kathi 

was able to buy a little dock that had been 

closed down. After buying the shrimp dock, she 

and Billy discovered the dock had no refrigeration 

and no way to make ice. “We were able 

to lease a 400 pound ice machine and when 

the first shrimper showed up he took all the 

ice, which wasn’t much. That created another 

dilemma because there wasn’t enough for the 

next shrimper. But we always worked through 

our crisis. The lessons we learn as first-time 

business owners are hysterical looking back 

today. One day a friend showed up and just 

gave us a refrigerated box to store the shrimp,” 

she says. “To this day, he hasn’t let me pay him.” 

Like most small businesses Kathi’s shrimp 

business endured growing pains. She still 

remembers the day her brother called to say 

he needed $2,000 to pay for twenty boxes 

of shrimp. “We didn’t have the money to 

pay these people, so I went to a bank,” she 

explains. “Now, I don’t know the banker from 

Adam. But I go in and tell him, ‘Either I’m 

going to be broke or I’m going to be on my 

way to success. You’re going to make that 

determination today. I need about $2,500 

because I have shrimp sitting at the dock and 

I don’t have the money to pay for them.’” 

The banker, Lee Temple, made the loan and 

it marked the beginning of a growth period for 

the business. He changed her life!! “We started 

buying large amounts of shrimp, because 

everybody knew we were honest and wanted 

to do business with us,” Kathi says. With the 

new growth Kathi recruited her daughters to 

help work and later her Mom and Dad. 

Restrictions on peddling shrimp also 

plagued the growing business, but rather than 

give in to the petty restrictions, Kathi fought 

the ordinances all the way to the Supreme 

Court, and won. 

Finally, in 1984, Kathi’s dream of owning 

her own seafood market came true with the 

opening of Steamboat Bill’s Seafood Market. 

That eventually grew into three Cajun seafood 

restaurants: 1004 North Lakeshore Drive, 

Lake Charles, Louisiana; the corner of Broad 

and Highway 14, Lake Charles, Louisiana; and 

Hendersonville, Tennessee. 

Kathi’s determination to succeed helped 

her overcome major obstacles that would 

have discouraged most people—from one of 

the businesses burning down in a fire, and 

rebuilding, to fighting for her right to peddle 

all the way to the Supreme Court. “I have 

been through it all. 

“It was so much fun doing this because, 

you know what, it was never a day’s work,” 

Kathi says. “It was always a passion. I never 

got into it for money.” 


171

CHAMBER 

SWLA 

On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita 

came ashore wiping out coastal communities 

and causing $10 billion in wind and water 

damage from the coast to miles inland. 

Within days, the Chamber SWLA (Southwest 

Louisiana’s regional chamber) worked with the 

Southwest Louisiana Partnership for Economic 

Development (a public entity funded by 

municipal and parish funds) and local, state 

and federal departments to open the Business 

Recovery Assistance Center in Lake Charles 

(pictured) to serve all Southwest Louisiana 

businesses. During those first few days, the 

Center handled over 2,000 calls and 1,200 

walk-ins, assisting with 360 grant applications 

and 350 Small Business Administration loans. 

While recovering, the region showed an 

unprecedented spirit of cooperation and 

within months, life had returned to a semblance 

of normalcy as the businesses, organizations 

and government systems of Southwest 

Louisiana got back to business. A little over a 

year later, as part of region’s ongoing cooperative 

spirit, the Chamber SWLA, its Economic 

Development Foundation, and the 

Southwest Louisiana Partnership for 

Economic Development combined 

resources in October 2006 to form 

the Southwest Louisiana Economic 

Development Alliance. This new 

coalition focuses on economic development 

efforts within the region 

determined to strengthen business 

recruiting and retention efforts 

for Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, 

Cameron, and Jeff Davis Parishes. 

Today the SWLA Alliance hosts 

hundreds of events, promotes our 

region at national conventions and in national 

publications, and meets with site selectors and 

investors interested in our region. The Alliance 

is funded through the Chamber SWLA membership 

and public and private investors 

through the Foundation because, as a coalition 

of businesses and organizations, we are able 

to do more than one person can do alone to 

ensure a prosperous future for Southwest 

Louisiana. With our thoughts focused on the 

future, we nurture the upcoming crop of 

entrepreneurs, showcase the availability of wellpaying 

local careers for the next generation 

of workers, and highlight the importance of 

national and international trade. The Alliance 

also maintains accurate databases on the industries, 

demographics, and available sites and 

buildings throughout the region for use by the 

public and potential investors. 

Currently the Alliance with the Calcasieu 

Parish Police Jury, the City of Lake Charles, 

and McNeese State University is developing 

a one-stop economic development center 

for Southwest Louisiana called the SEED 

(Southwest Louisiana Entrepreneurial and 

Economic Development) Center. The estimated 

size is 50,000 square feet and it will be 

comprised of facilities for developing businesses 

(incubator offices, labs and workshops), 

conference and training rooms, classrooms, 

and offices for McNeese State University School 

of Business, the University’s Small Business 

Development Center, The Alliance, and the 

IMCAL Regional Planning Commission. 

Through the efforts of the Alliance, 

Southwest Louisiana has an advocate for 

growth, expansion, and progress. 


172

Southland Coins and Collectibles is a unique 

business that specializes in rare coins and 

currency, gold and silver bullion, Civil War 

memorabilia, and other rare historical 

documents. Owner Malcolm Self realized a 

long-term dream when he moved into his own 

building at 4670 Lake Street in 2008. Malcolm 

recalls how his love of coins began: 

When I was five years old, my dad brought 

home a large bag of coins and dumped them 

on the kitchen table. I was mesmerized. Dad 

then pulled out several books with holes in 

which the coins would fit. He showed me how 

to read numbers and dates and asked me to 

help him fill in the coin books. I was hooked. 

For the next ten years, I spent my entire 

allowance buying coins. When I was fifteen, I 

set up a table at my first coin show; it was a 

huge rush. I knew then that I wanted to own 

my own coin business someday. 

Buying and selling coins became more than 

a hobby. I paid for college doing what I loved. 

I graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 

Chemical Engineering. Working as an engineer 

would pay the bills while I learned the ropes to 

being a full-time coin dealer. 

selling coins on the Internet; and Malcolm saw 

the future. 

Through the World Wide Web, Southland 

Coins has become an international business. 

Since 1999 sales have increased an average of 

twenty-two percent a year. In 1999, ninety 

percent of Southland Coins’ customers came 

through the front door. By 2009, ninety percent 

of its customers span the globe. 

Malcolm concludes by saying, “I had the help 

and support of great mentors. My wife Donna 

and my father Marvin are at the top of the list. 

My dad’s advice on business and the economy 

have been invaluable. With the help of God and 

my family, I will continue to be successful in life 

as well as in business. How sweet it is!” 

For additional information, check out 

Southland Coins at www.southlandcoins.net. 

SOUTHLAND 

COINS & 

COLLECTIBLES 

Southland Coins and Collectibles opened 

in 1985 at a weekend flea market. After two 

years, Malcolm knew it was time to quit his 

job as an engineer and go for the gold, so 

to speak. He resigned on February 15, 1987, 

incorporated the business, and opened its 

doors at a shopping center on May 1, 1987. 

The nation was in the middle of a recession, 

and keeping the business open proved to be 

a challenge. In addition, Malcolm had a wife 

and two children to support. Failure was 

not an option for Malcolm, and, as he says, 

“I loved every minute of it.” 

Despite the stagnating economy in the Lake 

Area, Southland Coins and Collectibles 

continued to grow, and Malcolm hired his first 

full-time employee. By 1999, however, the 

business seemed to stall. Malcolm’s nephew, 

Derek, who worked part-time at Southland 

Coins while attending McNeese State 

University, suggested that Malcolm try selling 

coins on the Internet. After several weeks, 

Derek proved that he could make a profit 


173

MCDONALD’S 

OF SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA 

Above: Melvin Gehrig, Sr. 

Below: Doug Gehrig. 

The McDonald’s of Southwest Louisiana 

organization is comprised of the McDonald’s 

restaurants in Calcasieu Parish; currently 

eleven stores. 

At the conception Melvin Gehrig, Sr., and his 

wife, Eleanor, operated a meat processing plant 

in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but wanted to move 

south to a warmer climate. To achieve those 

goals, and once having owned a restaurant, they 

pursued a McDonald’s franchise. McDonald’s 

awarded the franchise to Melvin for the first store 

in Lake Charles, which opened on July 12, 1972. 

Lake Charles supported the first McDonald’s. 

And, with the operations and business as 

successful as they were, McDonald’s awarded 

Melvin another franchise in 1975, this one on 

Ruth Street in Sulphur. At this time, Melvin 

invited his second son, Doug, to come and work 

with him in the business, as a third store was on 

the horizon. Doug graduated from the University 

of Illinois in 1972 with a degree in mechanical 

engineering and worked in the engineering field 

for three years before joining his father’s 

business. Doug also had restaurant experience 

from working in several restaurants and food 

services during his high school and college years. 

In the first years of McDonald’s in Lake 

Charles, and then through 2002, three other 

siblings also operated stores in the parish. As 

of 2003, Doug had purchased all the stores 

from family members and built several new 

sites, totaling eleven franchises. Doug remains 

the only owner/operator in the family. Gerard 

Mack, a long time employee of Doug and 

previously by his father, is also a stockholder 

in five of these McDonald’s. 

Today sales are more than $24 million 

annually, which represents over four million 

customer visits. McDonald’s currently employs 

more than 550 people and has a payroll in 

excess of $6 million annually. The Gehrigs 

have employed in excess of 23,000 Calcasieu 

Parish residents in its thirty-eight year history. 

Currently two new store locations are 

being considered for McDonald’s in Calcasieu 

Parish. One has been approved and may be 

built this year in the western edge of the 

parish near the Texas border; this will also be 

owned and operated by Doug; and one in 

Lake Charles sometime in the next few years, 

depending on the city’s growth. Sometime this 

year, or early in 2011, the original store on 

Prien Lake Road will be demolished and 

rebuilt in the new McDonald’s style. 

The Gehrig organizations have supported 

many functions and charities in Lake Charles 

over the past thirty-eight years. Just last year 

alone, support of organizations in surrounding 

communities exceeded $50,000, all from the start 

of one Gehrig-owned McDonald’s in Southwest 

Louisiana. The Gehrig family would like to thank 

the Lake Area for the support it has received 

through the years and the continued patronage. 

The office of McDonald’s of Southwest 

Louisiana has been on Common Street in Lake 

Charles for thirty years. In late 2008 the office 

was relocated to 3414 Common Street, just five 

blocks south. 

For more information, check the website at 

www.mcdswla.com. 


174

Simple. Fast. Easy. Free. Those four words 

succinctly describe how The User-Friendly 

Phone Book has helped connect local buyers 

with local sellers for nearly a century. 

The User-Friendly Phone Book (UFPB) is 

a leading independent publisher of yellow 

page directories that sells local Yellow Page 

advertising and distributes more than six 

million phone books in eight states across 

36 markets. UFPB was formed in 1999 with 

the launch of User-Friendly Yellow Pages in 

Lake Charles. But, the company has Gulf 

Coast roots dating back to 1928 as Cameron 

Communications, a division of the Cameron 

Telephone Company, a privately owned family 

business founded to serve Louisiana’s 

emerging oil industry. 

Cameron Communication’s directory 

publishing business for Yellow Page 

advertising flourished over the decades 

and by the mid 1990s, the company’s 

president at the time and current CEO 

Bruce Howard conceived the “User-Friendly” 

concept of a phone book that would offer the 

following features: 

• a unique and simple format with easy-toread 

large print 

• colorful cut-out tabs 

• money-saving coupons 

• menu guides 

• robust community guide information. 

The User-Friendly Phone Book has been 

voted the best phone book for the past seven 

years in a poll by Lagniappe Magazine. 

In November 2003 Cameron Communications 

spun off its successful directory publishing 

business. At that time, Veronis Suhler 

Stevenson, traditionally a media industryfocused 

financial institution, took a major 

interest in the company. UFPB is now a portfolio 

company of VS&A Communications 

Partners III, LP, which is the private equity affiliate 

of media industry merchant bank Veronis 

Suhler Stevenson. 

Determined to provide top quality service, 

even in times of adversity, UFPB responded 

quickly when Hurricane Rita devastated 

Cameron Parish in 2005. The company made 

arrangements for all of their displaced 

employees to work in other markets until 

their home areas were restored. For the many 

local businesses in Cameron Parish who 

were nearly wiped out by the storm, UFPB 

representatives created advertising solutions 

that helped local business owners rebuild 

their business. 

In 2008 UFPB created an Internet division 

of the company. GoLocal247.com is a local 

community website centered around a robust 

business directory. Lake Charles residents 

could now go to LakeCharles247.com to search 

for local business information and reviews, 

download coupons for use at local businesses, 

post classified ads for free, browse a calendar of 

events and job listings, and stay caught up on 

local news and weather headlines. 

UFPB has regional offices in Lake Charles, 

Alexandria, Shreveport and Beaumont, Texas. 

The Lake Charles sales office is located at 

4835 Ihles Road and is home to Area Sales 

Manager Rebecca Krause and Vice President 

of Sales Jennifer Robbins. The staff includes 

six sales representatives and two sales support 

team members. 

The User-Friendly Phone Book is published 

each June and has a total circulation of 

130,000 phone books in the greater Lake 

Charles area. 

For more information about UFPB, please 

visit www.theuserfriendlyphonebook.com, 

or check out its local community sites 

at lakecharles247.com, alexandria247.com, 

beaumont247.com, and shreveport247.com. 

THE USER- 

FRIENDLY 

PHONE BOOK 

Left to right: Lisa Carr, regional office 

coordinator; Dave Lambert, CFO; Jennifer 

Robbins, vice president sales; Bruce 

Howard, CEO; Rebecca Krause, area sales 

manager Lake Charles and Jackie Hebert, 

account manager Lake Charles. 


175

LAKE CHARLES 

COCA-COLA 

BOTTLING 

COMPANY 

Below: Lake Charles poster celebrating 

100 years. 

Bottom: Baby bulk on Lake 

Charles waterfront. 

Coca-Cola bubbles in the veins of southwest 

Louisiana—a consistent backdrop for the 

community since 1907, supporting families, 

businesses, and civic events. The family-owned 

Lake Charles Coca-Cola Bottling Company 

serves four parishes, employs 140 employees 

who distribute over 300 product brands, and 

operates from a 150,000 square foot plant. Most 

important, however, Coca-Cola rarely misses an 

opportunity to give back to its loyal community. 

Coca-Cola is one of the first to support 

organizations that touch the lives of 

thousands of southwest Louisiana locals every 

day. Through cash and product donations 

Coca-Cola helps make dreams come true 

and strengthens charitable and education 

institutions with an I’d like to buy the 

world a Coke attitude. Some partners 

include Boy and Girl Scouts, Red Cross, 

United Way, the Lake Charles Symphony, 

numerous festivals across the four-parish 

area, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, 

all area schools, Calcasieu Council on 

Aging, Children’s Miracle Network, the 

SWLA Livestock Show and Rodeo, and 

the Wishing Well Foundation. 

Lake Charles Coca-Cola also donated 

$25,000 to the Second Millennium Park 

Project, partnered with United Way to 

bring the Olympic Torch to Lake Charles, 

held an appraisal fair for Coca-Cola 

antiques and collectibles, sponsored 

McNeese State University home opener 

football games—including tailgate parties, 

parachutists, jambalaya, and, of 

course, Coca-Cola. 

The first Lake Charles Coca- 

Cola bottling plant opened in 

1907 at about the same time 

the “good to the last drop” soda 

fountain drink filled bottles 

distributed across America, 

Canada, and South America. As 

the world recognized the 

familiar Coke bottle shape, the 

Lake Charles plant shaped 

southwest Louisiana even in 

the early days, distributing cases 

of green bottles rattling against 

each other in open-racked 

trucks. The bottling plant 

remained a steadfast icon in Lake Charles, 

serving up “ice cold sunshine” (a 1932 slogan) 

through two world wars, the 1930s depression, 

huge cultural changes between the 1950s 

through the 1990s, and on into the second 

millennium. Still owned by the Crawford T. 

Johnson family for over 100 years, the 

company adjusts to trends in taste, yet hangs 

on to nostalgic brands. Some old favorites still 

distributed by Lake Charles Coca-Cola are 

Delaware Punch, Tab, Mello Yello, and Big 

Red; newer pumped-up brands include Full 

Throttle, Monster, Gold Peak Tea, and Enviga. 

Many locals’ childhood memories include 

Coca-Cola. The solid brick plant on Lawrence 

Street was fascinating for children who stood 

against the bronze rail of the carousel 

watching bottles fill with dark caramel 

colored Coke; usually visitors were handed a 

free bottle—quite a treat especially during 

the depression days. Others remember the 

old nickel Coke machines at hardware and 

grocery stores that were as much fun to 

operate as drinking the Coca-Cola itself— 

drop a nickel in the slot and open the door to 

an ice cold Coke, or slide a bottle round and 

round a rack until the cold bottle was freed 

into your hands. The Lawrence Street bottling 

plant was even refuge to some families during 

Hurricane Audrey in 1957. 

Coca-Cola played a major role in many 

lives and it still does. One family remembers 

Mom packing fried chicken, potato salad, 

and green glass six-ounce bottles of Coke 

in a red Coca-Cola cooler. The cooler went 

everywhere—crabbing in local bayous, 

picnics in the parks, or on road trips to 

Grandma’s. Even the bottoms of the 

returnable bottles were little geography 

lessons marked with their cities of origin. 

Today Lake Charles Coca-Cola is still The 

Real Thing, distributing in Allen, Calcasieu, 

Cameron, and Jeff Davis Parishes. It continues 

to support the community hand in hand 

with other business and charitable partners. 

Like the 1993 slogan Always Coca-Cola 

implies, Lake Charles Coca-Cola employees are 

passionate about keeping their products within 

“an arm’s reach of desire,” making Lake Charles 

Coca-Cola Bottling an iconic, stable place to 

support families and southwest Louisiana. 


176

On Valentine’s Day in 1928, when City 

Savings Bank obtained its state charter to 

conduct business in Louisiana, its mission was 

to serve the heart of Southwest Louisiana—its 

working people and small businesses. Later 

that year, in May, when the bank opened its 

doors for business in Beauregard Parish, 

the country was headed toward the worst 

economic crisis in its history—the Great 

Depression. Sound judgments and prudent 

banking decisions by P. W. West, the bank’s 

first president and chairman of the board, 

along with the bank’s board of directors and 

management, helped City Savings Bank grow 

and succeed in the turbulent 1930s. 

While federal regulators were closing 

banks across the country City Savings Bank 

was growing and serving its customers. City 

Savings Bank now has the distinction of 

being one of the oldest banks operating in 


In the years following City Savings Bank 

has stayed true to its mission of serving 

Southwest Louisiana’s working people and 

small businesses. The bank has provided an 

ever-growing list of financial services, from 

the most basic checking account to the newest 

online banking services. 

City Savings Bank now has full-service 

branches in DeRidder, Leesville, DeQuincy, 

Moss Bluff, Sulphur and Lake Charles. City 

Savings Financial Services, a subsidiary of 

City Savings Bank, offers access to a complete 

line of brokerage and investment services 

through a partnership with UVEST Financial 

Services, a registered broker-dealer and 

member of NASD and SIPC. City Savings 

Financial Services also offers competitive rates 

and personal service on insurance coverage 

for individuals and businesses. 

Glen Bertrand, the president and CEO of 

City Savings Bank, has assembled a team of 

bankers that has helped City Savings Bank 

become one of the top-performing community 

banks in the country. Bauer Financial Reports 

and Bankrate.com have both awarded City 

Savings Bank five-star ratings for safety, 

strength and performance. American Banker 

has named City Savings Bank as one of the 

United States’ top community banks and thrifts 

with the highest returns on average assets. 

Independent Banker has listed City Savings 

Bank among the top 400 community bank 

performers and ranked the bank as fifteen 

within its category on return on assets (ROA). 

City Savings Bank has also been recognized 

locally. The Beauregard Parish Police Jury 

presented the bank with the first General 

Beauregard Award for Business Achievement 

and the Greater Beauregard Parish Chamber 

of Commerce has named City Savings Bank as 

a Business of the Year. 

In keeping with an eighty year tradition 

everyone at City Savings Bank lives and breathes 

the bank’s philosophy toward its customers: 

“We work for you!” You are invited to drop by 

any of the bank’s branches to experience this 

philosophy in person. To find a location near 

you, visit www.citysavingsbank.com. 

CITY SAVINGS 

BANK 


177

SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA 

ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT 

ALLIANCE 

Above: Business Recovery Center in Lake 

Charles, Louisiana. 

Below: Southwest Louisiana Entrepreneurial 

and Economic Development Center. 

On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita 

came ashore wiping out coastal communities 

and causing $10 billion in wind and water 

damage from the coast to miles inland. 

Within days, the Chamber SWLA 

(Southwest Louisiana’s regional chamber) 

worked with the Southwest Louisiana 

Partnership for Economic Development (a 

public entity funded by municipal and parish 

funds) and local, state and federal departments 

to open the Business Recovery 

Assistance Center in Lake Charles (pictured) 

to serve all Southwest Louisiana businesses. 

During those first few days, the Center handled 

over 2,000 calls and 1,200 walk-ins, 

assisting with 360 grant applications and 350 

Small Business Administration loans. 

While recovering the region showed an 

unprecedented spirit of cooperation and, 

within months, life had returned to a semblance 

of normalcy as the businesses, organizations 

and government systems of Southwest 

Louisiana got back to business. A little over 

a year later, as part of region’s ongoing 

cooperative spirit, the Chamber SWLA, its 

Economic Development Foundation, and 

the Southwest Louisiana Partnership for 

Economic Development combined resources 

in October 2006 to form the Southwest 

Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. 

This new coalition focuses on economic 

development efforts within the region determined 

to strengthen business recruiting and 

retention efforts for Allen, Beauregard, 

Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jeff Davis Parishes. 

Today the SWLA Alliance hosts hundreds 

of events, promotes our region at 

national conventions and in national publications, 

and meets with site selectors 

and investors interested in our region. 

The Alliance is funded through the 

Chamber SWLA membership and public and 

private investors through the Foundation 

because, as a coalition of businesses and 

organizations, we are able to do more than 

one person can do alone to ensure a prosperous 

future for Southwest Louisiana. With our 

thoughts focused on the future, we nurture 

the upcoming crop of entrepreneurs, showcase 

the availability of well-paying local 

careers for the next generation of workers, 

and highlight the importance of national and 

international trade. The Alliance also maintains 

accurate databases on the industries, 

demographics, and available sites and buildings 

throughout the region for use by the 

public and potential investors. 

Currently the Alliance with the Calcasieu 

Parish Police Jury, the City of Lake Charles, 

and McNeese State University is developing a 

one-stop economic development center for 

Southwest Louisiana called the SEED (Southwest 

Louisiana Entrepreneurial and Economic 

Development) Center. The estimated size is 

50,000 square feet and will be comprised of 

facilities for developing businesses (incubator 

offices, labs and workshops), conference and 

training rooms, classrooms, 

and offices for McNeese State 

University School of Business, 

the University’s Small Business 

Development Center, the SWLA 

Alliance, and the IMCAL 

Regional Planning Commission. 

Through the efforts of the 

Alliance, Southwest Louisiana 

has an advocate for growth, 

expansion, and progress. 


178

SCOFIELD, 

GERARD, 

SINGLETARY & 

POHORELSKY 

ATTORNEYS AT 

LAW, L.L.C. 

Scofield, Gerard is one of the oldest law firms 

in Louisiana, dating from 1876 when Franklin 

A. Gallaugher moved to Lake Charles from East 

Baton Rouge Parish and established a law practice. 

At the time, Calcasieu Parish was known as 

the Imperial Calcasieu and included the area 

now occupied by Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, 

Cameron and Jefferson Davis Parishes. 

Many prominent members of the bar, distinguished 

jurists and community pioneers 

have been associated with the firm over the 

years, including Arsene P. Pujo, a Louisiana 

Congressman from 1903-1913; Lieutenant 

Colonel Gabriel Fournet, Clement D. Moss, 

and Thomas F. Porter, all of whom went on to 

serve as judges. 

Although the firm has a long history its 

members employ the latest proven technological 

advances to enhance their practice and 

better serve their clients. 

Since its inception Scofield, Gerard has 

maintained a diversified legal practice, representing 

and counseling clients in a broad spectrum 

of litigation, corporate, commercial, real 

estate, financial, energy, tax, and other matters. 

The firm takes pride in offering innovative, 

solution-oriented representation, advice, and 

planning geared to its client’s particular needs. 

Scofield, Gerard’s attorneys have strong 

roots in Southwest Louisiana; they were born 

here, raised here and elected to return here to 

practice law and raise their families. They 

thoroughly understand the culture, community, 

and history of the region. 

The depth and quality of Scofield, Gerard’s 

legal expertise is unmatched. The firm has 

been awarded Martindale-Hubbell’s highest 

rating from the inception of its ranking system. 

Several of the firm’s members have been 

recognized in Smith and Naifeh’s Best Lawyers, 

one of the oldest and most respected peerreview 

publications in the legal profession. 

Scofield, Gerard is very involved in community, 

charitable and professional activities. 

Its members have been active in many community 

organizations, local charities, McNeese 

State University, churches, and private school 

boards. Its members also hold, or have held, 

offices in the state and local bar associations 

and in other key professional organizations. 

For more information about Scofield, Gerard, 

check their website at www.scofieldgerard.com. 


179

SOUTHWEST 

LOUISIANA 

CREDIT UNION 

Above: The humble beginnings of PPG 

Employees Credit Union. 

Below: Southwest Louisiana Credit Union is 

expanding for the future. 

Southwest Louisiana Credit Union 

was organized in 1952 by a small 

group of PPG Industries employees 

with a common vision: to charter a 

credit union to serve their fellow 

employees’ financial needs. Then 

known as Columbia Southern Credit 

Union, the organization was founded 

as a state chartered credit union 

and began business in a small office 

inside the production facility. From 

the very beginning, the Credit Union’s philosophy 

was “People Helping People” and its 

mission was to provide quality financial 

services to its members. 

The original Board of Directors included 

Edward B. Cloutman, Walter Melton, Arthur 

W. Compton, A. T. Raetzsch, and Ralph Agate. 

In the early years all loans had to be approved 

by the Board of Directors and loans over $300 

had to be secured by collateral. The Credit 

Union’s first loan was made November 17, 

1952. In two short months, the organization 

had 117 members and total assets of 

$3,100.20. The balance of loans outstanding 

was $3,046.60. 

In 1973 the Credit Union changed its 

name to PPG Employees Credit Union to 

reflect the change in the name of the facility. 

PPG Employees Credit Union continued to 

experience prosperity and growth over the 

years and, in 1997, a new main office was 

opened at 4056 Ryan Street in Lake Charles. 

This move allowed the Credit Union to 

expand its services to members in the Lake 

Charles area. 

In 2004 the Credit Union once again 

changed its name to Southwest Louisiana 

Credit Union to better appeal to its numerous 

additional member companies. In 2006 an 

additional office was opened in the Sulphur 

Community at 101 North Cities Service 

Highway. In addition to this location, the 

Credit Union also maintains a branch at its 

original Westlake location at 884 PPG Drive. 

Southwest Louisiana Credit Union is a voluntary, 

cooperative organization, offering 

financial services to people willing to accept 

the responsibilities and benefits of membership, 

without gender, social, racial, political 

or religious discrimination. The Credit Union 

operates as a not-for-profit institution governed 

by a volunteer Board of Directors. The 

Credit Union returns most of its profits to its 

members in the form of dividends. 

Today the Credit Union serves more than 

11,400 members and maintains assets of 

over 49 million. To secure its steady growth 

and give back to its members, Southwest 

Louisiana Credit Union has been on the forefront 

of product expansion. The Credit 

Union’s array of financial products now 

includes IRA’s, money market accounts, share 

draft accounts, debit cards, credit cards, 

online banking, a variety of consumer loans 

such as auto loans, real estate loans, and 

numerous ATM locations. 

As the twenty-first century unfolds, technology 

will continue to complement the 

delivery of financial products. The Credit 

Union embraces these advances but will 

never abandon our commitment to one-onone 

personal service. 

For more information about Southwest 

Louisiana Credit Union, check their website 

at www.swlacu.com. 


180

Established in 1873 and incorporated by the 

State of Louisiana in 1892, Krause & Managan 

Lumber Co., Limited is one of the oldest 

business firms in the state. The company, with 

extensive holdings throughout the region, is 

involved in rental property, pine reforestation, 

wetland mitigation, rice farming, cattle production, 

residential and commercial development 

and construction demolition disposal facilities. 

The founders of the business were Allen J. 

Perkins and Charles Miller, who started a 

small sawmill in Westlake in 1873. The name 

of the firm was changed to Perkins & Miller 

Lumber Company, Limited, in 1892, as one of 

the largest mills in the area. The company’s 

present name was adopted in 1906 when 

William H. Managan and Rudolph Krause, 

Sr., as employees, purchased the firm. 

They remained engaged in sawmill, timber, 

lumberyard and commissary ventures. The 

partners bought cut-over timberland when it 

was really cheap, and purchased marshland, 

knowing it would someday have great value. 

They recognized the need for a canal system 

to furnish fresh water to rice crops and 

built the Houston River Canal System, later 

purchased by the state to furnish water to 

various industries. The partners started some 

of the first retail lumber stores and recognized 

the need to diversify their operations to 

include rice and soybean farming, oil leases, 

subdivision planning, and sale of trees on 

their timberland to other millers. 

According to company lore, the night 

before Managan was to start a new job as a 

bookkeeper with Perkins & Miller, Perkins 

son, Reese, was shot and killed in the street in 

front of the hotel/saloon where Managan 

was staying. Young Reese Perkins was an heir 

to Allen Perkins, a half owner of the firm. One 

of the probable results of the unfortunate 

shooting death was that the business 

ultimately was sold to Krause and Managan. 

Although they were partners for forty-five 

years, the two men always referred to each 

other as Mr. Managan and Mr. Krause. 

In addition to Krause and Managan, key 

individuals in the growth and development of 

Krause & Managan Lumber over the years 

have included A. J. Perkins, Charles Miller, 

William R. Mayo, Daniel Goos, W. B. Norris, 

Jacob Ryan, H. C. Drew, Elly Dees, George 

Locke, William H. Managan, Jr., R. E. 

Managan, and William R. Hays, Jr. 

Krause & Managan opened a new, modern 

lumberyard in Lake Charles in 1927 and 

became instrumental in development of pine 

reforestation, development of the Port of Lake 

Charles site, and development of the site for 

the Olin alkali plant and many other local 

refinery sites. 

Krause & Managan overcame severe setbacks 

during the Great Depression but survived and 

prospered, experiencing a fifty percent growth 

in assets over the last fifteen years. Today, the 

company has twenty employees and generates 

annual revenues exceeding $1.5 million. The 

firm is headquartered at 1895 North Beglis 

Parkway in Sulphur. 

Krause & Managan is now directed by 

William Reid Hays, Jr., the great-grandson of 

William H. Managan, Sr. 

KRAUSE & MANAGAN 

LUMBER CO., LIMITED 

O PERATIONS AND D IVISIONS 

Construction Dirt Sales 

Wetland Mitigation Property 

Construction Debris Landfill 

Land and Timber Management 

Commercial Rental Property 

Farms and Cattle Production 

Recreational Rental Property 


181


182

Building a Greater 


Southwest Louisiana’s real estate developers, 

construction companies, heavy industries, 

and manufacturers provide the 

SPECIAL 

THANKS TO 

economic foundation of the region 

Cheniere Energy, Inc. .................................................................184 

Ribbeck Construction Corporation ................................................188 

Mallett Buildings, LLC. ..............................................................192 

Cameron Communications, LLC....................................................196 

CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex.................................200 

Levingston Engineers, Inc. 

Levingston Group, LLC..........................................................202 

Northrop Grumman Technical Services ..........................................204 

Sweet Lake Land & Oil Company .................................................206 

Talen’s Marine & Fuel ................................................................208 

Dunham Price Group, LLC ..........................................................210 

R. E. Heidt Construction Co., Inc. ............................................212 

Pumpelly Oil Company. ..............................................................214 

D. W. Jessen & Associates, LLC Civil and Consulting Engineers ........215 

Brossett Architect, LLC ..............................................................216 

Myers Group, Inc. d/b/a Myrtis Mueller Realty ..............................217 

J. A. Davis Properties, L.L.C. ......................................................218 

Cameron LNG 

Cheniere Energy, Inc. 

Sasol North America, Inc. 

BUILDING A GREATER SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA 

183

CHENIERE 

ENERGY, INC. 

Sabine Pass storage tanks hold 

approximately 17 billion cubic feet 

equivalent of LNG. 

Cameron Parish, Louisiana, is the home of 

the Sabine Pass LNG terminal, which is 

located on 853 acres along the Sabine Pass 

River on the border between Texas and 

Louisiana. Only 3.7 miles from open water 

and twenty-three nautical miles from the 

outer buoy, it is located at the widest point on 

the Sabine River Navigation Channel. The 

channel is maintained to a depth of forty feet 

and is not subject to tidal limitations. The 

Sabine Pass LNG terminal is connected to the 

existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure via 

the ninety-four mile, forty-two inch diameter 

Creole Trail Pipeline. This pipeline begins at 

the Sabine Pass LNG terminal and continues 

eastward to the Calcasieu Ship Channel. The 

pipeline then turns north through Calcasieu 

Lake, where it turns in a northeast direction 

and terminates in Gillis, Louisiana, 

connecting to several customer receiving 

points along the way, enabling Sabine Pass 

LNG to provide natural gas to many 

downstream market points. 

Development of the plans for the Sabine 

Pass LNG terminal and Creole Trail Pipeline 

began in 1999. After a rigorous regulatory 

approval process, construction began in April 

2005. At the height of construction, there 

were nearly 1,600 people working at the site. 

The first commissioning cargo was received 

at the Sabine Pass terminal in April 2008 and 

it became officially “open for business.” 

Construction of the terminal was completed 

by mid-2009, bringing the total send-out 

capacity to 4.0 Bcf/d and making Sabine Pass 

the largest terminal in the world. Sabine Pass 

was also the first U.S. terminal to receive an 

LNG cargo on the newly built Q-Flex and 

Q-Max vessels, ushering in an exciting new 

generation of larger ships transporting LNG 

around the world. 

The Sabine Pass LNG terminal and Creole 

Trail Pipeline were developed by Cheniere 

Energy, Inc., a Houston-based energy company. 

In the beginning, Cheniere was focused on oil 

and natural gas exploration, developing drilling 

prospects in southern Louisiana and offshore in 

Louisiana state waters. The company’s small, yet 

experienced management team joined together 

in 1996 to fund an exploration project—the 

Cameron Project—which would evaluate, 

explore and develop prospects in the area. 

Cheniere and its partner acquired a 230 square 

mile proprietary 3-D seismic survey and 

generated several drilling prospects. 

During 1999 the company licensed 8,800 

square miles of seismic data in the shallow 

waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and using leadingedge 

technology, reprocessed the database to 

achieve better quality, more accurate images of 

potential reservoirs than conventional processing 

could provide. In 2000, using the same 

advanced technology, Cheniere started a new 

offshore exploration project in the Gulf of 

Mexico and acquired licenses to 6,800 square 

miles of seismic data, reprocessed the data and 

generated prospects, providing production 

revenue to the company through various 

royalties and working interests. This second 

offshore project continued into 2008. 

By the late 1990s U.S. natural gas drilling 

was yielding less production per well at higher 

costs. The existing wells were in decline, but 

demand for energy was continuing to escalate. 

Since domestic gas production alone could not 

sustain North America’s growing energy needs 

at affordable prices, importing natural gas—in 

the form of liquefied natural gas or LNG—was 

seen as one solution to supplement indigenous 

natural gas production. 

In 1999 only two terminals in North America 

were receiving LNG, Everett LNG in Boston, 


184

Massachusetts, and Trunkline LNG in Lake 

Charles, Louisiana. These two terminals 

combined satisfied less than one-half of one 

percent of the natural gas consumed in 

North America. Rising natural gas prices were 

improving the economic feasibility of delivering 

LNG to North America, but new receiving 

terminals were needed to increase imports. 

Cheniere began to evaluate suitable real estate 

for LNG terminals, determined to provide the 

capacity needed for North America to access 

the global natural gas market. 

Cheniere sought sites with deep water, 

protected ports, close proximity to open water, 

and large acreage to take advantage of 

economies of scale, easy interconnection with 

local natural gas markets and existing take-away 

pipelines, and community support for an LNG 

development project. The Gulf Coast offered 

these advantages for infrastructure development 

and, by 2001 Cheniere had assembled an 

experienced LNG project development team 

and identified possible locations for its LNG 

terminal projects. 

Cheniere selected two sites in Cameron 

Parish, Louisiana—one on the Sabine River 

and one on the Calcasieu River. Louisiana 

has strong local markets and existing, 

underutilized connecting pipeline systems 

serving the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, 

Gulf Coast, Canadian, and Mexican markets, 

which together make up seventy-five percent 

of the annual North American gas demand. 

Cheniere’s philosophy has always been to 

build only in communities that fully embrace its 

presence. Local residents welcomed the secure 

job base and increased tax benefits that construction 

and operations would provide. In 

December 2003, Cheniere submitted applications 

for permits to build the Sabine Pass LNG 

terminal, and its related pipeline, to the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission. Strong support 

from Cameron Parish, Johnson Bayou and 

Pleasure Island, communities located near the 

new LNG terminal site, was a significant contributor 

to an unprecedentedly quick permitting 

time. In April 2005 construction of the Sabine 

Pass LNG terminal began. 

Cheniere has a strong commitment to 

the communities surrounding the company’s 

projects. In September 2005, when the 

construction of the Sabine Pass LNG terminal 

was barely underway, Hurricane Rita devastated 

Cameron Parish. Cheniere wanted to contribute 

to the rebuilding of Cameron Parish in a 

significant way, so it did something no other 

company in Louisiana has ever done—offered 

to accelerate its property tax payments. 

Under the standard ten year property tax 

abatement agreement, the terminal was not 

required to begin paying property taxes until 

2019. To help the Parish recover from the 

hurricane, Cheniere offered to begin paying $2.5 

million per year for ten years, beginning in 2007. 

This required passing a special bill through the 

Louisiana State Legislature, which was passed in 

the summer of 2007 and resulted in eleven 

agreements and a total of 780 signatures. 

A ceremony at the historic Cameron Parish 

Courthouse on November 2, 2007, brought 

community leaders and state elected officials 

together to celebrate the first payments to local 

taxing authorities under Cheniere’s new 

Cooperative Endeavor and PILOT Agreements. 

The ceremony commemorated the successful 

completion of nearly two years’ work by 

Cheniere, state and local officials, and Cameron 

Parish taxing authorities. Cheniere’s Chairman 

and CEO, Charif Souki, praised the can-do 

spirit of the community and stressed the importance 

of Cameron Parish as an energy provider 

to the country. “Cameron Parish is incredibly 

Left: Channel view of Sabine Pass terminal 

shows close proximity to U.S. Gulf Coast. 

Right: Sabine Pass LNG unloads the first 

Q-Max sized vessel to call on a 

U.S. Terminal. 


185

Left: Cheniere contributes resources to 

build a much needed health clinic to 

the community. 

Right: Aerial view of the seventy acre 

mosaic of wetlands constructed south of the 

Sabine Pass LNG terminal. 

important to the whole nation,” he said. “You 

provide something essential to the rest of the 

country. We have a mission to make Cameron 

Parish the best place to live in Louisiana.” 

Cheniere’s dedication to post-hurricane 

reconstruction in Cameron Parish included a 

wide range of community building projects, the 

refurbishment of local school gyms, the installment 

of temporary school buildings, and construction 

of a much needed rural health clinic. 

Cheniere learned of the need for additional 

healthcare in the area while developing the LNG 

facilities. Conversations with residents revealed 

that some had to drive more than forty miles to 

get prescriptions filled or to see a nurse for a 

routine checkup. The decision to help provide 

resources to build this facility was an easy one 

for the company. In September 2007 Cheniere 

joined local and state leaders to dedicate the 

Johnson Bayou Rural Health Clinic to the 

community to provide needed urgent and 

preventative care to the area. 

Cheniere believes that education is the 

foundation of a strong community, and looks 

for ways to enhance education through 

scholarships to the local graduating class of 

Johnson Bayou High School, to be used at 

colleges or technical schools. 

The company is also a sponsor of the annual 

Marshland Festival in Lake Charles, a unique 

event that draws youth organizations and their 

families from Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes 

to a fun-filled weekend of live entertainment, 

games, and Cajun food. The festival was created 

to foster community involvement and provide a 

venue for students in the area to raise money for 

school programs. The event raises thousands of 

dollars for school organizations each year. 

Cheniere takes its commitment to a safe 

and healthy environment very seriously and 

maintains a close working relationship with 

state and federal regulatory bodies that are 

responsible for environmental compliance and 

oversight. Their processes are engineered and 

designed not just to comply with environmental 

requirements, but to exceed them. 

Cheniere created approximately seventy 

acres of tidally influenced wetlands south of the 

Sabine Pass LNG Terminal near the historic 

Sabine Pass Lighthouse. The area had previously 

been utilized for dredged material placement 

by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during 

the construction and maintenance of the Sabine- 

Neches Ship Channel. The area consisted of a 

mosaic of coastal pasture and non-tidal wetland 

habitat. By utilizing this area for wetland mitigation, 

the existing mosaic of high marsh/coastal 

prairie was protected and preserved from future 

dredge placement activities and/or future development. 

Furthermore, by constructing tidal 

conveyance channels within the contiguous 

wetland system, it enhanced the existing wetlands 

by facilitating tidal exchange and the 

development of essential fish habitat—spawning 

areas for marine species such as crabs, shrimp, 

flounder, redfish and speckled sea trout. The 

area also provides unique tidal flats that are utilized 

by a variety of wildlife such as ducks and 

geese, shorebirds, alligators and snakes, and 

mammals. The enhancement of this system has 

contributed to the increase of the overall 

productivity and wildlife attraction and has 

improved the aesthetic value of the Sabine Pass 

Lighthouse for future visitors. 

Cheniere created, enhanced and preserved 

approximately 272 acres of freshwater wetlands 

north of where the LNG tanks are located. 

Levees were constructed or enhanced to capture 

rainwater to flood the area and generate wetland 

conditions. This area is now managed to mimic 

natural wetland conditions and the normal 

wet/dry cycle of southwest Louisiana becoming 

a migratory hotspot for wintering waterfowl— 

attracting thousands of ducks and geese arriving 


186

in late September and leaving in early 

February. The area is also the permanent home 

to local birds such as mottled ducks (the only 

native year round duck on the upper Gulf 

coast), egrets and herons, reptiles such as 

snakes and alligators and multiple mammals 

such as rabbits, coyotes, raccoons and 

bobcats. Overall, the wetland project has 

contributed a valuable freshwater mixed 

habitat within a salt water environment 

providing a critical link between the bays and 

the Gulf of Mexico. 

Construction of the SPLNG Terminal 

marine berth included dredging approximately 

5.4 million cubic yards of soil. In order to 

utilize this dredged material in a manner 

that was beneficial to the environment, it was 

pumped via pipeline to an area along 

Louisiana Point, which lies on the Gulf of 

Mexico east of the Sabine Pass jetty. The 

material was placed approximately 1,000 feet 

off the coast to create a chain of barrier 

islands approximately 11,000 feet long and 

from 300 to 900 feet wide. These islands are 

providing numerous beneficial uses including: 

• Creating a wave barrier to decrease wave 

energy along Louisiana Point to reduce 

erosion of the shoreline; 

• Providing protection for wetland habitats 

located along the shoreline; 

• Providing valuable marine habitat and food 

sources for birds, fish, crabs, sea turtles, and 

the endangered piping plover; 

• Rebuilding the shoreline slowly as the soil is 

carried from the placement area to the 

shoreline, increasing the wildlife and wetland 

habitats, and lastly; 

• Providing a unique and valuable recreational 

fishing area for the users of the Sabine 

Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, 

this area has become a favorite among local 

fishermen in the area. 

Portions of Cheniere’s Creole Trail Pipeline 

were constructed through Calcasieu Lake. 

Cheniere’s commitment to the environment, and 

specifically to Calcasieu Lake, extended beyond 

the state mandated mitigation and included a 

voluntary program to provide additional oyster 

and fishing habitat. Cheniere worked with the 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 

to develop an Oyster and Finfish Public 

Stewardship Plan to provide sixteen acres of new 

oyster reefs and fishing habitat in Calcasieu Lake 

outside the planned area of construction 

disturbance. These newly created artificial reefs 

were donated to the state with their primary 

function for public recreational and commercial 

oyster and fishing opportunities before, during 

and after the planned construction disturbance. 

Cheniere evolved from an exploration 

group to a developer and operator of LNG 

facilities. Cheniere maintains its support as 

Cameron Parish and Louisiana rebuild, actively 

participating in the communities adjacent to the 

Cheniere facilities. Environmental stewardship 

is a hallmark of Sabine Pass LNG and the Creole 

Trail Pipeline. Preservation of the environmental 

projects will improve habitats and increase 

the health of the waterways and marshes 

surrounding the Cheniere projects. 

With world class assets Cheniere is able to 

provide a multitude of services to its customers. 

The Sabine Pass Facility is capable of receiving all 

sizes of vessels and, additionally, has re-export 

capabilities whereby LNG can be reloaded on a 

vessel and sent to another destination. The 

Creole Trail Pipeline provides takeaway capacity 

from the terminal thereby enabling Sabine Pass 

LNG to provide natural gas to downstream 

markets for many future years. Cheniere looks 

forward to growing its Louisiana based business 

with enhanced services and new assets. 

To learn more about Cheniere, check the 

website at www.cheniere.com. 

Left: Dredge spoil islands along Louisiana 

Point provide a sediment source for the 

coastal environment and dissipates 

wave energy. 

Right: Tidal wetland mitigation area located 

north of the historic Sabine Pass Lighthouse 

and adjacent to the Sabine-Neches 

Waterway. The wetland was constructed 

with channels connected to the Waterway to 

allow for nutrient exchange and 

wildlife utilization. 


187

RIBBECK CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION 

Ribbeck Construction Corporation traces 

its roots to 1946, when Phil Ribbeck started 

the sole proprietorship under the name 

Phil E. Ribbeck, General Contractor. Edward 

“Buzzy” Ribbeck, Phil’s son, took the business 

to the next level in 1982 when he founded 

Ribbeck Construction Corporation and began 

developing the company from scratch. 

Buzzy has been involved in every phase of 

the design and construction process since 

childhood. He began his career in architecture 

by designing and drafting plans while 

working hands-on as a carpenter for his 

father. In 1986 Buzzy began to expand the 

company into real estate and commercial 

property development. 

After founding Ribbeck Construction 

Corporation, Buzzy moved quickly into the 


188

oader markets of industrial and commercial 

construction, while expanding the customer 

base already in existence. He continues to 

emphasize the firm’s tradition of excellence, 

quality, value, and client satisfaction, the core 

values instilled in the organization by Phil. 

Today, RCC is a national general contractor, 

serving owners, architects, and developers 

in twenty-six states with a commitment to 

teamwork and quality. The company has also 

performed work in Puerto Rico and Singapore. 

RCC works to maintain a healthy balance 

of design build, negotiated and open bid 

work in both the public and private 

sectors. Projects include construction and/or 

renovation of government, institutional, 

commercial, educational, medical, and retail, 

as well as erection of jet blast deflectors and 

light industrial construction. 

Among the many well-known RCC projects 

are the Pyramid Office building in Lake Charles, 

Energy Operations Facility in Chalmette, the 

new Johnson Bayou Library in Cameron Parish, 

and the renovation of the refuge headquarters 

Airboat and Lumber Shed buildings at 

Rockefeller Refuge Facility. RCC has also been 

awarded a contract for construction of the 

new Allen P. August, Sr., Multi-Purpose Annex 

Building for the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury 

and the contract to construct two new jet 

blast deflectors for Northrop Grumman and 

Chennault International Airport. 

RCC is also at work on its own new office 

building space at the 814 Luxor Building, 

a twenty-one-thousand-square-foot structure 

near the corner of McNeese and Lake Street 

in Lake Charles. 

Under the Ribbeck Companies umbrella, 

Ribbeck Construction Corporation designs and 

builds real estate holding properties owned by 

subsidiary entities under Buzzy’s ownership and 

direction. These companies own, lease, operate, 

and manage these properties. Due to the entire 

involvement in real estate from conception 

through ownership and operation, RCC prides 

itself in understanding the unique needs and 


189

challenges facing a building owner. RCC uses 

a ‘clean sheet of paper’ approach to each 

customer and project. This approach enables 

RCC to provide a solution that will make 

your site, building, or asset more effective and 

more valuable. By taking care of our associates 

and valuing our supplier relationships, our 

customers receive quality service in every 

aspect, from expert advice when a project is first 

being planned to a pleasant and helpful crew at 

the job site. 

The RCC mission is to provide quality 

construction and/or renovation at a competitive 

and profitable price while meeting the client’s 

requirements. This will be accomplished in a 

timely, safe, efficient, ethical, and innovative 

manner by strategically planning the methods 

and procedures synergistically. 

The company is committed to continuous 

improvements through teamwork, providing 

the highest quality in all it produces in a safe 

and professional manner. RCC achieves this 

goal by partnering with customers who utilize 

our services and subcontractors, designers, and 

suppliers who share the same commitment. 

The RCC team continues to build an 

organization that each partner and associate is 

proud to represent. RCC takes pride in each 

and every project—down to the very last nail. 

RCC has a talented team of experienced 

individuals with more than 200-plus years of 

construction experience. 

RCC’s knowledge, experience, and collaborative 

approach to construction management 

helps create an asset that becomes a valuable, 

efficient tool for your business. As a multistate 


190

contractor, RCC is noted for delivering 

projects on time, and on budget. 

Exposure to a wide range of opportunities 

has created tremendous diversity in the 

RCC project portfolio. This diversity is 

threefold: in the types of projects built, the 

size of projects tackled, and the geographic 

locations served. RCC has solid experience in 

such projects as hospitals, medical facilities, 

office buildings and corporate headquarters, 

churches and schools, multifamily residential 

projects and condominiums, historic renovations, 

restaurants, retail centers, hotels and 

storage facilities. 

A nimble, low-overhead contractor with a 

record of success, RCC is not your average 

general contractor. RCC has performed work 

all across the United States and in numerous 

other countries. RCC’s combined management 

staff totals more than one hundred years of 

construction experience. 

At Ribbeck Construction Corporation, the 

company-client relationship is not just about 

signing contracts, it is about forming relationships. 

By maximizing the efficiency of the design 

process and ‘nailing the budget’, we also reduce 

the time involved in getting to groundbreaking, 

thereby reducing the owners carrying cost and— 

ultimately—increasing the profitability. 

For more information about Ribbeck 

Construction Corporation, check the website 

at www.ribbeckcompanies.com. 


191

MALLETT 

BUILDINGS, 

LLC 

If you click on the website for Mallett 

Buildings, LLC you will see an aerial photo of 

the devastation caused by one of the Gulf 

Coast’s periodic hurricanes in 2008. Amidst 

all the destruction is one structure that took a 

direct hit from the storm but is still standing. 

A big yellow circle surrounds the photograph 

of the structure and the caption explains 

that the building, erected in 2006, sustained 

flooding from the storm surge, and blown-out 

windows from the high winds, but there was 

no structural damage. 

The building in the photograph is a 

Mallett-built structure, built and anchored to 

withstand even the strongest storms. 

Mallett Buildings of Iowa, Louisiana, was 

founded by Lee Mallett who started constructing 

factory-built residential and commercial 

buildings as a sideline in 1981. Mallett spent 

thirty years in the grain commodity business 

and when he branched out into the purebred 

cattle business he started constructing buildings 

for use on his own ranch. In 2000 Mallett 

decided to turn the construction into a full 

time business and obtained his contractor’s 

license as a general contractor. 

The new business started small, just him 

and one phone in a tiny office. “I took a year 

or two off from my other stuff and started 

piddling around with selling buildings,” 

Mallett explains. “Before I knew it, we were in 

a bigger office and I had more people. Now 

we have about eighty employees and build 

about 300 buildings each year.” 

Mallett also constructed a truss plant 

where leading edge computerized software 

helps design custom engineered component 

trusses. Mallett Truss emphasizes quality control 

and takes great pride in the production of 

engineered component trusses. 

Mallett Buildings now covers a territory 

that includes the entire state of Louisiana 

and part of East Texas. “We sell to individual 

homeowners and our products include storage 

buildings, outdoor kitchens, and pool 

houses,” Mallett says. “We also have an agriculture 

side, with a variety of buildings, and 

we’re now doing more and more commercial 

work with post-frame construction. 

“Typically, we’re going to erect a building 

for the same price as a steel manufacturer can 

sell a kit. We do a turn-key job on a building 

and erect it in two days,” he adds. 

He explains that post-frame construction is 

when the builder takes a square post and actually 

puts it into the ground three or four feet 

before pouring the slab. This way, the posts do 

not sit on top of the slab. “We are post-frame 

builders,” Mallett explains. “That’s what we do. 

We don’t build stick-frame; we don’t build steel. 

Everything we build is 100 percent treated 

wood. Every board in the building is treated.” 


192

The components that make up a Mallett 

building are put together on site and anchored 

three feet in the ground. “They’re not sitting 

on top of a slab and can take more wind than 

a conventional building,” Mallett notes. 

He points out that when recent storms 

came through Louisiana, only two Mallet 

buildings were lost and that was because 

people did not listen and built on top of a slab. 

“If we build them the way we want to build 

them you won’t have damage unless you get 

a direct hit by a tornado,” Mallett says. “The 

buildings are going to take 150-miles-an-hour 

winds easily.” 

Mallett believes wood provides a more 

solid frame and is simple to work with. It is 

also easier to find contractors experienced 

in building with wood frames. Wood frame 

remains the most widely used method of 

building, and is being used more in 

commercial and industrial buildings, largely 

due to the quicker construction process. 


193

Wood frame buildings are economical 

and less expensive to heat and cool. Because 

steel transmits warmth and cold, it may 

require special insulation that may be 

more costly to the customer. Historically, 

the strength of wood frame buildings is 

obvious because so many have lasted for 

so long. 

Wood post frame construction buildings 

install treated column posts, which include a 

lifetime warranty against termites. 

With wood frame construction, all of the 

building weight is transferred to the ground 

instead of adding more weight to a slab, 

which can lead to slab failure resulting in 

expensive repairs. 

Wood post frame buildings use wall girts 

and roof purlins spaced at two feet apart 

versus the wider spans used with metal 

structure buildings. The closer span allows 

for more metal fastening, adding strength to 

the building and eliminating the need for 

heavier, more expensive gauge metal. 

Mallett also emphasizes that wood will 

never rust. With the use of treated wood 

and post protectors for close-to-ground 


194

applications, wood post frame buildings will 

continue to last for a long, long time. 

Customers may actually design their own 

buildings and request a quote by going 

online to the Mallett Buildings website and 

following the simple instructions. Customers 

may choose from a wide variety of nineteen 

colors for roof, walls and trim. The buildings 

are dirt and stain resistant and easy to clean. 

Each building comes with a forty year limited 

plant warranty and a thirty year guarantee 

against excessive fading and chalking. 

Mallett believes that a combination of 

strength and price makes his buildings so 

popular. Because Mallett deals with wood, it 

is very easy to create structures with hip 

roofs, gable roofs, or other types of design. A 

Mallett building is designed like a house. 

Spans may be as large as eighty feet, so width 

or length of the structure is no problem. 

In addition to his business and ranching 

interests, Mallett is involved in 4-H activities 

and helps 4-H members by purchasing 

sheep, hogs and cattle. 

Mallett Buildings, LLC, is located at 511 

East Frontage Road, Iowa, Louisiana. For more 

information about Mallett buildings, check 

their website at www.mallettbuildings.com. 


195

CAMERON COMMUNICATIONS, LLC 

Above: A crew building some of the early 

telephone lines into Cameron Parish 

in 1930. 

Below: A view of early Cameron, Louisiana, 

c. the 1930s-1940s. 

In the 1920s Southwest Louisiana was 

booming. Led by the discovery of oil, towns 

like Hackberry and Cameron, Louisiana, were 

prosperous but rural, having little contact with 

the larger cities around them, like Sulphur 

and Lake Charles. That is, until 1928, when 

Sulphur entrepreneur W. T. Henning saw an 

opportunity to bring phone service to these 

rural communities, connecting them with the 

rest of the world. Today, W. T. Henning’s legacy 

still lives, as his son, William L. Henning and 

his grandsons still have a heavy hand in the 

operation of Cameron Communications. 

In 1928 Henning set out with a small crew 

to establish lines from Sulphur to Hackberry, 

where one of the company’s first operators, 

Sadie Little, operated the switch from inside 

Burke’s General Store. Sadie stayed on board 

with Cameron Telephone (as the company 

was called), until the first automatic switching 

system was installed in 1954. Just two years 

after forming, the company expanded into 

the coastal community of Cameron, which, in 

1930, did not even have roads! Henning found 

himself expanding again in 1938, into an area 

that was passed over by then-telephone giant 

South Central Bell. 

While Henning laid the solid foundation for 

success, his sons, J. T. and William L. Henning 

carried it through its formidable years, taking 

the reins in the early 1950s. Not only did major 

changes take place with equipment (like the 

installation of automatic switching systems, 

long distance calling and experimentation with 

telecommunications microwaves), but lasting 

partnerships were formed. The Chamblee 

brothers, Henry Ford “Ford” and Glen, joined 

the Henning brothers for what became a 

dynamic partnership. Ford had the dedication, 

work ethic and attention to the bottom line to 

help handle the “numbers” side of the business, 

while Glen was hands-on, doing engineering, 

planning and switching to the outside plant, 

installation and repair and more. 

With an aggressive team established 

Cameron Telephone saw explosive growth. The 

company extended services to the communities 

of Creole, Grand Chenier and Johnson Bayou 

in 1955 and into Central Louisiana with the 

purchase of the Elizabeth Telephone Company 

in 1957. During that time, innovative roads 

were also being laid––customers in Carlyss 

could dial long distance by dialing “1” plus the 

number. This feature was not available 

nationally for another year. 

This growth and technology continued 

until Hurricane Audrey made landfall in 

Cameron in the summer of 1957. More than 

550 people lost their lives and thousands 

more were injured in the catastrophe. 

Cameron Telephone lost more than 150 miles 

of telephone lines, three of six exchanges and 

more than $400,000 in uncovered losses. 

However, with tragedy came advancement and 

change, as William insisted that the lines now 

be buried. Lines went underground as the next 

two years were used to completely restore 

service to Cameron and Johnson Bayou (1958) 

and Creole and Grand Chenier (1959). 

Burying communication lines provided 

Cameron Communications the ability to 

immediately begin restoring service after 


196

Hurricane Rita in 2005. With a twenty foot 

storm surge, Rita leveled nearly all of Cameron 

Parish. Within hours of the water receding, 

Cameron Communications moved into the 

area and began reestablishing services. With a 

combination of buried lines and dedicated 

employees, services were restored in weeks, 

not months, and customers had their services 

ready and waiting for them when they 

returned home. 

Once services were completely restored in 

1959 the addition of the Nome Telephone 

Company in 1969 led Cameron Telephone into 

Southeast Texas. After that acquisition, the 

company focused on technological advances. 

To name a few in the 1970s: the development 

of the Improved Mobile Telephone Service 

(IMTS) enabled Gulf Coast subscribers to use 

car telephones anywhere in the United States; 

the offering of Ship-to-Shore services allowed 

boats in the gulf to communicate with the 

mainland; the first digital microwave system 

was installed; and Cameron Telephone got 

its first in-house computer, an IBM System3. 

Customers of Cameron Telephone were also 

the first in Louisiana to have touch-tone 

services, including call forwarding, three-way 

calling and speed dialing. 

Nothing slowed down in the 1980s, either. In 

1982 Carlyss Cablevision was formed, bringing 

television into the Cameron Telephone service 

areas. Also that year Mercury Long Distance was 

formed as the only long-distance carrier in 

Louisiana to offer voicemail. Late in the decade, 

Cameron Communications Corporation was 

formed as the parent company of Cameron 

Telephone Company, Cameron Telephone 

Company-Texas, Elizabeth Telephone Company 

and Carlyss Cablevision. 

More recently, Cameron Communications 

has seen many additions, like 1994s completion 

of Telemedicine, which allowed doctors and 

staff at South Cameron Memorial Hospital to 

Left: Bill Henning and Howard Hough test 

equipment in the field in the early 1960s. 

Right: Equipment is tested at the Cameron, 

Louisiana Central Office by Shelby 

Hoffpauir and Howard Hough in 1962. 

CAMERON COMMUNICATIONS HISTORIC “ FIRSTS” 

1954 The first long-distance call is made from Cameron, Louisiana, to Cincinnati, Ohio. 

1956 Carlyss exchange customers were among the first in the United States to be able to make long-distance calls by dialing 1 plus. 

National 1 plus calling did not come into existence until a year later. 

1958 First to provide mobile telephone service in the United States. 

1959 Sets up the first dial telephone on offshore rigs, allowing them to call anyone, anywhere from the rig, not just to their 

mainland office. 

1973 First to introduce a digital microwave system in Louisiana. 

1979 First in Louisiana to install a digital common control switching system, offering touch-tone service, call forwarding, threeway 

calling and speed dialing. 

1982 Mercury Long Distance is the only distance carrier in Louisiana offering voicemail. 

1994 Connects Louisiana’s first Telemedicine hook-up. 


197

CAMERON COMMUNICATIONS’ THIRTY- PLUS- YEAR EMPLOYEES 

At Cameron Communications, we are fortunate to have many employees who have been with the company for thirty-plus years— 

who have a wealth of knowledge and know how to get the job done. When they started, not only were typewriters the primary form 

of dictation, but members of this crew can remember a day without fax machines, or automated billing systems and when rotary 

phones were not only in style, but in demand. Larry Breaux, Installation and Repair Supervisor, simply stated, “When we started, we 

all had hair.” He started in 1976 as an Install Repairman, and was given two options on his first day: Books or a Shovel. He took the 

books, and now approaching thirty-five years of service, he is the supervisor of the department. 

Charlotte Neichoy, plant management assistant and thirty-two-year employee, remembers when assigning a pair and port for a customer’s 

phone was manually tracked in a huge black book. Because of advancements in technology, these processes are all done electronically 

and recorded in our database. 

Charlie Guidry started as a draftsman in 1978 and is now the director of the outside plant. He recalls a time when drafting was 

done with pencil, paper and long hours. When surveying a new area, draftsmen would hang a measuring wheel out the window of 

their truck while driving down the road. Complete accuracy was a pipe dream, due to potholes and uneven areas in the road. Today, 

distance is measured by special meters in each draftsman’s truck. 

Robert Large, director of network operations, reflected on the first computer, an IBM 34, which took up an entire room. Katy Large, 

customer care manager, remembers when toll charges would come on a giant tape that would have to be downloaded onto these computers 

in order to be included in the customer’s bill. Today, modern software automatically receives, calculates and inputs this information 

onto the customer’s bill. 

This same system handles all billing aspects, which is a modern relief for Lori Vincent, billing and collections manager, who started 

in 1976 as a toll investigator. Manual calculations and stuffing bills happened monthly. When customers paid their bill, stubs from 

their bill were hand-entered into a paper file that each customer had. These files had copies of every bill the customer received. 

When a customer had any changes to their account, it would be written on a Line Card. The Line Card was like a patient chart, 

outlining changes to be made on the account. At billing, Line Cards were pulled, manually calculated and inputted to be stuffed. Della 

Genna, a thirty-three-year employee, remembers another card that would list each customer’s system troubles. Troubles would be 

handwritten on or stapled to these cards. The repairmen would use these cards when they went to make repairs and once the work 

was completed these cards were filed back in the customer catalogue. 

When it came time to prepare the bills, not only were charges on the Line Card and toll compiled, but customers were also subject 

to Zonage. Tommy Prejean, switching supervisor, defined zonage as the further you were from the central office, the more you 

paid on your monthly bill. Later, Cameron Telephone installed remotes (mini-central offices) to remove these restrictions. Prejean 

also told of “suspending” service to customers who had not paid their monthly bill. Toothpicks were used to disrupt the customer’s 

service; each phone line sent currents between two points. To disconnect dial tone, a toothpick was placed between the two points to 

disrupt the current. Today, a few quick keystrokes and the customer can be suspended within a few minutes. 

When disconnecting a customer via toothpick, caution was needed to not disrupt the entire party line. A party line is when more 

than one household shared a phone line! Each family had their own special ring to alert whom the call was for. When one person left 

the phone off the hook, no one else could make or receive calls. Technicians would have to go from home to home on each party line 

to make sure that the phone was hung up. Similarly, when an Install/Repair technician was in the field, and needed to be found, a 

customer service representative would have to call from house to house to locate him. 

Cameron Communications has been fortunate to employ dedicated and hardworking people for more than eighty years. In addition 

to those mentioned above, these outstanding individuals have also made their mark on Cameron Communications with more 

than thirty years of service: Roger Baccigalopi, cable technician; Brett Bares, cable supervisor; David Briscoe, cable technician; Jerry 

Deters, public relations coordinator; Richard Goleman, cable technician; Monty Leger, warehouse supervisor; Marcus Neichoy, combination 

technician; Donny Nunez, network facility technician; Marcal Peveto, Jr., maintenance team leader; Steve Poole, construction 

team leader; and Terry Rasberry, switch technician. 

conference with doctors and experts up to 

sixty miles away, through transmitted x-rays, 

radiography, CT-scans and more. New Internet 

access servers were purchased in 1998, which 

offered a capacity of 56k Internet speed to 

customers. This was later replaced in 2000 and 

2001 when DSL became available to all 

Cameron Communications customers. 


198

In 2004 Cameron Communications 

received a CLEC designation (Competitive 

Local Exchange Carrier), and created LBH, 

LLC, to service areas of Grand Lake, Sweetlake 

and Big Lake. LBH, LLC began serving areas 

in Moss Bluff, just north of Lake Charles, in 

2007. All of LBH, LLC receives their services 

through a Fiber-To-The-Home initiative, 

which delivers Digital Cable, High Speed 

Internet and Phone service, as well as 

upgrades like HD, Video-On-Demand and 

more, transmitted through buried fiber optic 

cables. Fiber-To-The-Home networks only 

pass about sixteen percent of homes in North 

America. Cameron Communications is not 

only expanding these fiber services to 

everyone in their service areas, but also 

expanding to the rest of Moss Bluff, Oakdale, 

and Vinton, Louisiana. These new additions 

will not only add to the 2,378 square miles 

that Cameron Communications already serves, 

but it will also give more customers in 

Southwest Louisiana the opportunity to 

experience the fiber difference. Not to mention 

the fact that in other territories Cameron 

Communications is busy upgrading to the 

MPEG-4 head ends—systems that will allow 

all customers to experience even clearer 

television, more channels, more Video-On- 

Demand options and brace them for the future 

of home television. 

Cameron Communications started out as a 

small company serving only a few territories 

with a handful of employees, many of 

whom have grown up with Cameron 

Communications. Today, they serve thirteen 

territories and have more than 130 

employees. Eighty-plus years after Cameron 

Telephone Company was established, the 

founding principles embodied in the 

company’s mission statement, “…a full service 

broadband company committed to providing 

the highest quality service to the communities 

we serve. We are dedicated to fulfilling our 

customers’ needs by offering the latest in 

technological advances allowing them to keep 

pace with the increasing demands of a global 

economy,” are still practiced today. 

It is with great honor and gratitude that these 

pages are dedicated to the Henning family and 

their life-long devotion to the people of their 

service areas, and to their employees. 

Cameron Communications was acquired by 

American Broadband in September of 2010. 

Left: Bill Henning, son of founder 

W. T. Henning, who still sits at the helm 

of Cameron Communications. 

Below: Bill Henning and sons gather for a 

family portrait. Bill and his sons are 

very much a part of how Cameron 

Communications operates today. 


199

CITGO 

LAKE CHARLES 

MANUFACTURING 

COMPLEX 

Above: Finished products leave CITGO by 

way of trucks, railways, pipelines and 

marine transportation. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MONSOUR’S PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Below: Safety is a primary business value at 

CITGO. Over the past several years, the 

facility has developed a reputation as one of 

the safest in industry. 


In early 1942 World War II was raging 

around the globe. Early in the war, U.S. military 

chiefs decided that all aircraft engines 

would be built to use 100-octane gasoline. 

Planes would have to fly farther, faster, and 

higher than ever before carrying larger loads. 

The problem was that all of the refineries in the 

U.S. could not furnish enough gasoline to keep 

our bombers, fighters and support planes in 

the air. In March of 1942 government officials 

gave Cities Service Corporation, now known 

as CITGO, permission to build a refinery to 

convert crude oil into high-quality, high-octane 

aviation fuel to aid the World War II effort. 

Following a thorough study, a 2,300-acre 

site on Rose Bluff was chosen, twenty-nine 

miles up the Calcasieu River from the Gulf of 

Mexico and eighteen feet above sea level, the 

highest point on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. M. W. 

Kellogg was chosen as the general contractor, 

since Kellogg had built the first catalytic 

cracking unit in the nation for Standard Oil 

in Baton Rouge. Kellogg brought their bright 

young star, W. P. Goodman, to design and 

build the refinery. Goodman was forty years 

old in 1942 and had been building refineries 

all over the world since the age of twenty-five. 

During construction several issues arose. 

The first involved the training of thousands of 

workers. Next, construction projects had to be 

coordinated so that all areas of the refinery 

would be ready to go on-line simultaneously. 

A third challenge was rain. Mules had to pull 

much of the equipment through deep mud. 

Transportation was another major issue. A railroad 

spur washed out and had to be rebuilt. 

Roads had to be constructed, and getting 

materials to the site was a persistent problem. 

Lastly, there was a housing shortage in Sulphur 

and Lake Charles for the 11,500 workers. 

Although company officials had no desire 

to go into the housing business, they were 

interested in finding a quick solution to the 

housing shortage. The answer came in the 

form of the Maplewood Housing Corporation 

and a community called Maplewood. Cities 

Service agreed to guarantee part of the estimated 

$7 million cost in exchange for renting 

to employees of their new plant. John W. 

Harris Associates, Inc., of New York was hired 

to design “Louisiana’s Newest Modern City,” a 

community of 789 one, two, and three bedroom 

homes with monthly rent ranging from 

$48 to $66.50. 

After 20 million work-hours of onsite 

labor, CITGO’s Lake Charles Refinery was 

completed in 1944. Throughout the years, 

there has been great flux in the oil industry. In 

1965 Cities Service announced that the name 

CITGO was been chosen as its new marketing 

logo. CITGO projects the idea of a company 

that is dynamic and progressive. In 1982, 

Occidental Petroleum acquired Cities Service. 

The next year, Southland Corporation purchased 

100 percent of the company’s marketing, 

transportation and refining, primarily to 

furnish gasoline to its thousands of 7-11 

stores. Later, in 1986, Petróleos de Venezuela 

S.A. (PDVSA) purchased fifty percent of 

CITGO from Southland Corporation. In 

1990, PDVSA purchased the remaining fifty 

percent from Southland Corporation. The 

CITGO Petroleum Corporation headquarters 

is located in Houston, Texas. 


200

The CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing 

Complex, strategically located on the banks of 

the Calcasieu Ship Channel, has ready access 

to the Gulf of Mexico, and now encompasses 

approximately 2,000 acres. Through the 

years, the addition of new processing units, 

together with the upgrading of older ones, has 

enabled the refinery to increase its capacity 

six-fold, from 70,000 barrels to the present 

425,000 barrels of oil per day. Today, the 

refinery is especially suited for converting 

lower-cost, heavy crude, such as that supplied 

by PDVSA, into high-valued light fuels such 

as gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel and an 

array of petrochemicals. The refinery is the 

fourth largest in the U.S. and employs nearly 

1,200 regular, full-time personnel. 

Complementing the refinery is a widespread 

distribution network of 16,000 miles 

of crude and refined products pipelines, 

refined product terminals in key locations, 

and an aviation fuel business serving many 

airports. The Lake Charles Manufacturing 

Complex has onsite storage facilities for 10 

million barrels (or 420 million gallons) of 

feedstocks and finished products. 

CITGO Lake Charles has been a vital part 

of the economy of Louisiana since 1945. 

Through its payroll, purchases of goods and 

services and taxes, the refinery’s economic 

impact in southwest Louisiana is approximately 

$1.1 billion per year. Along with economic 

benefits, CITGO brings a strong commitment 

to operating safely and environmentally 

responsibly, and a well established culture of 

community support. 

Through CITGO’s employee volunteer 

organization Team CITGO, our employees, 

retirees, their families and friends have donated 

thousands of hours of their time and talents 

to numerous local charitable and community 

projects designed to improve the quality of life 

of southwest Louisiana’s citizens. 

CITGO employees are financially generous, 

as well. Year after year, CITGO Lake Charles is 

a recognized leader in United Way giving. 

Local agencies have been supported with more 

than $9.4 million since 1975. The CITGO Lake 

Charles Manufacturing Complex also supports 

the Muscular Dystrophy Association by sponsoring 

southwest Louisiana’s largest single-day 

MDA fundraiser each year, the CITGO/MDA 

Golf Tournament. Since 1984 CITGO employees, 

contractors and suppliers have raised over 

$2.3 million to help find a cure for this debilitating 

childhood disease. 

CITGO Lake Charles also actively supports 

education at all levels in Calcasieu Parish. In 

addition to the benefits that local public schools 

receive as a result of the considerable tax base 

the facility creates, CITGO Lake Charles has 

participated as a Partner In Education for four 

Calcasieu Parish schools since 1988. CITGO 

supports McNeese State University with an 

endowment to the Engineering Department for 

two engineering professors. 

With its state-of-the-art refinery CITGO 

utilizes the most modern refining processes. It 

possesses not only the strength of an integrated 

major oil company, but also the flexibility, 

quickness and cost structure of an independent 

refiner and marketer. CITGO’s mission is 

to create the maximum value for their shareholder 

through the strength of their people. 

They strive to efficiently and reliably provide 

the energy that fuels societies’ economies and 

improves the quality of life of people. The 

company stands ready to meet the changing 

demands of today’s marketplace and the 

challenges that the future will assuredly bring. 

For more information on CITGO, please visit 

www.citgo.com. 

Left: Current aerial view of the CITGO 

Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex. 


Right: Computerization of most of the units 

in the refinery allows operators to monitor 

and control the various refining processes 

from control rooms, resulting in improved 

operations and yields. 



201

LEVINGSTON 

ENGINEERS, INC. 

LEVINGSTON 

GROUP, LLC 

Right: Ernest Levingston, founder and 

registered professional engineer in 

twelve states. 

Below: Mark G.Nixon, CEO principal. 

Bottom: Louis “Dan” Leveque, 

COO principal. 

When you consider the scope and size of 

Levingston Engineers it is difficult to believe 

that this highly respected, full service consulting 

engineering firm started with only one man and 

a determination to build a successful business. 

Ernest Levingston began his business career 

in 1939 at the age of seventeen when he 

moved to Lake Charles from Johnson Bayou 

and went to work as a timekeeper for his 

grandfather, who operated T. Miller and Sons. 

His first timekeeper assignments were at the 

Livestock Arena at McNeese State University, 

then the Lake Charles Junior College of 

Louisiana State University. Levingston also 

enrolled as a freshman in McNeese’s first class. 

He met his future wife, Kathleen, on the 

school’s muddy, unfinished campus. 

Levingston had become a carpenter’s 

apprentice for T. Miller and Sons when World 

War II intervened and he enlisted in the U.S. 

Navy’s construction battalion, the Seabees. He 

served for a year and a half in the Fiji Islands 

and rose to the rank of Carpenter Mate. He 

was then accepted for Navy V-12 training as 

an officer candidate and spent the remainder 

of the war in the Navy Hydrographic office in 

Washington, D.C. 

A year later Levingston joined Cities 

Service as a draftsman. During his twelve year 

career with Cities Service, he was promoted to 

head of the Contract Engineering Section. 

At this point Levingston realized he needed 

to complete his engineering degree if he 

wished to advance his career. He quit his job 

with Cities Service, Kathleen quit her teaching 

job, and they packed up their three children 

and moved to Baton Rouge, where both 

enrolled at Louisiana State University. 

For the first two years Levingston worked 

full time as a group leader for Bovay 

Engineers while maintaining a class load of 

nine to twelve hours in the School of 

Engineering. At the same time, Kathleen 

taught at Baton Rouge High School while 

finishing a Master’s Degree and Ph.D. Degree 

in English and Foreign Languages. 

Reflecting on this period Levingston 

commented, “If I had known it would have 

been so hard to go back to school after 

thirteen years, I probably never would have.” 

His determination was motivated, however, 

by a Dean of Engineering who suggested he 

move to another field because he was “not cut 

out to be an engineer.” 

After receiving his degree in Mechanical 

Engineering in 1959, he returned to Lake 

Charles where he worked for Augustine 

Construction Company while laying plans for 

establishment of his own firm. 

Levingston Engineers could hardly have 

started any smaller. The business began on 

August 1, 1961, in a one room office on West 

Eleventh Street in Lake Charles. Equipment 

consisted of one table, made from a slab 

door, one kitchen chair, and one portable 

typewriter a friend had used in college. The 

staff totaled one person—Ernest. He called his 

new business Ernest Levingston & Associates. 

During the mid 1960s and early 1970s 

the firm moved to several larger office spaces 

as it grew, including a beautiful old Victorian 

house on Pujo Street, but a decision was 

made in 1977 to move ‘across the river’ to 

Sulphur. Land was purchased in a wooded, 

unoccupied area on Cities Service Highway 

and construction began on a 6,000 square 

foot building. The new building was too small 

within a year and an addition was added, 

bringing the total square footage to 13,000. 

This is still the location of the Levingston 

Engineers Home Office—510 South Cities 

Service Highway in Sulphur, Louisiana. 


202

Key personnel during the early years 

included: President Ernest L. Levingston, 

Vice President W. L. Rice, Secretary David 

Levingston, Treasurer Kathleen Levingston, 

Directors Don Duhon, and Charles Ladner. 

In 1985 Levingston Engineers merged its 

operations with that of Austin Industrial, Inc., 

and remained under the Austin Companies 

structure until the end of 1988. 

On January 1, 1989, Levingston Engineers 

reopened its home office with Ernest as 

president and CEO, a staff of ninety-five 

people, and active contracts with eleven 

clients. Ernest remained CEO until 1995 

when W. J. Lechtenberg, Jr., was appointed 

CEO and managed the company until 2000. 

From 2000 to 2008, Ernest managed the 

operations of Levingston Engineers with the 

assistance of Vice Presidents Mark G. Nixon 

and Louis Daniel “Dan” Leveque. 

In 2008 the firm was acquired by Mark G. 

Nixon and Louis Daniel “Dan” Leveque. Nixon 

serves as CEO and Leveque as COO. Sharon 

Thomas serves as treasurer. Mark and Dan 

have continued the level of commitment to 

clients started by Ernest as well as, enhanced 

opportunities in the engineering and design 

services provided to their core service sector. 

Today, Levingston employs between 150 to 

200 persons, depending on the work load, 

and annual revenues range between $15 

and $25 million. The current customer base 

totals forty-two clients. The firm provides 

civil, structural, mechanical, piping, process, 

electrical and controls system engineering 

services along with technical staffing solutions 

for the industrial and municipal sectors. 

Levingston serves clients throughout 

various industries, including energy, oil 

and gas, chemicals and petrochemicals, 

refining, pipeline, municipal, manufacturing, 

and bio-fuels. 

The company’s business plan, strategies, 

and goals have remained consistent with 

Levingston’s mission statement: 

“Levingston Engineers has always and will 

continue to consider quality to be its highest 

priority. By ‘quality’ we mean providing 

clients with a service, which includes keeping 

the costs within budget, getting the work out 

on time, and producing results, which will 

meet or exceed the expectations and needs 

of the client in all regards. We will at all 

times maintain a high level of ethics and 

professionalism. We consider people in our 

company to be what makes the company and 

will consistently seek to improve the working 

conditions, training, organization, and job 

security for our people, allowing them to 

reach their highest potential.” 

The owners and employees of Levingston 

believe strongly in giving back to their 

community. Among the many groups 

supported by the firm are United Way, 

Partners in Education, McNeese Foundation 

(Levingston Engineers Scholarships), Sowela 

Foundation, and Chamber Foundation for 

business development of the region. The 

company also supports various local 

recreational sports teams. 

“Without a doubt, the employees are what 

make Levingston successful.” 

For more information, check the company 

website at www.levingston.com. 


203

NORTHROP 

GRUMMAN 

TECHNICAL 

SERVICES 

The Lake Charles Maintenance and 

Modification Center (LCMMC) is part of 

Northrop Grumman, a leading global 

security company whose 120,000 employees 

provide innovative systems, products and 

solutions in aerospace, electronic, information 

systems, shipbuilding, and technical 

services to government and commercial 

customers worldwide. 

LCMMC is operated by Northrop 

Grumman Technical Services and provides 

superior depot repairs and maintenance 

services to the nation’s military. Lake 

Charles serves as Northrop Grumman 

Technical Services’ center of excellence for 

aircraft sustainment. 

With more than 800,000 square feet of 

hangars, repair facilities and office space, 

the Lake Charles facility is part of a larger 

1,050-acre aircraft modification center 

located at Chennault International Airport. 

LCMMC houses an 80,000-square-foot 

fabrication shop capable of fabricating 

machined and sheet metal parts. The site 

performs major subassembly repair and 

overhaul and has the capability to 

manufacture hydraulic tubing and oxygen 

lines. For the U.S. Air Force (USAF), LCMMC 

is responsible for all periodic depot 

maintenance on the E-8C Joint Surveillance 

Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) 

aircraft and KC-10 Extender, the premier air 

refueling asset for the USAF. 

The Total System Support Responsibility 

(TSSR) program has been key to Northrop 

Grumman’s success with Joint STARS. 

Through TSSR, LCMMC has shortened 

maintenance cycle times and maximized 

aircraft availability to the 116th Air Control 

Wing, which flies the Joint STARS. Other 

site-initiated process improvements have 

contributed to the aircraft’s high mission 

readiness, including a paperless shop floor 

control system and an electronic workflow 

scheduling module. Operating under accurate 

metrics, made possible through an Earned 

Value Management System, the site has 

continually enhanced schedule and cost 

predictability for the customer. 


204

These successes have led to the incorporation 

of additional business lines at LCMMC, 

such as the KC-10 contractor logistics support 

(CLS) program for which Northrop Grumman 

performs depot inspections and repairs for 

the fifty-nine-aircraft fleet. LCMMC accomplishes 

systems/subsystems checks, repairs 

for all required items, and aircraft refurbishment 

to keep these vital assets in pristine 

condition. In addition LCMMC is contracted 

to perform engine side cowl, nose cowl and 

aft thrust reverser overhauls. This work provides 

replacements and spares for the Joint 

STARS fleet. 

Not only is Northrop Grumman Technical 

Service dedicated to economic development 

in the Lake Charles area, but the sector is also 

dedicated to giving back to the community. 

There is a very strong partnering relationship 

with the Chennault Airport Authority and 

the Louisiana Economic Development 

Council, which has enabled the creation 

of significant technology-based jobs. In 

recent years, Northrop Grumman has made 

donations totaling $50,000 on behalf of 

the Northrop Grumman Foundation to 

the Sowela Technical Community College 

Foundation. The donations benefit the 

school’s Aviation Maintenance Technology 

Department. Additionally, personnel from 

the site participate in the American Cancer 

Society’s “Relay for Life”, the March of 

Dimes, the local Big Brother/Big Sister “Bowl 

for Kid’s Sake” and Partners in Education for 

Brentwood Elementary School. 

This concentration of experience is made 

more imposing by Northrop Grumman’s 

commitment to become an integral part of the 

defense community and governing agencies, 

while supporting its clients’ critical missions. 

By drawing on the assets and strength 

of more than 19,500 Northrop Grumman 

experts in infrastructure management and 

maintenance, training, and logistics and lifecycle 

management, the facility is now better 

positioned to offer customers an even greater 

breadth of know-how and service. 


205

SWEET LAKE 

LAND & OIL 

COMPANY 

Above: Henry George (H. G.) Chalkley, Sr. 

Below: Harvesting rice in the early 1900s 

on Sweet Lake property. 

In 1893, Henry George Chalkley, then 

twenty-two years old, boarded the SS Britannic 

in Liverpool, England, emigrated to America, 

and later took his oath as a U.S. citizen in 

ceremonies in New York. His journey to 

America carried with it a touch of mystery. 

It was reported that he came over to work 

with the North American Land and Timber 

Company, which had been financed by several 

English syndicates, including the London firm 

of H. G. Chalkley and Sons. Chalkley’s father 

was one of the sons in the Chalkley syndicate. 

In Southwest Louisiana, Jabez B. Watkins 

was an American manager and majority 

stockholder in North American Land and 

Timber Company. But the company was not 

sending dividends back to its English investors, 

and it was rumored that the Englishmen 

wanted to find out why. 

When Chalkley arrived in Southwest 

Louisiana, he did not join North American 

Land and Timber Company. Instead, he went 

to work for the St. Louis, Watkins and Gulf 

Railroad, which was also owned by Watkins. 

In 1896 Chalkley was named chief engineer 

of North American Land and Timber Company, 

which then owned more than a million acres of 

land in Southwest Louisiana, which had been 

purchased by Watkins with the financial backing 

of the English syndicates. 

Chalkley immediately turned his attention 

toward developing the company’s huge land 

holdings and the potential of growing rice. 

Educated in mechanical engineering at 

Leeds University in England, he apprenticed, 

after college, for five years in a steam plow 

factory. Because of Chalkley’s knowledge of 

steam engines, he was able to make steam 

dredges to build irrigation canals. He also built 

steam tractors which were used to pull plows. 

Meanwhile he decided that the Sweet Lake 

area was ideal rice land. He had already 

studied the area, and looked upon Sweet Lake 

as his personal Mecca. During the next thirtynine 

years, he spent most of his time—and his 

considerable energy—in developing the Sweet 

Lake area. 

By 1908 Watkins had retired from an active 

role with the company, and Chalkley became 

the chief operating officer for the company. 

Chalkley then formed two new companies— 

North American Land Company and Sweet 

Lake Land and Oil Company—and these 

companies bought large tracts of land and some 

of the other assets from the initial owners. 

Industrious Chalkley, interested in cultivating 

the idle prairie land, successfully prevailed 

upon the company to conduct an experiment in 

growing rice on high, well-drained land, irrigated 

by lifting water from the bayou to field-level, 

a system now known as “artificial” irrigation. 

The experiment was a success. So successful 

in fact, that the irrigation system conceived 

and placed in use at that time is still serving 

today with a few added refinements. The rice 

industry, heretofore struggling in an arrested 

infancy, suddenly found itself and, with the 

tremendous influx of farmers, even from as 

far away as the state of Iowa, to Southwest 

Louisiana, it rapidly gained impetus. 


206

The first three irrigation canals dug by the 

company are still in use. 

A highway to cross the marsh from Sweet 

Lake to the Creole area was one of the most 

needed projects for this area. Most of the residents 

of the area spoke only French, a language 

that Chalkley had not mastered. So Charles 

Eagleson, who spoke fluent French, joined 

Chalkley, Sr., and a company official, Thomas 

Cox, and the three traveled together over the 

surrounding area and got enough signatures on 

a petition to get the ball rolling for the Creole 

Highway, which soon became a reality. 

Large areas of Southwest Louisiana showed 

positive changes as a result of Chalkley’s 

energy. When Chalkley first arrived in 

Southwest Louisiana he saw vast prairies bare 

of trees, with the exception of a few oak 

groves. He vowed to change that, and planted 

hundreds of oaks. 

In 1908, Chalkley helped support a 

Methodist Church, which was being built 

in Sweet Lake. He had previously given a 

one-room school building to the community. 

In April of 1939 Chalkley, Sr., died, leaving 

a long list of credits and honors he had 

accomplished in his adopted land. 

His son, Henry G. “Harry” Chalkley Jr., 

followed his father’s path, and although he 

did not have a role in the “steam” era of his 

father, he is remembered for the many civic 

projects and work he did in bringing new 

vitality to the area. 

Harry Chalkley worked actively to acquire 

the land for Burton Coliseum and served on 

the Commission that enabled the approval 

of the tax millage that funded the building 

of the Coliseum. 

Both of the companies formed by 

Chalkley operate today from their 

present and new office at 7777 Nelson 

Road in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The 

companies are active today in land, 

rice, irrigation, and oil and gas production. 

Also included are; raising beef 

cattle and registered reigning quarter 

horses; hunting and fishing, operating 

a commercial lodge for that purpose, 

Grosse Savanne; NALMAR, a small 

boat marina and fueling station and 

developing commercial real estate. 

Through the years, the Chalkley family 

has grown. Now in its fifth generation of 

leadership, the sixth is waiting in the wings. 

Leadership history of Sweet Lake Land 

and Oil Company and North American 

Land Company: 

• Henry George Chalkley, passed away in 1920 

• Henry George “H. G.” Chalkley, Sr., passed 

away in 1939 

• Henry George “Harry” Chalkley, Jr., passed 

away in 1979 

• Henry Chalkley Alexander, retired, 1989 

• Anthony Claude Leach, Jr., president 1989- 

2010 and present CEO 

• Claude Alexander Leach, president 

• Laura Alexander Leach, chairman of the board 

Owners of the company today are: 

• Henry Chalkley Alexander 

• Laura Alexander Leach 

• Claude Alexander Leach 

• Mary O’Dell Leach Werner 

• Lucille Anne Leach Davenport 

Above: The second office, but the original 

building of Sweet Lake Land and Oil 

Company and North American Land 

Company was located at 444 Pujo Street, 

Lake Charles, Louisiana. 

Below: The current office of Sweet Lake 

Land and Oil Company and North 

American Land Company is located at 7777 

Nelson Road, Lake Charles, Louisiana. 


207

Above: Talen’s first barge. 

TALEN’S 

MARINE & 

Below: The Talen Marine fleet. 

FUEL 

Talen’s Marine & Fuel, which celebrated its 

fortieth anniversary in 2010, continues to grow 

and change as it has throughout its history. 

Talen’s has become a leader in its field because 

of its ability to adapt the business to changing 

conditions in the marketplace and keeping 

its focus on customer service. Their long-term 

relationships with their customers and the 

exceptional service they provide continue to be 

the foundation on which the company is built. 

Talen’s was founded in April 1970 by 

Raymond Talen and enjoyed tremendous 

growth under his leadership. Talen sold the 

company in 2008 to Quintana Marine Fuel 

LLC, of Houston. J. Bryan Caillier, who had 

served four years as CFO, was named the CEO. 

The firm now has more than two hundred 

employees, many of whom have been with the 

company for a number of years. 

Quintana’s continued investment in the 

company has made Talen’s one of the safest and 

most competitive distributors in the industry. 

According to Caillier a major key to Talen’s 

success has been its mobile midstreaming 

program that allows the company to deliver 

fuel, lubricants and other supplies to boats 

and barges while they are anchored along 

the Intra-Coastal Waterway and other 

inland waters. Talen’s also provides twentyfour 

hour service to off-shore and inland 

drilling operations. 

Talen’s provides very competitive pricing 

because of its capacity for millions of gallons 

of fuel storage and the ability to purchase 

large quantities by barge. Talen’s also has its 

own in-house fuel trader who can provide 

risk management for customer’s fuel needs 

through spot, reference and fixed pricing. 

Currently, Talen’s fleet includes 16 fuel 

barges, 12 tugs, 16 transports, 4 bobtails, and 5 

lube trucks providing on-time service delivering 

diesel fuel, gasoline, Jet-A, and lubricants. 

Talen’s Marine & Fuel’s Land Division 

provides fuel delivery services to Louisiana, 

Mississippi, Texas and Alabama using its own 

fleet of eighteen-wheelers and bobtails. This 

fleet delivers diesel, chemicals, gasoline, 

kerosene, and lubricants safely. By storing 

fuels at its bulk plant and operating its own 

fleet, Talen’s has the versatility to change its 

schedule as the customer’s needs demand it. 

All Talen’s drivers are familiar with rig 

locations and are experienced in rig 

procedures. All are Coast Guard certified to 

bunker fuel directly to ships, and are 

hazardous material trained and certified. For 

customers who need to store fuel onsite, Talen’s 

has fuel tanks ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 

gallons for short or long-term rental. Transfer 

pumps, hoses and accessories for the tanks are 

also available for rent. USCG approved tote 

tanks are available on request. 

Talen’s Marine Division includes a fleet of 

tugs and barges with the latest navigation and 

safety equipment, along with trained and 

licensed personnel. Besides fuel delivery, the 

Talen’s fleet can deliver lube (in drums or tote 

tanks for bulk), potable water, and deck 

supplies and are equipped to dispose of used 

oil, bilge water, oily rags, garbage, spent filters 

and absorbents. 

With two shore-based docks and five other 

inland docks spread across the coast of 


208

Top: Freshwater City Dock. 

Louisiana and Texas, Talen’s is ready to deliver. 

The shore-based docks are conveniently 

located right before the locks at Freshwater 

City, which saves hours of travel time going 

inland to Intracoastal City, and Galveston, 

north of Bolivar Road. Each dock is equipped 

for dispatching fuel, water, lube, crane 

services, forklift services and other needs. 

Five other inland docks are located in 

Port Arthur, Texas; Lake Charles; 193 Dock; 

Houma; and Port Fourchon. 

Talen’s uses the latest tracking system 

technology available for both its transport 

and marine fleets, which allows deliveries 

to be tracked in route. Unlike some 

delivery customers, Talen’s has trucks 

dedicated to hauling only Jet-A products, 

so customers don’t have to worry about the 

octane efficiency. 

According to Caillier, Talen’s has been 

successful through the years because of the company’s 

commitment to outstanding customer 

service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

At Talen’s Marine & Fuel, customer service 

always comes first. From its lubricant and 

chemical products, to its knowledgeable staff, 

Talen’s provides only the best. Talen’s carries 

all major brands of lubricants, so customers 

know they are getting quality lube products 

to help their equipment run longer and 

better. Talen’s also offers oil sample testing to 

help customers make sure their equipment 

is running at peak performance. This simple 

test helps avoid unnecessary equipment 

downtime that cuts into the revenue stream. 

Talen’s Marine & Fuel is headquartered at 

225 Pleasant Street in Lake Arthur. For more 

information, visit www.talensmarine.com. 

Middle: 193 Dock. 

Bottom: Port Fourchon Dock. 


209

DUNHAM PRICE 

GROUP, LLC 

In the 1930s, an auditor for a chain of lumber 

yards in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Rowland Price 

hired a young man named Ted Dunham to 

manage one of the yards. In those days, lumber 

was used to build oil derricks in the area, but 

business was beginning to taper off due to the 

increasing use of steel. 

Dunham took note of a company in 

Oklahoma City called Dolese that was delivering 

ready-mixed concrete, and doing quite 

well. Upon further examination, he realized 

that Louisiana was one of the last areas to be 

pioneered in that market. With the help of 

Duramaus, president of Kansas City Southern 

Railroad, and Guthrie, Oklahoma, Ford Motor 

dealer Bill Pugh, Dunham established the first 

concrete plant in Baton Rouge. 

As time went on he realized there was an 

additional opportunity in Lake Charles. In 1939 

Dunham established his Lake Charles facility 

but quickly realized he could not operate it 

effectively from Baton Rouge. He immediately 

called on his old friend Price and finally convinced 

the reluctant auditor to move his family 

to Louisiana and become partners. Thus, 

Dunham Price, Inc., was born. 

Dunham Price, Inc., was located originally at 

320 Front Street in downtown Lake Charles. 

This was the site of the Kansas City Southern 

rail spur and warehouses which Dunham Price 

leased for sixty dollars per year. Dunham had 

established a long-term relationship with KCS 

as an effective way to receive the sand and gravel 

he needed to make concrete. Besides readymixed 

concrete, DP was also manufacturing 

concrete drainage culverts at this location. 

Price died unexpectedly in 1942 at the age 

of fifty-two. Since Rowland’s two sons were 

still quite young, Dunham called on Ashton 

Fenet, a former Baton Rouge attorney he had 

been training in the company’s operations. 

Fenet moved to Lake Charles to manage the 

operations and Dunham Price into the 1950s. 

At the same time Fenet worked with 

Rowland’s oldest son, Robert Price, to locate 

sand and gravel sources for Dunham Price in the 

piney woods north of Lake Charles in Rosepine. 

Price’s work led to Dunham Price supplying the 

sand-clay road base and concrete pipe for all of 

Fort Polk. After spending two years in the Fork 

Polk area, the older Price brother moved back to 

Lake Charles to manage the new Brick and Tile 

division located at 2101 Common Street. Many 

local residents still recall the brick kilns and clay 

pits at the factory where Red Common bricks 

were being made for the city streets and many 

local structures. The block plant, known as 

LaCrete, was later sold to the Oliver family and 

eventually became Featherlite, which is now 

owned by Justin Boot Company. 

Price managed that facility until a decision 

was made to close the doors in the 1960s. He 

then became chairman of the board for 

Dunham Price. Many Lake Charles kids ended 

up swimming in the abandoned pits in the 

years after the plant closed. 

As the 1940s progressed so did Dunham 

Price’s rapid expansion. Dunham Price 

outgrew its location on Front Street and 


210

purchased forty acres on Highway 90 at 

Columbia Southern Road in Westlake. 

Dunham Price established a new plant there, 

as well as a new concrete pipe plant. It was 

from this location that Dunham Price supplied 

all the concrete for the new Calcasieu River 

Bridge, which would become the I-10 Bridge. 

As Dunham Price moved into the 1950s the 

younger Price brother, Ted Price, Sr., became 

president and general manager of the company. 

Dunham Price continued as the market leader by 

accomplishing projects such as Interstate 10, the 

I-210 Bridge, Cities Service refinery, Kayouchee 

and Pithon Coulee projects, the Continental Oil 

refinery, and the Chennault runway expansion. 

They also completed the largest single-day pour 

in Southwest Louisiana history—1,800 yards in 

ten hours—at the Port of Lake Charles. In 1958 

Dunham Price moved its ready-mix and concrete 

pipe facilities across Highway 90 to Trousdale 

Road to make way for the Interstate 10 corridor. 

Dunham Price continued to flourish in the 

1960s, and in 1967 started up its Precast/Pre- 

Stress Division on Highway 397 on the east 

side of Chennault Air Force Base. The first job 

was delivering all the pre-stressed foundation 

piles and bridge beams for the US 171 bridges 

over English Bayou and the Calcasieu River 

leading into Moss Bluff. Eventually, this division 

was relocated to the company’s Trousdale 

Road facility. 

During this era the third generation of the 

Price family moved into the company’s operations, 

as Robert Price, Jr., and Ted Price, Jr., 

began working in the business. 

The 1970s saw the eventual buyout of the 

Dunham family by the Price family. 

In 1979 Dunham Price was awarded the 

Trunkline LNG facility on Big Lake Road. 

Other large scale projects at this time were the 

Calcasieu Marine Bank Tower and the Hilton 

Hotel on Lakeshore Drive. 

In the mid-1980s Dunham Price moved its 

ready-mix plants, concrete pipe plant, prestress 

plant, and main office away from 

Trousdale Road to make room for the expansion 

of the Conoco refinery. The company relocated 

to twenty-eight acres on the Calcasieu 

Ship Channel in Westlake. This was a major 

turning point for the company because it could 

begin receiving raw materials and shipping 

finished products by water. This launched 

Dunham Price’s expansion into the construction 

aggregates market. 

The 1990s saw the fourth generation of the 

family, Robert Price, III and Ryan Price, enter 

the business operations. Dunham Price significantly 

expanded its operations in the years 

leading up to 2010. Four ready-mix batch 

plants were added to better serve the five 

parish area. In 2006 a brand new, state-ofthe-art 

casting plant was built in Vinton, 

Louisiana, significantly upgrading the production 

capacity of foundation piles and bridge 

beams. The company also saw major improvements 

to its waterfront, allowing greater abilities 

to unload ships and barges. Dunham Price 

was the supplier on many large projects such 

as L’Auberge du Lac Casino, Cameron LNG, 

Sabine Pass LNG, the John James Audubon 

Bridge, and the Motiva Refinery Expansion 

in Port Arthur, Texas. All of this expansion 

necessitated a name change to Dunham Price 

Group, with its many subsidiaries. 

For additional information on Dunham Price 

Group, LLC, visit www.dunhamprice.com. 


211

R. E. HEIDT 

CONSTRUCTION 

CO., INC. 

Above: Ashton Fenet. 

Right: Ted Dunham, Sr. 

For nearly sixty-five years, R. E. Heidt 

Construction Co., Inc. has been known 

throughout Southwest Louisiana for 

“Excellence in Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving.” 

The company was organized in 1946 by R. 

E. Heidt, Ashton Fenet, Mrs. Roland (Ethel) 

Price, and Ted Dunham. Heidt, who had been 

sent to Lake Charles by the Kellogg Corporation 

to oversee construction of the Cities Service Oil 

Refinery, was named president and chief 

operating officer of the new firm. 

Fenet assumed a hands-on role with the 

company in 1957 to assist Heidt with the 

company’s banking and financial affairs. 

Fenet, a native of north Louisiana, had earned 

a law degree from Louisiana State University. 

He had been hired by Dunham and sent to 

Lake Charles to run the Dunham-Price Redi- 

Mix Concrete Company. 

In its early years, Heidt was involved 

primarily in site work, dirt preparation, 

preparation of roadbeds and preparation of 

sites for construction of the many oil refineries 

that were moving into the area, including 

Cities Service, PPG, the Olin Corporation, and 

Continental Oil Company. 

The company purchased its first hot-mix 

asphalt concrete manufacturing plant in 1955 

and it was established on Second Street in 

Lake Charles between Enterprise Boulevard 

and First Avenue. The facility remained at that 

location until 1960 when it was moved across 

the river to Westlake. 

When construction began on Interstate 10 

through Southwest Louisiana in 1962, Heidt 

Construction produced and placed a large 

portion of the hot-mix asphalt concrete 

blanket under the concrete and also paved the 

asphalt surfaced shoulders from the Texas 

state line east to Lafayette. The company 

purchased two additional asphalt plants to 

keep pace with the Interstate construction. 

In 1963, Heidt decided to retire, although 

he continued to do consulting work for the 

company until his death in 1967. 

Two other individuals played key roles in the 

company’s growth during this period. One was 

Heidt’s brother-in-law, William Paynter, who 

moved from Oklahoma to become the company 

engineer. In that role, Paynter laid out the 

original sixty-acre plant site that is now the 

Continental Oil Company Refinery. Paynter later 

moved from the field to serve as office manager 

and chief estimator and eventually became vice 

president. He worked until the age of eighty, and 

then continued to serve in a consultant position 

until his death at the age of ninety-nine. 

Also playing a key role in the early days was 

Joseph Donnelly, who ran the Finance 

Department and eventually became president 

from 1979-89. Donnelly had moved south from 

New York while stationed with the U.S. Navy 

in Orange, Texas, and joined the company in 

1947. He still does consultant work and comes 

by the office once a week. He also continues to 

serve on the board of directors. 


212

With Heidt’s retirement in 1963, Fenet 

assumed the duties of president and chief 

operations officer. During this era, Heidt 

Construction continued to move forward in 

the asphalt paving business with such major 

projects as the Asphalt Base Course beneath 

the Portland Concrete on Interstate 210 in 

Lake Charles; and the asphalt paving on 

Louisiana Highway 108 (Cities Service 

Highway), the major artery to the Southwest 

Louisiana petroleum industry. During this 

period, Heidt became the major road paving 

contractor in Southwest Louisiana. 

Fenet’s son, Courtney, left the Navy and 

joined the company in 1972. Two years later 

he was elevated to a position with special 

responsibilities for the manufacture and 

application of asphalt concrete paving and its 

usage in construction. 

One of the company founders, Mrs. Roland 

(Ethel) Price, died in 1976 and her two sons, 

Ted Price, Sr., and Bob Price, Sr., became part 

of the principle ownership of R.E. Heidt 

Construction along with Fenet and Dunham. 

Fenet stepped down as president in 1979 

and was succeeded by Joseph Donnelly until 

his retirement in 1989. Donnelly served the 

company for forty-two years. 

During Donnelly’s term as president, 

Courtney Fenet was given full charge of the 

company’s field work as chief operations 

officer. With Donnelly’s retirement, Courtney 

was selected as president and chief executive 

officer, a position he would hold until 2006. 

During the 1990s, Heidt Construction 

expanded from Southwest Louisiana with the 

addition of two asphalt concrete manufacturing 

facilities: forty-five miles east, and sixty miles 

north of Lake Charles. In 2001 and 2003, Heidt 

became a major contractor on two projects in 

the four-lane expansion of US Highway 171 

from Lake Charles to Shreveport. 

Heidt Construction is proud of the fact that 

seven key individuals have a combined total 

of 175 years with the company: 

• Mike Johnson, human resources/safety, 

34 years; 

• Scott Layfield, production, 33 years; 

• Paul Felice, maintenance, 33 years; 

• Ettel Ardoin, quality control, 32 years; 

• Brent Arabie, paving operations, 20 years; 

• Dale Brown, paving operations, 12 years; and 

• CEO and COO Troy DeRouen, 11 years. 

Ted Price, Jr., became president of the 

corporation in 2006 and, as the highway 

industry work load began to slow down, 

Heidt Construction began a restructuring to 

a much smaller operation, specializing in 

Hot-Mix Asphalt Paving. 

Heidt is now focused on its mission 

statement: “Excellence in Hot-Mix Asphalt 

Paving” and concentrates on small asphalt 

paving projects, operating one asphalt plant in 

the Southwest Louisiana area. The company’s 

major clients remain the state of Louisiana and 

Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. 

Above: Ted Price, Sr. 

Left: Bob Price, Sr. 


213

PUMPELLY 

OIL COMPANY 

Robert James Pumpelly was only seventeen 

years old in 1936 when he moved from 

Oklahoma City to Lake Charles, determined 

to make his fortune. His first venture was a 

small grocery store in Westlake, but after a 

few months he switched from groceries to 

fuel, selling Conoco gas from a two-pump 

service station in Sulphur. 

The little gas station marked the start of 

a career that would lead to Pumpelly Oil 

Company, one of the largest oil and gas 

distributors in Southwest Louisiana. Pumpelly 

Oil Company covers nearly every aspect of the 

petroleum industry, including repackaging bulk 

lube, servicing the offshore oil industry, and 

providing the region with alternatives to fuel 

and lubricants. 

After several years driving a truck and 

delivering gas and oil for Louisiana’s first 

Conoco jobbership and later working for a 

Conoco commission agency, Bob leased the 

first company-owned Conoco service station 

in Louisiana and later purchased the 

commission agency from Conoco. Realizing he 

needed his own service stations to be 

successful, Bob built his first full-service 

station in Westlake in 1956. By the mid- 

1960s, Bob had built four stations, which 

would later become Pellymarts; and the tire, 

battery, and accessories portion of the business 

grew to become Pumpelly Tire Center, Inc. 

The company name was changed to 

Pumpelly Oil, Inc., in 1986 to better reflect 

the expanding scope of the business. That 

same year Pumpelly Oil became the first 

Gascard franchise in Louisiana. This national 

fleet fueling system, known as Commercial 

Fueling Network, has become a significant 

part of the firm’s business. 

After fifty-three years in the business Bob 

stepped down from daily operation of the 

business in 1989 and became Chairman of the 

Board. His son, Robert Glenn Pumpelly, 

succeeded his father and steered the company 

into the 1990s and a new century. 

With the new century came Pumpelly Oil’s 

first major response to an emergency situation— 

Hurricane Rita in 2005. The results showed just 

how prepared and unprepared the company and 

community were in handling a natural disaster. 

Pumpelly employees were on the job around the 

clock during the recovery period to service 

emergency response vehicles. After Hurricane 

Rita, Pumpelly Oil started planning for the next 

disaster and has since become the major fuel 

supplier for Emergency Response personnel in 

the area. 

Pumpelly Oil now has its eyes on the future 

as it experiences retiring employees and growth 

through the younger generation that will bring a 

fresh outlook to the business and continuous 

longevity with the company. From its humble 

beginnings, Pumpelly Oil Company has become 

a leading distributor in Southwest Louisiana, 

employing eighty people and operating a fleet of 

sixteen trucks. Under the leadership of Glenn 

Pumpelly, the company will be a major player 

in the fuel, lubricant and chemical business in 

Louisiana and Texas for many years to come. 

Additional information is available on the 

Internet at www.pumpelly.com. 


214

In 1949 D. Walter Jessen, Sr., began a 

small business in the spare bedroom of his 

home, surveying by day and drafting by night. 

Today, D. W. Jessen & Associates is one of 

the most respected civil engineering and 

land surveying firms in Southwest Louisiana 

and has been for over sixty years. With deep 

family roots in this area, his son, D. “Walt” 

Jessen, Jr., continues the legacy as managing 

principal and owner, providing professional 

engineering and land surveying expertise with 

personal integrity and responsibility. 

The prolonged success of the company is 

attributed to the strong, foundational leadership 

of Mr. Jessen, Sr., in addition to the conscientious 

employees of the firm, especially 

those faithful, long-term employees who have 

devoted their careers to its service: namely, 

Jack Knapp, P.L.S, retired, Edgar M. Rosteet, 

P. E., Carolyn Grant, Barbara McCombs, 

Darrell Hebert, and Wes Duncan, Jr. 

D. W. Jessen & Associates has a long 

established history with many public, private, 

and industrial clients in Southwest Louisiana. 

Since 1953 the firm has been fortunate to serve 

the City of Lake Charles by providing a wide 

range of engineering services to improve and 

expand the municipal infrastructure, including 

water treatment and distribution, wastewater 

treatment and collection, street paving and 

storm drainage. The firm was also heavily 

involved in the design and construction of the 

Lake Charles Civic Center Complex, opened 

to the public in 1972 and more recently, the 

Bord du Lac Park Marina which opened in 

September of 2010 as an extension of the Civic 

Center Complex. The Gravity Drainage District 

No. 4 of Ward 3 in Calcasieu Parish has been 

a client since 1958. The four major storm 

water pumping stations in the district are past 

projects of D. W. Jessen & Associates. Mr. 

Jessen, Sr., also served as engineer for the Port 

of Lake Charles from 1965 to 1986. 

Mr. Jessen, Sr., was instrumental in the 

development of the original Lake Charles 

Municipal Airport, completed in 1961. 

Hurricane Rita devastated the region in 

2005, including the original airport terminal 

building. Walt Jessen, Jr., was fortunate to 

follow in the footsteps of his father and be 

involved in the construction of the new Lake 

Charles Regional Airport terminal building, 

opened to the public in August of 2009. 

A look at the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of 

Court subdivision records will reveal that D. W. 

Jessen & Associates is well represented in the 

numerous private subdivision developments 

and private land surveys. The many surveys 

and construction records archived in the firm’s 

office over the past sixty plus years continue 

to provide historical research data for public 

entities and private real estate developers. 

The firm’s goal is to continue serving clients 

in Southwest Louisiana for years to come. 

For more information, visit their website at 

www.dwjessen.com. 

D. W. JESSEN & 

ASSOCIATES, 

LLC 

CIVIL AND 

CONSULTING 

ENGINEERS 

Above: D. Walter Jessen, Sr., and D. Walter 

Jessen, Jr., looking for ducks. 

Below: Bord du Lac Park Marina designed 

by D. W. Jessen and Associates. 


215

BROSSETT 

ARCHITECT, 

LLC 

Above: David Brossett, AIA. 

David Brossett, AIA, leads the firm of 

Brossett Architect, LLC. Excellence is our 

frame of mind and our client’s success is the 

end result. “Our clients deserve better than 

good projects,” says Brossett. “They deserve 

great projects. That’s why they select our firm, 

and that’s what we deliver.” 

They opened in 1997 with limited staffing 

and resources and have grown to encompass 

clients from across the United States from 

Louisiana to California and states in-between. 

They have designed millions of square feet of 

buildings across multiple states. This firm is 

committed to providing excellence in service 

and innovation throughout the design and 

construction process. “We provide advice and 

solutions that allow our clients to visualize 

long-term success,” says Brossett. 

Brossett has been a LEED-Accredited 

Professional since 2003, and is committed to 

sustainability through design. The Leadership 

in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 

credential works to the benefit of the firm’s 

clients because ‘green is good’ when it comes 

to saving energy, the environment and money. 

The firm’s award-winning expertise and 

commitment is proven and comes from 

designing a variety of projects, including 

medical offices, restaurants, corporate offices, 

religious facilities, community centers and 

schools. A sample of their projects include 

Sowela Technical Community College Process 

Technology Center, Southland Coins World 

Headquarters, Lake Charles Public Works 

Administration Offices, Dr. Clawson Medical 

Practice Center, and Main Street Financial 

Federal Credit Union. 

The youthful and energetic Brossett 

Architect team has racked up a string of 

great projects along the 10/12 corridor. And 

testimonials from Brossett Architect clients 

confirm the high esteem in which the firm is 

held. “Brossett truly represented my best 

interest and allowed my vision to become 

reality,” says one client. Another remarks, 

“Your attention to detail and emphasis on customer 

service were key factors in the success 

of this project.” Another satisfied client writes, 

“You were there and took responsibility for 

every concern. Few professionals are willing 

to be so available.” 

The Brossett Architect team believes in 

delivering a full range of superior professional 

architectural services. It is this dedication to 

clients that guarantees effective planning for 

current and future needs, excellence in architectural 

and interior design, and complete 

construction review and administration. 

Brossett Architect, LLC, is located at 414 

Pujo Street in Lake Charles. For more 

information about the firm, check their 

website at www.brossettarchitect.com. 

Their utmost priority will always be their 

client’s success. This point is emphasized by 

another satisfied client, “When someone else 

worries about things more than you do, you 

can stop worrying. Thanks [to Brossett] for 

worrying for me.” 


216

Myers Group, Inc., better known as Myrtis 

Mueller Realty, is a full service real estate 

firm, providing residential, commercial, 

development, and investment services as well 

as property management. 

The firm was founded by Myrtis Myers 

Mueller in 1987, following a twenty year career 

with South Central Bell. Looking for a more 

challenging career, Myrtis received her real 

estate salesperson’s license in 1975. After 

three years as a part-time real estate agent, she 

resigned from the phone company to pursue 

her new career. 

Assisted by her daughter, Sheila, and son, 

Jeff, Myrtis Mueller Realty opened in one of 

the oldest homes in Moss Bluff. The house, 

originally owned by Myrtis’ father, Joseph 

Manuel (Man-wel) Myers, was built around 

1910 on a forty acre tract facing a dirt road, 

now known as Sam Houston Jones Parkway. 

Interest rates were at an all-time high in the 

1980s, so it was not the ideal time to be starting 

a new real estate firm. However, variable rate 

loans helped overcome the high interest rate 

and Boeing opened its Lake Charles site, 

transferring hundreds of employees to the 

area, keeping the real estate industry humming. 

After eighteen years, the firm moved to a new 

location across the street. 

Always a self motivator and organizer 

Myrtis worked diligently to establish her name. 

She received numerous sales awards and 

retained the honor of “Top Producer” with the 

Southwest Louisiana Association of Realtors. 

Myrtis and her family were raised in the 

area and have seen firsthand the growth and 

development of Southwest Louisiana, especially 

Moss Bluff. They have seen the expansion 

of schools, construction of new homes, 

growth of businesses, and improvements and 

development of parks. 

Myrtis Mueller Realty remains very much 

a family business. Myrtis’ son, Jeff Pitre, 

followed in his mother’s footsteps, gradually 

taking over her clientele. Her eldest daughter, 

Sheila Peterson, moved back to Moss Bluff 

in 1998 after working for a global data 

processing company in Houston. In 2007, 

Sheila accepted the responsibility of Broker 

and broadened the vision of the firm. Myrtis’ 

youngest daughter, Gina Mueller, received her 

license in 1993, keeps abreast of expanding 

technology as the office assistant. 

Brokers and agents at Myrtis Mueller 

Realty are involved in a variety of community 

activities. They coach local baseball, softball, 

and soccer teams and are involved in Sam 

Houston High Band Boosters, ACTS Theatre, 

and local churches and advisory board. 

Currently everyone at the firm is a licensed 

agent, servicing all of Southwest Louisiana in 

all phases of real estate. Myrtis’ daughters and 

son take pride in their Mom’s accomplishments 

and strive to continue her legacy of 

treating clients like family. The thriving company 

is continually rewarded with satisfied 

clients, repeat business and new referrals. 

To learn more about Myrtis Mueller Realty, 

check their website at www.realtymm.com. 

MYERS GROUP, 

INC. 

D/B/A MYRTIS 

MUELLER 

REALTY 

Above: Myrtis Mueller Realty office from 

1987 until 2005. 

Below: Current office of Myrtis Mueller 

Realty at 1037 Sam Houston Jones Parkway. 


217

J. A. DAVIS 

PROPERTIES, 

L.L.C. 

The Davis family of Cameron Parish has 

been in the commercial real estate business 

since 1967, but the property controlled by the 

family was acquired in the 1840s by George 

W. Wakefield. 

The property proved profitable under 

Wakefield’s direction, producing cotton, 

citrus, and livestock, in addition to trapping 

and estuary management. During the 1960s, 

the property produced oil and gas and was 

developed as commercial real estate. 

After six generations the descendants of 

Wakefield are still active in management of 

the property. 

A decline in farm operations, coupled 

with the oilfield boom of the late 1950s, 

demanded a more business-oriented familyowned 

property. Because J. A. Davis, a grand 

nephew of Wakefield, did not want the land 

to succumb to partition and dissent of family 

mergers and fractional interest, a Trust was 

formed for the purpose of negotiating and 

representing the interest as a whole. 

The Trust was formed in 1967 by the beneficiaries 

of the J. A. and Martha Davis Trust 

for Lonnie A. Davis, Furman J. Davis, Wilma 

Davis Bride and Mary Davis Henry. According 

to the Mission Statement, the Trust is to 

remain “a constant influence on the community, 

family and tradition of maintaining a 

family-run business dedicated to stewardship 

of the land, our inheritance, future and faith.” 

The statement adds that “the Trust is to be 

conducted in a Christian environment.” 

The Trust was managed by W. F. Henry, Jr., 

son-in-law of J. A. Davis and great-grandson 

of S. P. Henry, who many credit with the 

formation of Cameron Parish from the existing 

boundaries of Imperial Calcasieu Parish 

in 1870. J. A. Davis Properties, L.L.C., was 

formed in 2009 by J. A Davis grandchildren 

and is currently managed by his grandson, 

E. Scott Henry. 

The Davis and Henry families of Cameron 

Parish have supported the Cameron Parish 

Fur and Wildlife Festival since its beginning. 

Austin Davis, who died in 1985, and Frankie 

Henry, who died in 2007, were instrumental 

in the development of the all the industries 

honored by the Fur and Wildlife Festival. 

These two men represented the families that 

helped settle Cameron in the late 1800s. The 

combined land holdings were blessed with an 

abundance of natural resources, estuaries, and 

wildlife. Strategic waterfront locations, aggressive 

local businessmen and public officials, 

along with the cooperation of the Davis and 

Henry families enticed various industries to 

locate and prosper in Cameron. 

With the addition of deep water port development, 

J. A. Davis Properties, LLC, will provide 

a basis for continued growth of the family 

business, while maintaining its traditional 

stewardship of the lands in Cameron Parish. 


218

219

SPONSORS 

Brossett Architect, LLC .........................................................................................................................................................216 

Business Health Partners .......................................................................................................................................................143 

Calcasieu Federal Employees Credit Union...........................................................................................................................164 

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury ..................................................................................................................................................132 

Calcasieu Parish Public Library .............................................................................................................................................146 

Calcasieu Parish School System.............................................................................................................................................145 

Cameron Communications, LLC ...........................................................................................................................................196 

Cameron LNG.......................................................................................................................................................................183 

Cameron Parish.....................................................................................................................................................................147 

Cameron State Bank..............................................................................................................................................................154 

Chamber SWLA ....................................................................................................................................................................172 

Cheniere Energy, Inc. ....................................................................................................................................................183, 184 

Chennault International Airport Authority............................................................................................................................116 

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital .............................................................................................................................................140 

CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex......................................................................................................................200 

City of Lake Charles..............................................................................................................................................................118 

City of Sulphur .....................................................................................................................................................................137 

City Savings Bank .................................................................................................................................................................177 

Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana...................................................................................................................139 

CSE Federal Credit Union.....................................................................................................................................................150 

D. W. Jessen & Associates, LLC Civil and Consulting Engineers...........................................................................................215 

Don’s Carwash 

Don’s Express 

Don’s Quik Lube ........................................................................................................................................................160 

Dunham Price Group, LLC ...................................................................................................................................................210 

First Choice Couriers, LLC....................................................................................................................................................149 

First Federal Bank of Louisiana .............................................................................................................................................158 

Gray Estate and Stream Companies.......................................................................................................................................120 

Hart Eye Center ....................................................................................................................................................................122 

Health Systems 2000.............................................................................................................................................................110 

Inn on the Bayou ..................................................................................................................................................................149 

J. A. Davis Properties, L.L.C. .................................................................................................................................................218 

Jeff Davis Bank & Trust Company.........................................................................................................................................162 

Jefferson Davis Parish............................................................................................................................................................130 

Junior League of Lake Charles, Inc........................................................................................................................................144 

Krause & Managan Lumber Co., Limited..............................................................................................................................181 

Lake Charles Coca-Cola Bottling Company...........................................................................................................................176 

Lake Charles Regional Airport...............................................................................................................................................141 

Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau ........................................................................................142 

Levingston Engineers, Inc. 

Levingston Group, LLC ...................................................................................................................................................202 

Lindsey Janies Photography ..................................................................................................................................................156 

Mallett Buildings, LLC...........................................................................................................................................................192 

McDonald’s of Southwest Louisiana ......................................................................................................................................174 

McNeese State University ......................................................................................................................................................124 

Myers Group, Inc. d/b/a Myrtis Mueller Realty......................................................................................................................217 

Northrop Grumman Technical Services.................................................................................................................................204 

Paramount Companies ..........................................................................................................................................................149 

Pumpelly Oil Company. ........................................................................................................................................................214 


220

R. E. Heidt Construction Co., Inc. ........................................................................................................................................212 

Ribbeck Construction Corporation........................................................................................................................................188 

Sasol North America, Inc. .....................................................................................................................................................183 

Schlesingers Wholesale .........................................................................................................................................................166 

Scofield, Gerard, Singletary & Pohorelsky Attorneys at Law, L.L.C. ......................................................................................179 

Southland Coins & Collectibles ............................................................................................................................................173 

Southwest Beverage Co., Inc. ................................................................................................................................................168 

Southwest Louisiana Credit Union........................................................................................................................................180 

Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance..........................................................................................................178 

Southwest Louisiana Healthcare System 

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital 

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women..............................................................................................................128 

Sowela Technical Community College...................................................................................................................................134 

St. Louis Catholic High School..............................................................................................................................................126 

Steamboat Bill’s .....................................................................................................................................................................170 

Surgicare of Lake Charles......................................................................................................................................................136 

Sweet Lake Land & Oil Company.........................................................................................................................................206 

Talen’s Marine & Fuel ...........................................................................................................................................................208 

The BEL Group .....................................................................................................................................................................149 

The Broussard Group, LLC 

Broussard and Company, CPAs 

Broussard HealthCare Consultants 

SynergyCare 

High Hope ......................................................................................................................................................114 

The User-Friendly Phone Book .............................................................................................................................................175 

West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital.........................................................................................................................................138 

Women & Children’s Hospital...............................................................................................................................................135 

SPONSORS 

221

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER 

L INDSEY 

J ANIES 

The photographer for the book is Lindsey Janies, owner of Lindsey Janies Photography. 

Ms. Janies is a prolific creative talent who boasts a major portfolio of photographic work, including commercial, portrait, and wedding 

photography. Lindsey strives to capture the beauty and heritage of Southwest Louisiana as she sees it. Growing up with the inspiration 

of her grandparents, Lindsey is a third generation photographer, raised in the magical world of darkrooms, negatives, and film. To the 

traditional style of photography, she adds her own modern, artistic flair. Starting her business in 2004, Lindsey has quickly become one 

of Lake Charles’ prime photographers, having expanded into two separate spaces: a private shooting and editing studio in Sulphur, and 

a beautiful office and meeting space in Lake Charles. Many of her works are shown within her gallery located in the Charleston Hotel. 

Lindsey resides in Sulphur with her two favorite boys, her husband, Adam, and nine month old baby, Parker. 


222

ABOUT THE WRITER 

J EANNE L EVINGSTON O WENS 

Jeanne Owens, native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, breathes the South into her words—silky cypress swamps, deep roux-based seafood 

dishes, the slam of a screen door, smells of rich pine forests, eye-squinting sun glinting on water. She has packed four careers into a 

lifetime—teaching, writing, public relations and advertising, and art and antiques. 

Owens’ writing career stems from her love of literature. For the past forty years she has researched and written copy for various 

industries, focusing on tourism, cuisine, and history. Her work has been published in Louisiana Life Magazine, Atlanta Magazine, Texas 

Monthly, New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Cookin’, State of Louisiana Official Tour Guide, Adventures in Culture (Florence, Alabama), Historic 

Calcasieu Parish Tour Booklet, and others. She is currently working on a publication featuring hundreds of early 1900s photographs of 

Louisiana and Texas. 

Owens owns and operates Charleston Gallery and Antiques, an upscale art gallery and antique shop in historic downtown Lake 

Charles. She is also a retired English and literature teacher with thirty-five years experience teaching on the college and high school 

levels; she has owned an advertising agency, and has served as director of numerous national festivals and musical productions. She is 

also a photographer and pianist. However, her true love is her family—husband, two daughters, and two grandsons. 

ABOUT THE WRITER 

223

For more information about the following publications or about publishing your own book, 

please call Historical Publishing Network at 800-749-9790 or visit www.lammertinc.com. 

Albemarle & Charlottesville: 

An Illustrated History of the First 150 Years 

Black Gold: The Story of Texas Oil & Gas 

Garland: A Contemporary History 

Historic Abilene: An Illustrated History 

Historic Alamance County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Albuquerque: An Illustrated History 

Historic Amarillo: An Illustrated History 

Historic Anchorage: An Illustrated History 

Historic Austin: An Illustrated History 

Historic Baldwin County: A Bicentennial History 

Historic Baton Rouge: An Illustrated History 

Historic Beaufort County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Beaumont: An Illustrated History 

Historic Bexar County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Birmingham: An Illustrated History 

Historic Brazoria County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Brownsville: An Illustrated History 

Historic Charlotte: 

An Illustrated History of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County 

Historic Chautauqua County: A Bicentennial History 

Historic Cheyenne: A History of the Magic City 

Historic Clayton County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Comal County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Corpus Christi: An Illustrated History 

Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Denton County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Edmond: An Illustrated History 

Historic El Paso: An Illustrated History 

Historic Erie County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Fayette County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Fairbanks: An Illustrated History 

Historic Gainesville & Hall County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Greene County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Gregg County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hampton Roads: Where America Began 

Historic Hancock County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Henry County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hood County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Houston: An Illustrated History 

Historic Hunt County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Illinois: An Illustrated History 

Historic Kern County: 

An Illustrated History of Bakersfield and Kern County 

Historic Lafayette: 

An Illustrated History of Lafayette & Lafayette Parish 

Historic Laredo: 

An Illustrated History of Laredo & Webb County 

Historic Lee County: The Story of Fort Myers & Lee County 

Historic Louisiana: An Illustrated History 

Historic Mansfield: A Bicentennial History 

Historic McLennan County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Midland: An Illustrated History 

Historic Montgomery County: 

An Illustrated History of Montgomery County, Texas 

Historic Ocala: The Story of Ocala & Marion County 

Historic Oklahoma: An Illustrated History 

Historic Oklahoma County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Omaha: 

An Illustrated History of Omaha and Douglas County 

Historic Orange County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Osceola County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Ouachita Parish: An Illustrated History 

Historic Paris and Lamar County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Pasadena: An Illustrated History 

Historic Passaic County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Pennsylvania An Illustrated History 

Historic Philadelphia: An Illustrated History 

Historic Prescott: 

An Illustrated History of Prescott & Yavapai County 

Historic Richardson: An Illustrated History 

Historic Rio Grande Valley: An Illustrated History 

Historic Rogers County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Santa Barbara: An Illustrated History 

Historic Scottsdale: A Life from the Land 

Historic Shelby County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Shreveport-Bossier: 

An Illustrated History of Shreveport & Bossier City 

Historic South Carolina: An Illustrated History 

Historic Smith County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Temple: An Illustrated History 

Historic Texarkana: An Illustrated History 

Historic Texas: An Illustrated History 

Historic Victoria: An Illustrated History 

Historic Tulsa: An Illustrated History 

Historic Wake County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Warren County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Williamson County: An Illustrated History 

Historic Wilmington & The Lower Cape Fear: 

An Illustrated History 

Historic York County: An Illustrated History 

Iron, Wood & Water: An Illustrated History of Lake Oswego 

Jefferson Parish: Rich Heritage, Promising Future 

Miami’s Historic Neighborhoods: A History of Community 

Old Orange County Courthouse: A Centennial History 

Plano: An Illustrated Chronicle 

The New Frontier: 

A Contemporary History of Fort Worth & Tarrant County 

San Antonio, City Exceptional 

The San Gabriel Valley: A 21st Century Portrait 

The Spirit of Collin County 

Valley Places, Valley Faces 

Water, Rails & Oil: Historic Mid & South Jefferson County 


224

ISBN: 9781935377313

Southwest Louisiana - A Treasure Revealed

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