This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.


♦FRANKLIN. Sugar cane section; large refinery. The highway still follows the Bayou Teche and the interesting old .southern scenes. COMMERCIAL HOTEL, fills early.
MeKERALL MOTOR CAR CO., opp. Court House, has complete automobile service and tourist information. Hi. 2.
CIIARENTON. Village. Grand Lake, bathing and fishing near.
JEANERETTE. Sugar, rice and corn. Table salt is mined near here at G50 ft. dej>ths. Fresh and salt-water fishing and bathing. The Bayou Teelie is one of the most interesting waterways in America; all South Louisiana is filled with pleasant and unexpected scenes. Camp near Moresi’s foundry.
BEAULLIEU MOTOR CO. Est. 1921, well equipped shop, filling station, open until midnight.
♦NEW IBERIA. The Evangeline country. The highway leaves the Bayou Teche here. Sugar, rice, cotton, tobasco peppers and salt mines. Wild life sanctuaries southward toward the gulf. HOTEL FREDERIC, modern, good restaurant. Inf.—at Hotel Frederic.
Westward travelers may branch at New Iberia for St. Martinville.
CADE. Leave Old Spanish Trail here for St. Martinville, 0 mi. north.
ST. MARTIXVILLK
The old Acadian town where Evangeline lived if* the quaint center for many little journeys. On the hank of the Teche is the spreading live oak where Evangeline and her people landed; near by are tile Evangeline home, church and other saercd landmarks. The surrounding towns and country are interesting. Bayou Teche is on a southerly course here, and these are the western highlands of the Atclmfala.va Basin, the ancient outlet of tl.e Mississippi Kiver. Tlie Acndians were exiled from Nova Scotia in 1755. ilerded in old ships, families and friends torn asunder, some were landed in Maryland, some in T^ouisiana, most of them to become wanderers searching for one another. After three years the Maryland group worked south seeking their lost ones. The French had established I’t. Attakapas in 175fi at the present St. Martinville. The Evangeline party reached Attakapas about 1760. Numerous graveled roads.
VOOK111ES IIOTEI. is a comfortable, liome-like place.
BROUSSARD. The three largest sugar mills in Louisiana are on the Old Spanish Trail: Raceland. Franklin and Broussard. The bagasse, the stalk after the cane juice has bet'n pressed out, was formerly used as fuel, now’ is made into celotex for insulating material. Visitors are welcomed.
♦LAFAYETTE. A commercial and transportation center and growing fast. Cotton, corn and rice production meet in this Parish and westward the interesting rice fields prevail, flooded in growing time.
HOTELS—TIIE GORDON, remodeled and modernized. HOTEL EVANGELINE, new. TERRACE, country type, clean, comfortable; parking sheds.
Camp space in grove on Vermilion Bayou. Inf.—Chamber of Commerce.
BILLEAUI) GARAGE and Filling Station, very complete, day and night shop and road service.
RAYNE. Rice and cotton. The plains of southwestern Louisiana are now a vast rice growing area. Wells 300 to 400 ft. deep pump throe to four million gallons of water daily. The COMMERCIAL, good country hotel, remodeled.
♦CROWLEY. The "Rice City of America.” As much rice is grown in Acadia Parish as in all California. A county is called a parish in Louisiana. The lamest rice area in the United Stares in this Crowley district. When it was found in 1RS5 these prairies could be flooded artificially. then drained and harvested with wheat-harvesting
machinery, men came from all states and large commercial development followed. Streams a foot in diameter are ceaselessly pumped from shallow wells but the main supply comes from the bayous and rivers. The network of canals, ditches and fields is best viewed from the top of the First National Bank building. One mile west on the Old Spanish Trail is the rice experiment station that has done so much to develop the rice industry of America. Visitors can learn many interesting things from Superintendent J. M. Jenkins.
HOTELS—EGAN HOTEL, brick building, steam heat. TIIE INN is comfortable and well kept. Camp, in town, HOc.
INF.—Association of Commerce.
MERMENTAU. Village, gen'l. store, service stations, country hotel, camp space, fishing and hunting.
MERMENTAU RIVER. A beautiful river. Fishing and hunting.
♦JENNINGS. Another real American city developed by the rice industry; also fine staple cotton. Evangeline oil field 0 mi. east where one well made nearly 4,000,000 bbls. South 14 mi. is Lake Arthur and the village and the hunting club with its nation-wide membership, for south thru tlie Merinent.au Itiver are Grand Lake, Mallard Bay, a myriad of inlets, wild lands and marshes, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Lake Arthur Chib has a preserve of 11,000 A. Eastward are the Rockefeller and Sage wild life preserves facing the gulf for 75 mi. Here lie tlie natural winter refuges of birds and their feeding grounds, and now tlie rice fields add to the joys. Ducks and geese in their season blacken the skies, these preserves are their protection. The Jennings Chamber of Commerce will gladly help Old Spanish Trail hunters or fishermen.
HOTELS — The ARDENNES at Jennings is modern, nicely furnished and liked. The LAKE ARTHUR HOTEL, at tlie lake, rins. only. Free camp space available.
MORE MILEAGE STATION—C. E. Stackhouse. Center of city. Every kind of service and supplies. Very complete equipment; all night service. Camp space 25c. Screened cabins, good beds, stoves, showers, electrict lights, car sheds; $1.00 and $1.25.
WELSH. Rice, cotton, cattle and a nice little city. HOTEL ABBOTT, new, many rins. with bath, well furnished; good dining service. Nice free camp in park, south; shady, swimming pool.
♦LAKE CHARLES. A deep-water port; metropolis of Southwest Louisiana. On Calcasieu River and Lake Charles. Fine residence city. Cotton, rice, cattle and general farming: important oil fields near.
HOTELS—MAJESTIC, 100 rms., popular old southern type. CHARLESTON, new. modern. CHEROKEE and RIGMAIDEX, moderate. THE OAKS, pleasant family type. Camp space near lake.
INF.—Chamber of Commerce.
CALCASIEU RIVER.
SULPHUR. Exhausted sulphur mines near: superheated steam forced to the sulphur beds, far underground melted the sulphur and compressed air forced it to tho surface. Large mines now south of Houston. Country hotel. Camp on OST at Ellenders Service Station.
VINTON. 18,000 A. of rice around Vinton—a million dollar crop. A center for four oil fields—Ged, 4 mi. south: Edgerly 5Vi nii. east: Vinton Stark, 7 mi. north: Roxana. 12 mi. south. Tho oil fields are an interesting study. SHAW HOTEL, 32 rms.; free car storage. Cabin camp 50c and $1.00. good. Inf.—.T. ^T. Wetherill, at Calcasieu Bank.
21


Old Spanish Trail Document (011)
© 2008 - 2024
Hancock County Historical Society
All rights reserved