LAVERMIL-L Archives

From:
Subject: Indiana Settlers
Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 12:05:40 EDT

Gary, perhaps we can use this article in the upcoming volume.
Ken

The following article quoted in the Meridional of 12-3-1892 was taken
from the
Crowley Signal. As you will see, it describes what some individuals from
Indiana
experienced on a visit to the western part of Vermilion parish.
“Indiana Settlers in Vermilion”
“Among the many visitors to Crowley during the past week, we have had the
pleasure of spending three or four days with Messrs. Franklin Landers and
William F.
Moore of Indianapolis, Marvin H. Case of Catlin and T. N. Rice of Rockville,
John D.
Burks of Guion, Charles Blake of Hollandsburg, Milton Robinson and Walter J.
and
Alexander R. McMurtry of Marshall, and Geo. Hathaway of Green Castle, all of
the great
State of Indiana, and last but not least, the whole soul and clever E. R.
Herricks from
Chicago. We have had quite a wide experience in entertaining strangers during
our last 10
years in the Real Estate business, but must say that taking a crowd as a body
we never had
a better time. The party arrived here last Thursday, and spent the evening
riding around
Crowley and visiting the adjoining rice and cane fields, and on Friday the
entire crowd left
in conveyances, well supplied with teams, lunch and snake bite medicine, for
that great
and growing section of country about twelve miles south of Crowley, in
Vermilion Parish,
where so many good Western and Northern farmers have settled during the past
year. At
twelve o’clock we landed at Gueydan’s bridge, and adjourned to the Orange
orchards
where the party were treated to many strange sights, such as the old Grist
Mill pulled by
little Creole ponies, the old wash-plank and battle board, where Creole women
were
washing clothes on planks thrown across a bayou over water thirty feet deep,
the old rice
mortar and pestle, and ate lunch under the orange trees, where fruit was
served by each
fellow helping himself from bunches of oranges overhead. Coffee was served in
cups the
size of half an egg shell by a good little Creole woman. In the evening we
arrived at B. R.
Garland’s were a number of farmers, formerly of Indiana were busy engaged in
building a
large rice bin. The meeting between the visitors and old friends was a
pleasing sight. We
are there but a short while when the party were out shooting ducks which were
plentiful,
and each fellow succeeded in getting his game. Our entire crowd were treated
in the most
hospitable manner, by Mr. Garland and his friends. The party arrived at E. H.
Gueydan’s
late at night, yet he and his wife treated us in the most royal manner, and
the party freely
confess that they had never met with such hospitality in their lives before
from strangers.
The entire party have returned home, and are perfectly elated over the
prospects of our
country, and predict a wonderful future for Southwest Louisiana. Almost every
one of
them invested in real estate, town lots or bank stocks, while others left
money for future
investments. The parting was more like taking leave of old friends than
comparative
strangers. We were sorry that our time was so taken by with other matters
that we could
not give them more attention and would like to have been in a talking humor
while they
were here. The only one we feel sorry for in the party is Mr. Herricks, who
came here on a
Republican...very blue over Harrison’s defeat, but left claiming to be a
Democrat, and has
no desire whatever to try the depth of the river Queue Tortue, as he had one
experience
which was sufficient, and declares he will never try to walk out of a boat
where the water
is twenty feet deep. We trust the party will arrive home safe, and know it
will not be long
before they will again visit Southwest Louisiana.”

This thread:

• Indiana Settlers by