Profile for Tourists of the Past

I was able to purchase on eBay a copy of the Louisiana edition of A Guide to the States published by the Louisiana Writer’s Project of the Works Progress Administration in 1941. It is a very interesting book, one I wish I could find a contemporary version of today. It gives brief profiles of the largest communities in Louisiana and includes more than two dozen driving tours of the state, listing points of interest on each tour, providing distances and describing the road conditions and accommodations along each route. The Appendices include a glossary of Louisiana terms from armoire to zombie, a chronology of Louisiana History, an extensive bibliography of sources for Louisiana information, a list of places including populations from the 1940 census and five regional maps of the state with points of interest marked. I really wish I had been able to find such a concise, but informative tour book a few weeks back when I went through Plantation Country along the River Road.


Since it seems a little too short to be the basis of a newspaper column, I decided to post the text about Minden to my blog word for word. I hope some of you will find interesting. There are some errors, by 1940, Minden had three movie theaters, not one as listed, and with the coming of the Louisiana Ordnance Plant in the Summer of 1941 we would soon add a drive-in between McIntyre and the Plant. The timing of the emerging oil and gas boom is off by more than a decade and there are other mistakes such as the description of the events of 1933 is hopelessly jumbled. However it is fun to read how our town was described to travelers 70 years ago.

Minden:

Railroad Station: Foot of S. Broadway for Louisiana & Arkansas Railroad

Bus Station: 120 Pearl Street for Tri-State Bus Line

Taxies: Fare $0.25

Traffic Regulations: Speed limit 25 mph. Turn on green light only. Parallel parking; no limit.

Accommodations: Two hotels; boarding houses; tourist camps

Information Service: Courthouse, S. Broadway and Pearl Sts.

Motion Picture Houses: One

Golf: Minden Country Club, 1.6 miles N. on U.S. 79, 9 holes (3,100 yds.), $0.50 a day

Swimming: Municipal Natatorium, Victory Park, northern part of town, adults $0.15, children $0.10

Tennis: Six courts in three city parks

Annual Events: Flower Show, usually in April; Garden Party, May; Fish Fry, first Tuesday in September

MINDEN (181 alt; 5,623 population), is the trading and shipping center of a productive cotton-growing and general farming district in the Northwestern corner of the State. During the late 1930s the town experienced a modest boom brought about by discovery of oil and gas in the vicinity. The presence of a plant which manufactures presses for cotton gins adds to the town’s industrial aspect.

Minden has a wide main street, tree-shade residential sections, parks planted with shrubs and flowers, and a general air of comfort and well-being. Saturday in Minden finds the streets, stores and theaters crowded with farmers and their families in town for their weekly shopping and recreation. In the vicinity are numerous small lakes and streams affording excellent fishing, boating and picnicking sites.

Minden was founded in 1836 as a real estate promotion by a German-American named Charles Hance Veeder; it was named after a town on the Weser River, in northern Germany, the birthplace of Veeder’s parents. The town’s founder deserted it to participate in the California Gold Rush.

Favored by fertile land and transportation facilities by way of Bayou Dauchite, Lake Bistineau, and the Red River, the town grew steadily sharing in the general prosperity that preceded the War Between the States. The Minden Academy, co-educational, was opened in 1838, but divided in 1850 into the Minden Male Academy and the Minden Female Seminary; the latter developed into an outstanding women’s college, but was closed in 1886.

In 1933 Minden suffered a series of disasters. First a cyclone took heavy toll of life and property; a few weeks later a fire destroyed the business district and many homes; finally the funds of the citizens and business establishments were frozen during the Nation-wide bank holiday. The discovery of oil and natural gas in the vicinity shortly afterward aided materially in recouping Minden’s fortunes.

POINTS OF INTEREST

At the MINDEN COMPRESS (visitors admitted), foot of S. Broadway St., opposite the depot, cotton bales pressed at rural gins are further compressed to half t heir original size. In addition to giant steam presses, there are 4 acres of covered warehouse space, enough for 8.500 bales of cotton

CITY PARK, made up of 3 squares in the neutral ground of S. Broadway St., south of the courthouse, has a bandstand about which hundreds gather every Friday evening during the summer to hear free concerts presented by the Municipal Band, and take part in community song-fests. At the south end of the park is a CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL.

WEBSTER PARISH COURTHOUSE, Pearl and S. Broadway Sts., is a two-story stone and buff-colored brick structure with an octagonal white dome. Each side has a small portico with four Ionic columns.

FERGUSON MEMORIAL TABERNACLE (Baptist), Murrell Ave., between N. Broadway and Pennsylvania Sts., is an open-sided structure somewhat resembling an airplane hangar. During revival meetings the floor is usually covered with sawdust, and converts “hit the sawdust trail.”

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, 310 N. Broadway St., S.E. Corner Broadway and 1st Sts., is a three-story cream-colored brick adaptation of Classical Greek architecture, built in 1925. Four embellished Ionic columns frame a recessed pedimented portico on the façade. The auditorium seats 1000 persons.

The ADA JACK CARVER HOME (private), 412 Webb Court, a one-story white frame cottage, is the residence of Mrs. Ada Jack Carver Snell, author of The Cajun, Red Bone and other stories and plays, most of which have as their locale Natchitoches and its vicinity.

MINDEN SANITARIUM (visiting hours 9-11 a.m., 2-4 p.m.), N.W. corner Monroe and Cedar Sts., housed in a four-story red brick structure was established in 1926 as a semipublic institution. There are 18 private rooms and four wards, with facilities for 35 patients.

Diamonds are Forever

Sequel to the earlier posts about the diamonds found in North Louisiana in the 1970s. Over the past couple of days I have been contacted by or in touch with Paul Heinrich of the Louisiana Geological Survey, Mike Howard of the Arkansas Geological Survey, Ann Middleton of the Bossier History Center and Clif Cardin the Bossier Parish Historian. To make a long story short, information has been shared among us about the diamond stories. There were at least two diamond finds that seem to have been merged together in local tradition. There was a diamond found at Princeton in 1970 in a driveway. Then, three years later, the diamonds were found at Gifford Hill at Sibley. Mr. Heinrich and Mr. Howard are working on documenting all the diamonds found in Louisiana. Clif has tracked down the lady that found the diamond in 1970 and now Ms. Middleton has information about both stories. So, that's the latest on that story, now if I could just find some Haynesville Shale under my property . . . LOL!!!

Friends of the Germantown Colony Museum

As mentioned in previous blog posts, the Germantown Colony Museum has become part of the Secretary of State’s museum system. This is an exciting development as it provides a chance for the museum to finally have an adequate source of funding for its operations, something that has been lacking for the 35 years the museum has been in existence. In fact, the first project planned for the site by the Secretary of State’s office will involve an expenditure of funds greater than the combined operating budget of the museum for its entire 35 years of life. I’ve also mentioned that perhaps there might be some instability in the future of this funding, as Secretary of State Jay Dardenne, who created the museum system and along with Representative Jean Doerge orchestrated the state takeover of Germantown, is running for Lieutenant Governor. The prospect of Dardenne moving over to the Lt. Gov’s office could leave Germantown and the other museums in his system (including the Eddie Robinson Museum in Grambling, the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, the Mansfield Female College Museum in Mansfield, among others) as orphans. However, since the Lieutenant Governor also runs his own museum system, the Louisiana State Museum system, I trust that none of the museum will suffer if Dardenne’s is successful in gaining the Lieutenant Governor’s seat. The real threat to these museums is the ongoing budget crisis in the State of Louisiana (one that has many of us “antsy” about our own job futures), so all the skies aren’t blue, but even with the problems, Germantown has the brightest future it has seen since its founding as a settlement, back in 1835.


The reason for my blog post is to make folks aware of a significant meeting tomorrow. Anyone who has worked with a museum knows that the real key to success is gaining support from the public. For private museums, such as the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum, the key is getting capable management and then getting as many members as possible to make the community feel it is “their” museum. At Dorcheat we have been fortunate with leadership from Thad Andress and the wonderful job Schelley Brown has done as Director. In the case of Germantown, the management and the basic funding is not a local task – it comes from the state government; however, it is equally important if not more so, for there to be an outreach arm for the museum. Tomorrow, Cliff Deal, the Director of Museums for the Secretary of State’s office will be in Minden to help set the stage for creating such an arm. He will be present for an organizational meeting of what has been tentatively called the Friends of the Germantown Colony Museum. This will be the group that spread the word in the community and beyond about the museum and provides the volunteer base so necessary for success. Cliff is supposed to bringing the plans for the new visitor center that will be constructed at the Colony. To me, that’s a very important step as physical progress and investment makes it clear that the state is committed to the project.

So, if you have the time and have any inclination toward helping make our underappreciated treasure, the Germantown Colony Museum, a booming success, please consider coming to the meeting. It will be held at 3 p.m., tomorrow, Thursday, June 3 at the Minden Chamber of Commerce Offices in Minden. I hope to see you there.

Random Ramblings from the Road

There’s nothing of any real value in this blog post. It’s really a collection of non-sequiturs from my weekend trip to South Louisiana. Think of it like one of those columns Larry King used to write for USA Today (maybe he still writes them, I haven’t read in a while, I finally reached the point in life where I don’t need color charts to understand articles), where he jumped all around in an incoherent fashion. Remember, I don’t make you read these things. When you go on trips by yourself, there’s no one there when you want to turn and comment on something you see, so this is a collection of the things I would have said to someone with me on the trip. (Let’s be honest, I did turn and say them to my imaginary companion in the car, but if I admit to that, some of y’all might try to have me committed . . . . OOPS.)


Was amazed to see how the Saturday afternoon Mass appears to be outstripping the Sunday morning Mass at many Catholic churches that I passed. Now, since I’m not a Catholic maybe it’s always been that way, but in the smaller towns there were clearly more folks at the Saturday Mass then on Sunday morning.

Again, this may be a warped perception of mine, but this was my first visit to spend any time in New Orleans in over two years, and I felt a different spirit. Not sure if you can credit that to the Saints victory or the time passed since Katrina (or perhaps since I’ve been watching Treme for the last few weeks, maybe my mindset was locked in the late 2005 time period of that show.) I will confess I’m not a big New Orleans fan, but it was good to sense things were back to “abnormal” in the Big Easy. I pray that the oil spoil – as Spud McConnell calls it – doesn’t dampen things (Literally. One topic discussed on the radio was the possibility that the dispersant used by BP might be evaporated into any potential tropical storm and fall on New Orleans and South Louisiana as a sort of “acid rain.”)

I’ve always been a big proponent of microfilming any and all historical records to preserve them, but one experience Saturday has added a new clause to my stance. Microfilm any and all records, BUT, do it right. I went to the New Orleans Public Library Saturday in yet another attempt to try and pin down my peripatetic grandfather through old City Directories. Someone decided to microfilm those things for the NOPL, but made two very bad decisions. First, they decided to film two pages per slide – making the print so tiny that even with my big magnifying reading glasses you had to set the reader at maximum magnification to see the images. Second, they apparently didn’t check their settings and the left hand page was virtually unreadable on all slides. I checked with the librarian to see if perhaps it was just my eyes, but she confirmed that it was a problem. So, Grandpa Jim Murphy once again eluded me. Guess my next step is to save up for a few years and head for Virginia to try and track him down.

This is probably something that has been hashed and rehashed by sociologists and social historians, but as I drove along the River Road I had a sudden brainstorm (well maybe it was just a brain cramp) about an aspect of Louisiana culture. I have to wonder if the use of the French Arpent system of land measurement might have contributed to the close-knit sense of community in parts of Louisiana. If the English township system is used, often the farm houses are land-locked in the center of large farms. But under the Arpent system, with the river or Bayou serving as the “street”, it allowed the houses to be located closer together along the banks of the stream. That proximity might have made it easier for neighbors to bond and bring stronger community ties. Or maybe not – I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express so I could be wrong.

Along Highway 90 just west of Morgan City I saw bear crossing signs in Louisiana for the first time in my life  (I think they were bear crossing signs, or else someone really can’t draw a deer.) Didn’t realize they had become so plentiful that the signs were necessary, but it was a new experience.

I’ve worked keeping books for a company involved in the road construction business for nearly 25 years now, but I’m not sure I really appreciated how amazing the skills of our road construction industry are in this country. When you look at the sophisticated roads constructed through swamps and wilderness that seem so unbending as in South Louisiana, it is really stunning. Made me wonder that if we really applied our collective brilliance to other problems we might be able to solve some nagging problems – like oil “spoils” and the like.

So, there you have it “what I did on my weekend vacation” and the random thoughts that danced through my brain.

Bridges to the Past

An earlier post discussed the various steamboat wrecks on Bayou Dorcheat and how low water made them  visible. Well, today Dorcheat is at as low a level as I can recall seeing and that low water has "exposed" another piece of our past.

During the Steamboat Era, Minden was served by three landings on the east bank of Bayou Dorcheat. The Minden Lower Landing at Overton, the Middle Landing and the Minden Upper Landing, known as Murrell's Point. Murrell's Point was located just across the Bayou from today's Dorcheat Seafood and Grill in the area surrounding the two Highway 80 bridges. The old bridge was built in 1929-1930 as the Dixie Overland Highway, the old name for Highway 80, was constructed across the country. The newer bridge was built in the late 1950s when Highway 80 was rerouted and widened.

The low water has revealed the pilings for earlier bridges apparently on the same site as the old bridge. Based on what can be seen there seem to have been earlier bridges at that point. We know that in 1854-55, the Claiborne Parish Police Jury appropriated funds for a bridge at Murrell's Point. We also know that this bridge was not particularly well built. About a decade later, as General Polignac brought his troops to Minden for winter quarters in 1864, he was uncertain about trying to cross the bridge because of its dilapidated condition. He even included a sketch of the condition of the bridge in his personal journal. The army only crossed after being shamed when a buggy of women from Minden struck out across the bridge. The army followed. (The heavy equipment of the army was always shipped on the bayou, rather than overland because of the poor condition of the roads.)

I have always assumed that the original bridge was probably in the same location as that old Highway 80 bridge. However, it now seems that another possibility exists. The current low water has revealed the following just north of that old 80 bridge.

These piers have emerged for the first time in my memory and clearly show that at some point in the past, a bridge was located across Dorcheat at this point. I had noticed these piers over the weekend and this morning I received a call from Henry Laurence, asking me if I had noticed them. After his call I went out and snapped this picture. (I apologize for the quality, but the iPhone isn't a "world class" camera.) Not visible in the image -- at least not to my failing eyes -- are the piers over against the east bank. Another point that Henry mentioned and I noticed is that the projected path of any road using a bridge at this point is blocked by large, old Cypress trees. To me, that suggests that this may well be the crossing point of the oldest road, the one used by General Polignac and that these piers supported that old creaky bridge that held those Confederate troops briefly at bay.

Diamond in the Rough - Follow Up

Many thanks to Darrell for confirming the story of diamonds at Sibley with his mother. My vague memory was that a diamond had been found at some point in the gravel pits around Sibley and Bayou Dorcheat. After Darrell's comment on the earlier post, I went ahead and took a chance on the combination of the 1973 date given by the clipping at the Bossier History Center and Darrell's mother's memories and went to the microfilm of the Minden Press-Herald.

I found that in fact, the discovery of diamonds was the #6 local news story of 1973 as ranked by the Press-Herald. But, I also found that the story had no mention of a little girl finding the gem in her driveway. The Webster Parish story involved excavations by Gifford-Hill between Sibley and Doyline along Highway 164. In August 1973, several gem quality diamonds, between six and eight, were found in the gravel diggings. The company kept things quiet until October when they gave the story to the Press-Herald. At that point the company sealed access to the pits where the diamonds had been found and was actually exploring to see if they had discovered a viable commercial cache of diamonds.

Obviously, since 37 years have passed and we don't have diamond mines at Sibley, nothing came of this brief excitement. I've passed the clippings on to the Bossier History Center and will let them coordinate the two stories and see if they revolve around the same set of circumstances. With both taking place in 1973, that seems likely. Again, thanks to Darrell.

Diamond in the Rough?

I'm wondering if this story will ring a bell with anyone reading this blog. I received a call this week from Ann Middleton of the Bossier History Center. She was trying to track down a story about a little girl somewhere in North Louisiana finding a rather large diamond while playing in her gravel driveway. Someone had inquired about the story at the History Center and there were conflicting accounts. One placed the event in Princeton and the other placed it in Minden. The History Center staff eventually found an account in their files that placed the event in 1973 but there was no indication of where the account originated. They went through the files of the Bossier Banner for 1973, but found no clues. Their next step will be to examine the back issues of the Shreveport Times for that year and then on to the Shreveport Journal.

The story didn't spark any memories for me. It seemed I vaguely remembered an anecdotal tale of a diamond being found while gravel was being excavated from the bar pits along Dorcheat, but not the "little girl" account. I'm going to check the 1973 editions of the Press-Herald, but thought it wouldn't hurt to post this on the blog and see if someone remembers the story.