Re: LOUISIANA BAYOU HUNT - DATE SET - APRIL '08 !
Richland Area First Seen in 1788
Can you imagine this of Richland Parish? "A vast extent
of territory . . . found inhabited by 200 individuals.
The commerce of the country does not exceed 6 to 7 thousand
pots of bear oil, 2000 deerskins, or 500 beaver pelts.
The prairie lands to the east of the (Ouachita) river do not
seem natural. They have everything you can ask, and in truth,
lack only cultivation."Those words were written in 1788 by Don
Juan Filhoil, the commandant of the Spanish settlement at Fort
Miro (Monroe). He had just come from exploring the territory
and reported that opinion to his Spanish government.
In 1803, the United States purchased Louisiana and a party of
United States soldiers took over command at Fort Miro and the
Ouachita Country. When Louisiana was admitted to the Union in
1812, parishes were beginning to be formed from that huge tract
of land. Many people immigrated from the southern states to
the east.
In the early days, folks depended primarily upon the rivers
and streams in the area for transportation. About 1840, a
road was built through the canebreak and swamp area between
the Boeuf River and Bayou Macon. In ten years or so, ferries
and stagecoaches popped up in the area.Because of the rich soil,
cotton was being grown along the riverfronts, which was convenient
to water and transportation.
By 1850 cotton production was virtually the only industry in north
Louisiana. Following the Civil War, cotton acres were abandoned and
converted to forest growth.
A charter had been granted as early as 1836, but it wasn't until
June 1854 that construction was begun. By 1857, the railroad
stretched from Mississippi to Tallulah. It was not until 1859
that the railroad reached all the way to the little settlement of
Delhi.Because of the timing of the completion of the railroad project,
it was used during the war mainly to transport soldiers and supplies
to the Confederate cause.
During the Civil War, much of the railroad was destroyed by Union
forces operating in the area and the people again had to turn to
water transportation.Steamboats were most often seen in the area
of Alto, plying their wares. Ion Landing boasted a racetrack as
well as large warehouses and was a favorite stop for river boat
passengers.The Stella Black, the Tom Parker, the City of Alto,
the Parlor City (a nickname for Monroe), and the Era No. 10 were
seen frequently on the Boeuf River.A February 1873 article in the
Richland Beacon-News stated: "The steamer Tahlequah was upon her
second trip from the Crescent City last Sunday. The captain and
crew of this boat are clever and accommodating gentlemen, which
fact renders the Tahlequah quite popular among our planters,
and secures for her a liberal patronage, even from those living some
distance from the river. She will continue her regular trips between
here and New Orleans as long as the river remains in boating order."
As the Reconstruction era continued, the people of the area were
determined to make the best of what they had. Small settlements
were popping up all over the area during the mid-1800s, some of
which were Delhi, Alto, Goshen, Girard and Charlieville -- all of
these had post offices.
Just west of Delhi was a growing settlement called Little Creek,
that boasted two railroads: the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific
and the New Orleans and Northwestern. Little Creek was the hub
of action because of the new railroads and the businesses and
homes that were springing up all over the area.
A man named John Ray, a transplanted Virginian, rose to political
prominence after the Civil War. He was the Republican representative
for the eastern portion of Ouachita Country and a large land holder
in Little Creek and the surrounding area.In 1868, Ray used his
party's political influence to introduce and secure passage for
Act No. 115 of the Louisiana Legislature. H. C. Warmoth was governor.
The act called for portions of Carroll, Franklin, Morehouse
and Ouachita parishes to be formed into a new parish: Richland Parish.
The name came from the rich soil and fertile land of that country.
The parish was placed within the Twelfth Judicial District and in
the same Senatorial District as the parishes of Carroll, Madison
and Morehouse. A Police Jury was held in December 1869 and
construction of a courthouse was authorized. Little Creek, which
had been renamed for Ray and was called Rayville, was then designated
as the parish seat.An interesting fact about Rayville is that Ray
named the streets Louisa, Julia, Benedette and Rosa after his
four daughters.
The new courthouse was a small, wood frame building with only
two rooms. It housed the courts, the clerk of the parish office
and the sheriff's department. The first sheriff was A. J. Lidell
and the first clerk was J. Newt Pitts.That same year, Wiley P.
Mangham established the Richland Beacon-News in Rayville and began
his career as the parish's first newspaperman and the paper's
establishment as the parish recorder.
By 1873, the parish was well established and required a new, bigger
courthouse. The old courthouse was sold to a negro church
organization that floated it some ten miles down Little Creek to
use for a church.The new building was a two-story brick affair that
was modern in all its appointments. Police Jury records from 1873
noted "all monies received from the auction of ferry franchises
across streams running through Richland Parish should be used for
the purchase of chairs." This courthouse was used until 1951, when
the present structure was built.
After the inception of Richland Parish, schools and churches began
to form in many areas. One particular church was mentioned several
times in the news of the day: Alto Presbyterian Church. An article
from a February 1873 Richland Beacon-News said this about the new
little church: "The Presbyterians of Alto have erected a new Church
in their town, which is a spacious and handsome building that reflects
credit upon the moral worth of that community and speaks well for the
liberality of its good citizens. The house was put up by Mr. N. M.
Aston, who is, by the way, a first rate architect and builder.
Rev. D. A. Campbell is its chosen Pastor and we hope that in his
new field of labor he may be rewarded with abundant success."
In 1871 there were seven school directors whose duty it was to
examine and hire teachers. Only four teachers were hired, at a
salary of $1.50 per pupil per actual time taught. School terms
varied in length from one to three months. It is interesting to
note that only $152 was paid to the teachers during the year 1871.
In those days, school buildings were recommended to be 24x36 feet,
but the size was altered to be 20x28 feet because of a deficiency
in funds. It would be 1902 before a "modern school" would be built
in the area.
The towns of Rayville and Delhi were incorporated in 1882. At
that time, according to "Biographical and Historical Memoirs of
Louisiana" (Vol. II, Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1892), Delhi had
"nine general stores, two drug stores, two livery stables, two
hotels, one steam-gin, a good public school, and churches of Methodist,
Presbyterian and Catholic."
In the fall of 1890, a fire engulfed one-half or more of the business
portion of Rayville. Again in 1891, it was visited by a similar disaster.
The community worked hard to rebuild what they knew to be a wonderful
place to live, work and worship in the twentieth century.
After all, the new century lay just around the corner.
By Michelle Allen
Editor of Richland Beacon News
I know my way around things...for me to know and you to find out. 
