K^M'^Mt^ Class T^73 Book J_5?4_ A FEA^ FACTS ....ABOUT.... MELVILLE, LA. THE EXPORT FISH CENTER OF LOUISIANA. Don't coir e to Louisiana without seeing Palmetto, a thriving little town, the center of one of the finest agricultural regions of the State for diversified farming and stock grazing. We have all kinds of lands con- tiguous to our town, and extensive belts of timber only 2 miles away. You can buy these lands for $2.00 to $20.00 per acre on easy terms, and grow a crop that will net you $10.00 to $30.00 per acre each year. These lands are adapted to the culture of Sugar Cane, Cotton, Corn, Oats, Rice, Potatoes, Vegetables, and Fruits. Our locality will bear inspection. We are on the Texas and Pacific Railway, 138 miles from New Orleans. Write us, will answer your letters promptly, candidly, honestly, and give you reliable information : R. G. HAWKINS, M. D. Postmaster, Palmetto, La. T^'^P96-00756^ A Few Facts About Melville, La. The Export Fish Center of Louisiana. In 1882, when the Texas and Pacific Railway Compan}^ built its large draw bridge across the Atchafalaya river, it was then that the towai of Mel- ville, Louisiana was started. It is situated on the west bank of the Atchafalaya river in the parish of Saint Landry, 128 miles from the cit}^ of New Orleans, by rail and 75 miles from the city of Alexandria. It is not often that a town starting where there was practically nothing builds up so rapidly, as Mel- ville, La., has done in such a short time. 2 The building of the large draw bridge across the river, was the cause for quite a number of Western families to settle here; and with the older residents of the town, who were engaged in the timber and lumber business made the town bttild rapidly. Mel- ville has communication by water with New Orleans — Morgan City, Baton Rouge and Alexandria — The Steamers Trudeau and Poydras, makingVeekly trips, to these natural advantages its energetic citizens are making additions in every way. Melville is a new town but it has already acquired most of the institutions and facilities of a much larger places. This is due to the fact that it has been settled by progressive men, who by reason of their modern ideas and energetic natures have utilized all the in- herent advantages of the site and put in those im- provements which have encouraged immigration. As new inhabitauts come in they imbibe the spirit of the original settlers, and each year sees the town supplied with additional advantages. It is not always that as much foresight is exhibit- ed in the laying out of a town as is evidenced in Melville. The ground is platted and the streets are layed out in a manner hard to improve upon. This fact alone shows that the enterprising spirit that actuated its founders. It will work largely to the best in- terests of the town in the future. The presence of educational institutions always indicates an advanced state of civilization. So much is thought of culture in Melville that already it pos- sesses a high school. This school is situated in a pleasant part of the town, and owns the block of ground upon which it is located. The town is located so that it is the tiatural center of a larger and prospering section. At present the town has 4 churches, 2 hotels, 2 restaurants, 2 livery and feed stables, i drug store, about 10 mercantile establishments, i Masonic Lodge building, i millinery store, i tin shop, i machine shop, 2 barber shops, a telephone exchange, I saw and shingle mill, i high school building, several Sunday-schools, and a Ladies Aid Society. Of the mercantile firms doing a general merchan- dising business mention might be made of Messrs. Suiter & Walker, Havard & Lyons, J. E. Church & Son, Joseph Gentilli, J. E. Hill, R. M. Brown, A. N. Kardases, Capps & Connors, J. M. Hayes. Some of the most prominent citizens are Messrs. C. E. Stone, director of the U. S. weather bureau; W. C. Gordon, Henry Rachel, J. B. Boyles, Wm. Abels, Lee Abels, Dr. W. K. Faircloth, Thomas 5 Dunbar, R. B. Stout, John S. Long^ Clarence E. Lecurq, Postmaster C. W. Havard, Rev. J. W. Lee, pastor M. E. Church South; Keator Faircloth, the efficient assistant to the depot agent for the Texas & Pacific Railway Co.; Dr. H. S. Joseph who is proprietor of the Melville Drug Co., the doctor moved from the state of Illinois and located in Mel- ville in the year of 1895, ^^ ^i^joys the esteem of his fellow towns-men. The personnel of City Government — Mayor, P. Peyton; Councilmen, Thomas Capps, J. H. Ber- geron, T. J. Warden, R. H. Jones and M. Walker; City Marshal, L. S. Darnell; secretary City Council, Judge S. H. Butler, a native of Scotland, has been a resident of Melville since 1890. The treasurer of the Council is Mr. J. M.Hayes, a native Louisianian, 33 years old and a resident of Melville since 1892. He has been engaged in the mercantile business since his boyhood, commencing as a counter clerk, working himself up until now he owns the largest mercantile house in the town, enjoying the esteem and confidence of every one. Messrs. Peyton & Church will ship 8,000,000 feet of Cottonwood logs this season. There are other large timber dealers in the town, Messrs. Bergeron & Boudreau, J. T. Warden, J. B. Boyles and Hon. C. W. Ward, ex-State Senator, who is in the real estate and lumber business. He has control and owns large tracts of timber lands — one tract which is only one mile west of the town, numbers 14,800 acres. The opportunities for timber dealers are excellent; the forest adjacent to this town abounds with gum, oak, ash, hickory, cypress, cottonwood, elm, syca- more, willow, maple, persimmon and other timbers. The magnificent timber exhibit to be seen in the Forestry Building with the Louisiana State exhibit, was secured by Dr. R. G. Hawkins, of Palmetto, La. Most of the specimens came from the forest near this section of country. If you ask what makes Melville famous, the auswer will be its fish docks. The building of the Texas and Pacific Railroad gave new life to the fishing business; new markets were accessible, shipments could be made daily and returns were more satisfactory. The average monthly shipment of fish is 149,028 pounds. Express paid Pacific Express Co. on same is $2,438.67; the estimated gross value of same is $7,451.40. The annual gross receipts from the fishing business amounts to an estimate of $89,- 416.80. This business could be doubled. A fish cannery would increase the value of the product and lessen expenses. The same amount of fish could be expressed fresh, though a greater quantity could be caught, and any excess over orders for fresh fish could be canned. The principal fish shipped are the river cat-fish, the buffalo fish, the drum fish and the bar fish. The catfish sells for about 7 cents and the buffalo fish sells for about 4 cents per lb. 8 This business requires trained fishermen, each operating from 200 to 400 lines and hooks. There are several steam tug boats, ten ton propellers, used in the fishing trade. They navigate the Red, Black and Atchafalaya rivers for about 60 miles each way, taking up fish and bringing them to the fish docks in Melville, to be cleaned and packed for market. The fish are barreled and iced, 50 pounds of ice to • each 100 pounds of fish, and re-iced in transit every 24 hours. The cities which are the largest takers of fish are St. Louis, Mo., St. Joseph, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., Denver, Col., Omaha, Neb., Fort Smith, Ark., Hot Springs, Ark., Van Buren, Ark , Dallas, Tex., Fort Worth, Tex. The largest shippers are: The Crescent Fish Co.; R. H. Jones, owner of the steam tug Ivan; W. S. Row, owner of the steam propeller Leona; Edward Rusk, proprietor of the steam tug King Bee, and J. S. Satterley, owner of the steam propeller Pearl M. The fishing season commences in September and closes in June of each year. 9 The mild climate of the Gulf States is famous everywhere, and no section of them can lay greater claim than southern Louisiana. The agricultural and horticultural advantages of this section of coun- try are unsurpassed. The lightness of this sandy soil and its great fer- tility makes farming easy. The long summer season, which gives a growing season of nine months to ordinary crops, makes it so that a farmer can plant his crop from February to June, and harvest from August to December. Gardens and flowers flourish the year round; such vegetables as sweet peas, carrots, onions, cabbage, lettuce, turnips, spinach, mustard, celery, beets, leeks, cauliflowers, thyme, roquet, radi&hes, pars- nips, and mint, grow luxuriantly all during the winter months. The annual average rainfall in Louisiana is 64 inches, which precludes all chances of long drouths. 10 ' Cotton, the great staple of the South, is raised to a larger extent than any other crop, and the town of Melville is located in the large cotton produc^ ing center of the Atchafalaya delta. Why should not Melville have a cotton mill, a cotton seed oil mill, an ice plant, a fish cannery, a handle bucket and barrel factory, a bu gg}^ and wagon factory, a moss pickery, several saw mills, shingle mills, door, sash and blind factory, and a Munger cotton gin system. Superior advantages are offered to capi- talists, manufacturers and home seekers. Our lands are cheap, our forests are excellent and our climate is delightful. To you we extend a cor- dial invitation, and welcome thee, you who are worthy, who will come, make your homes amongst us, be he poor man or capitalist. Come to the Sunny South, where the orange blos- soms grow. We invite you. Come to Melville, Louisiana. MELVILLE, LA. AT THE PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION^ AT BUFFALO, N. Y. May ist TO November ist, 1 901. i1