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Lake Arthur, The Lovely ,I I The Most Charmingly Beautiful Town of the Creole State-A Superb Summer and Win ter Pleasure Resort and the Commercial Center of a Redundantly Rich Agriculturial Country With Both Railroad and Deep Water Facilities-A Repletely Resourceful Town That Is the Pride of Jefferson Davis Parish In Point of Scenic Charm and Beauty and In the Vanguard With Its Sister Parish Towns Commercially and Industrially. '"I know a lake, where the cool waves break And softly fall on the silvery sand" And merry steps intrude on that sol itude, \ud laughter voices disturb the strand. Al I live oaks grand, like a guardian band, Fringe its sylvan shores and tell Of lovely landscapes and vistas at hand, Of shady nooks and many a lover's dell. 'Tis lovely Lake Arthur on Mermen tau's banks, A queen of beauty it proudly ranks No loch of Killarney, no creek of Cashmere, In charm can surpass the fair lake with no peer. ( With apologies for the paraphrase to the shade of Fitz James O'Brien, America's greatest lyric and epic poet, who gave his life to his adopted coun try in our civil strife ere his brilliant genius had yet full flowered). I· o Clu , ub Hose LseAtu, oiin Alluring Lake Arthur, situated on the northern banks of the lovely lake of that name, is one of the most prce perous, important and advantageous ly situated towns of Jefferson Davis parish, a place where nature hath seemed to set its every seal and sig net of lavish adorning beauty and strategetic commercial superiority to give the world assurance that here would grow a great city. This picturesquely beautiful town is located 18 miles southeast of Wel' on the deep channeled Mermentau river, which here widens and expands and forms the superb, shimmering sheet of water designated as Lake Arthur. The town has railroad facilities though a branch line of the Southern Pacific from Lake Charles, will soon have direct northern railroad connec tion via Jennings and Alexandria by a line now graded to Elton, and on Lake Arthur Tabernacle the waters of the broad and deep Mer mentau river, aleady commerce laden with many sail and steam craft from the northern confines of the parish to the gulf coast fifty miles away, It has incomparable shipping advantages, a freight rate leveller that insures its maintenance as a common point with all the great metropolitan centers. "And generous nature did not stop with bestowing upon Lake Arthur su perb scenic surroundings and spleJn dii strategotic commercial a van 'ahhe town is environe lby a t-riut ;bcountry emery toot of `the eifs; g"of _whieh Is secara in the whs s tolof als 1 ip to this pc u t a. ai L Eft L its ; oa> of :iii that this fair and fertile section is prosperous and rapidly advancing but rather, indeed, a mystery that it is not already peopled to the utmost that its amply yielding acreage will support by the tide of immigration that is now settling southward and looking with longing eyes to nature favored Louisiana. Lake Arthur was founded nearly a quarter of a century ago, but it has only been within the past few years that its peerless advantages have been perceived and its titanic.strides taken along the progressive pathway if development and up-building. In dustrially, the town has a rice mill of several hundred barrels daily capa city, saw mills abound in the rich, contiguous cypress timber belts, there is here located a large ice plant of modern equipment, two cistern man ufactories are busily engaged in turn ing out tanks and cisterns to met the demands of incoming immigration, the town is well supplied with hotels, the handsome Live Oak hostelry on the lake banks having a statewide reputation for its hospitality, excel l.nt cuisine and good cheer, and some twenty well stocked and appointed re tail mercantile establishments meet the demands of trade in necessities and luxuries. An appreciation of Lake Arthur without mention of its beautiful $10,000,00 Crub House would be in complete as Hamlet with the Danish prince out of the cast. The Club [louse, ideally located on the lake banks, has a splendid auditorium, la dies' parlor and rooms for social amusements, shower baths, adjoining tennis court and croquet grounds and bath house on the lake. And corol lary with speaking of the Club House Tt is meet to mention that the Mer mentau here abounds in black bass, trout, perch and other gamey mem bers of the finny tribe and disciples of Izaak Walton will find this a par ad!se of plethoric pleasure. Lake Arthur is a clean and moral town with a pure, free from cant, Christian sentiment prevailing and has four church edifices and a splen did school house with eleven teach ers and an enrollment of 400 pupils. The hospitality an I people is evidenced in large lodges of the Masons, Odd Fellows, Wood mei: of the World, Columbia Wood men, iMacabees, Benevolent Knights of Amerit;CWoodmen Circle and ebekhapnt Aid Iake Arthur's 1,500 popaftlon bL s nrper. In Jefferson; Davs patish :or elsewhere .in tAhat courtdeous,'. warm-hearted hospitalit ' that has gml the BiuthJtnd worl4 wide fame . Any of the tfollowing aspousil firms and linMd o L kp Arthur 'profs . . els. t ;e&it s41u ed for reliable information relative to iti opulence of oppportunity and repleteness cf resource. Hon. Robt. P. Howell, Real Estate. Winfield S. Streater, Mgr. Calca sieu Trust and Savings Bank. B. P. Spooner, Pres. Lake Arthur Ice, Light and Waterworks Co. A. L. Guidry, Gen'l Merchandise. E. L. Putnam, Editor Lake Arthur Herald. E. C. French, Mgr. La. State Rice Milling Co. P. F. Reimers, Lumber. J. C. Mack, Warehouse. Producers' Warehouse, E. D. Sweeney, Manager. Live Oak Hotel, F. L. Kelly, Prop. LaCour Mercantile Co., Dry Goods, Clothing, etc. C. O. Hundley, Jr., Grocer. Lake Arthur Supply Co., W. M. Bu chanan, Secty, Treas, and Mgr. A. B. Belair, Prop. Lake Arthur Jennings Auto Route, Garage. Rhodes' Restaurant, E. L. Rhodes, Proprietor. Douglas Phelps, Pbol Hall. Mrs. A. T. Mitchell, Millinery. F. E. Andrepont, Tailor. E. J. Bonnin, Pool Hall. C. D. Bonnin, Market. Emanuel Trahan, Lumber. ,H. E. Toll, Merchant. Goudy & Richards, Racket Store. C. D. BONNIN. One of the oldest settlers of thl beautiful lake city on Mermentau's banks is C. D. Bonnin, now proprie tor of its leading market. Mr. Bonnin first saw the light 64 rears ago in December last, has T'rmed, built and run rice mills and otherwise wove the wolf of industry in his native parish all his years of usefulness. Although having seen some three and a half scores of years he is hale, hearty and vigorous and endowed with the courtesy, hospitality and graciousness of manner that belongs to his Creole training and ancestry. I:Jl i High School, Lake Arthur, Louhisia PRODUCERS' WAREHOUSE. In the eastern end of the alluring 1 lake city, fringed by gum and cy press forest monarchs that "uprear in their might their mystic height" full 100 feet skyward, is heard the hum of this thriving town's many machinery wheels and is clustered and centered its chief industrial plants, not the least of which is the extensive Planters' Warehouse. This is the largest plant of this kind in this important rice belt cen ter, last year storing over 30,000 bar rels of rough rice, and it is a very large dealer in corn, oats, bran and ill feed stuffs and fertilizers. The company was chartered in 1909 and is officered by the following well known parish citizens: Pres., G. ,H. Shove; vice president, E. C. French; secretary, E. L. Pratt; man ager, E. D. Sweeney, and these with I. A. Gibson, a prominent local rice grower, comprise the board of direc tors. Mr. Sweeney, the manager, is a young and active business man I his 35th year. and is one of the live wire, progressive citizens who are building a great town on the lake beautiful. H. E. TOLL. The latest addition to Lake Ar thr's buseiness world is H. E. Toll, who a few weeks ago opened a well stocked grocery store in commodious quarters and is doing a flourishing Mr.+ Toll .omes from Lafayette parisb ,where he ·has resit eq a years so, a tbogh iborn brought up, It I r [l i .. Hle is a ,n .re. ant, an 1- , mseat, and a t lake 't' .o t,. +~ ~ ~, +-++•' +-i· i++ + +++++++++-+ +;++--,:S WINFIELD S. STREETER. The caption of this sketch does not convey the fact that Mr. Streeter is manager of the Lake Arthur branch of that great financial institution, the Calcasieu Trust and Savings Bank, elsewhere fully told of in this paper, for one reason, because the writer has noticed that Lake Arthur peol'k do not say: "I am going over to the bank to make a deposit," but rather: "1 am going over to Streeter's," to deposit, draw a check, or to do what eer may be the banking business in hand. Locally, the great bank is submerged in Mr. Streeter's person ality. And this is not to be wondered at as he has been identified with the town's banking interests ever since it had a bank. Ten years ago he was the principal organizer of the First National Bank of Lake Arthur and was the prac tical head of that successful enter prise until it was absorbed by its present worthy successor in 1910. Mr. Streeter is a native of Iowa, in his 35th year, and from the age of 20 until his 25th year, was connect ed with the 1st National Bank of Estherville in that state, when he came to Calcasieu parish and located at Lake Arthur. He loves and thoroughly believes in his adopted town, parish and state, and his purse and influence can a ways be reckoned upon in any worthy movement making for their best in terests. C. O. HUNDLEY, JR. The grouch, knocker and pessimist could learn a useful and instructive lesson by a study of Lake Arthur's business conditions and business houses. The latter have doubled in number in less than two years and each and every one has won the laurel of success in the mercantile field. Perhaps the most striking instance of speedy and unusual success is that of C. O. Hundley who has done a flourishing and ever increasing bus iness since throwing open his doors to trade and traffic in October last. Mr. Hundley is an expert grocery ;nan and he wisely determined to con fine himself to this field exclusively. Hence, he is ever in close touch with I the markets in the staple and fancy I goods in this line, his stock is fre m quently changed and always fresh, and careful housewives soon learned this fart and governed their grocery buying accordingly. Mr. Hundley is a native son of Louisiana and took his first glance at things mundane in St. Landry par ish 29 years ago. Prior to his suc cessful debut into its business world he was for four years one of Lake Arthur's popular salesmen. RHODES RESTAURANT. One of the latest additions to Lake Arthur's business world and one that at once won the elusive laurel of pop ular approval and pronounced suc cess is Rhodes Restaurant, centrally located, close to the postoffice in the business center. In addition to serving everything edible in culinary nourishment, pre pared by a skilled chef and accom panied. with delightful Creole drip coffee br such other drink. desired delicious ice cream is carried, cooling and refreshing drinks of all kinds can be had at the soda fountain, choice cigars and cigarettes at the cigar stand and you can there purchasc Louisiana's great daily, the Times Democrat, to glance over with your coffee, and dessert. The restaurant was opened but two months ago by E. L. Rhodes, for merly of Terrebonne parish and as previously stated, has been phenom enally suoceasful. In. Its manage ment Mr. Rhodes is assisted by his charming and winsome wife and oth er members of his family. LAK ARTHUR SUPPLY 00., Ifl)D. `'I om p eyr above named, locat ed ia tte ;soa eommodfous bas neg -block I : ai . I tr , Vhickh covers [: ne ly 100 aue`ftieet, iin: 4jtneuaston,, Its .*eapt~ Stiib Implements, harness, vehicles, hard ware, o:ls, glass, paints, brass and pipe fittings and painters' supplies, and has had a very successful busi ness sitice its establishment in the Inauspicious business year of 1ý07. The officers of the Lake Arthur Supply Co., Ltd., are: President, Geo. Hathaway, manager of the La. State Rice Milling Co. at Jennings, and a member of Jefferson Davis par ish police jury; vice president, W. S. Streater, manager of the Lake Ar thur branch of the Calcasieu Trust and Savings Bank; secretary, treas urer and manager, W. M. Buchanan Mr. Buchanan, who has built up the business of the company to its present splendid proportions, is a na tive of the Hoosier state and migrat ed thither from Logansport in 1897. Prior to entering the mercantile field he was a successful rice farmer. Ii] Robert P Howell in his Rice Field. Lake Arthur, Louia EMANUEL TRAHAN. The lumber trade is a pretty true criterion of a town's material growth .:nd the fact that Lake Arthur sup parts two large enterprises in this line besleaks its prosper-ty. The most recent addition to busi ness circles in this Cfell is the exten sive yard of Mr. Emanuel Trahan in the eastern end of town where every thing in lumber and bu.lding mater ial is carried and the ramifications and volume of which is constantly widening and increasing. The yard was established by Eusebe and August Trahan two years ago and purchased by the present owner in August last. Emanuel Trahan is a young and active business man and native to Lake Arthur where he was born 25 years ago. He is a scion of one of the best known and well esteemed old French families of Jefferson Davis parish and an earnest worker for Lake Arthur's up-building. Mr. Trahan is a graduate of Bowl ing Green, Ky., University. J. C. MACK, WAREHOUSE. The most recent and one of the most important acquisitions to the teeming throng of business and in dustrial plants in the eastern end of Lake Arthur is the J. C. Mack Warehouse, erected in December last. Mr. Mack, who for twelve years past has been a successful Lake Ar thur merchant, resolved, at the close of last to year to confine his activ ities to the flour and feed line of the mercantile field and to this end built the commodious 35x70 foot structure above referred to. His success was immediate and constant and he has handled nearly half a hundred car loads of these staples since engaging in this exclu sive line. He is now installing a grist mill plant corollary with his other business and the coming sea son contemplates large extensions to Dsk BUildinu, Lake Arthur, Louisiana his plant to meet the demands of his rapidly expanding business. Mr. Mack's splendid business suc cegs ever since he entered the mer cantile. field proves that our business men do not necessarily have to be imported, as he is a son of St. Helena parish, where he first saw the light in 1872. P. T. RtIMEIB. In the puaIlng heart of. Its busy hdustrlal center in the eastern end i~fton Is located its oldest and ireatit lumber establishment, that ioii P.T. ainers, one of the largest in 3eerson Daxis parish. . In it. - without ried ev\ 4; in the lUO - buildiniL ial line anl played : nent and in the dling of this hO and fer: " ion,. Its ! o: or, p ReT his 47 , or in the zenith s. " ical andmeat ity, a,: ,uples the enei native rn Iowa Wt the Creole 'esy to the is of inn:; .le patrons in t ery ior: f the parish. fIt1 Hit, 'tOBT. p.' 'Rok d Perlu,. he most pOtent ity, fors l Iod factor in brl the WO, attention the 14 resource. .-:rategetic advan a perior '"":e and "uperb I beauty , .ke Arthur haa Robt. i'. ,well, recently el resentat.: of the parish i the is legislature to assemble at Rouge. Mr. Howell's talents and are so varied and versatile make difficult to designate l6 calling. Primarily, kowvero, most materially concerned la ±ling this delightful and :egion with desirable peoph has contributed much to its ment and development alsgq I ne. His own farm of i10 an amply attesting evideme at can be done in tilling this I aoid is an example for all to On it he is this year cultivati acres to rice, 60 acres of ete acrts of sweet potators, sil Irish potatoes, 13 % acres t cane, has planted one and acres of Bermuda onions, sat voting ten acres to cow pest plant vegetables and field erp, es. Can you beat this for diversification? It will be noted that on tl ter section of ground he lls t farming 226 acres. This bi able by the rotation of crop, ctnd soil permitting of aoMtt being sown as soon u the one has been harvested. R. P. Howell has been a minister of the M. 3. ehbrd years and superintendent of ijomination's Sunday sheeol Arthur for five yeahrs t president of the prYT-OY1 jury that formed Sad parish of Jefferson Davis, of the most intelligent aid able units making for ISt building. Mr. Howell is a native o iost none of his Lone Star being transplanted tO th* state. ILA COURMEO 1 Lake Arthur's only ers in the fabrics that male form divine and elotlb grace and cc!otour to tM , shape, is the house abo It carries oun of the t stocks of dry goods, e and shoes a '::ae found in Jefr~-rson DaIne. its handsome store t model of neat sa and play that more metro could emulate .:th pro.t. adherence to ie code ot f honesty and c ect b 1 this house hlt, .:ulit UP $ I ever increasin:r rade 15I t and it is one c ie :the t business enter;: . s In Arthurites tak, pa