Bon Ami is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

that was located in what is currently

Beauregard Parish Beauregard Parish (french: Paroisse de Beauregard) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,654. The parish seat is DeRidder. The parish was formed on January 1, 1913. Beauregard Parish ...

, approximately 2 miles south of Deridder,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States. The site of the town itself is located at coordinates 30°48'12.03"N 93°17'40.08"W, and is abandoned.

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

maps from 1947 show the location of the town, where the Kansas City Southern and the Louisiana & Pacific railways are parallel. The town was created by the King-Ryder Lumber Company (subsidiary of the

Long-Bell Lumber Company In 1887, Robert A. Long and Victor Bell formed the Long-Bell Lumber Company in Columbus, Kansas. The Long-Bell Lumber Company branched out using balanced vertical integration to control all aspects of lumber from the sawmills to the retail lumber ...

) as a sawmill town during the lumber boom. Ground was broken for the town in 1900 with the mill beginning operation on July 26, 1901, when the area was still included in

Calcasieu Parish Calcasieu Parish (; french: Paroisse de Calcasieu) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 216,785. The p ...

. In 1904, it was the fourth largest town in Calcasieu parish, having at least 1,500 inhabitants, 210 houses, two schools, three secret orders, two churches, and two hotels. The mill cut out its timber in 1925, at which time the mill and much of the town were dismantled. There is no visible trace of the town left today.

References

Ghost towns in Louisiana Geography of Beauregard Parish, Louisiana {{Louisiana-geo-stub

See also

References