Lake Arthur is a town in Jefferson Davis Parish,

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States. The population was 2,738 at the 2010 census, down from 3,007 at the 2000 census. It is part of the

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area. The current mayor is Sampson “poncho” Lejeune.

History

The lake and the abundant wildlife near Lake Arthur made the place an early camping ground for Native Americans, most likely Atakapas, although there were also Comanche Indians in the area at times during the era just before European settlement. Before Lake Arthur, first settled was a little village that was south and across the lake called Lakeside and also the area called Shell Beach. Acadian families moved to the area in the late 1700s. They called the lake le petit lac Mentau. "Mentau" was the name of an Atakapas Indian chief who had lived in the area. One of those early Acadians was Arthur LeBlanc, and travelers passing through the country began to refer to the lake as le lac d'Arthur, and through time, it evolved into the present name, Lake Arthur. "In 1811 Atanas Hebert came to Lake Arthur to settle. That marks a date we can follow with accuracy."Calvin Dale Smith and Allen Fitzgerald. History of Lake Arthur (Baton Rouge, 1960?) The first store was operated by D. D. Hebert. 1840 The first sawmill was established in the area. Cypress timber drew most of the early people. 1854 Gustave Laurents owned and operated a store. Early settlers were noble Creoles from New Orleans. Jean Revlon built a large residence in 1854. Today it is known as MacDonell plantation. The deLaunays, Deschamps and Gaithes, all who were in the French Revolution came from New Orleans. At first, they grew corn and other crops, but found that rice was the crop to grow.
1876 The first rice mill was built by Gustave Laurents and D. Derouen.
1887 Anatole Gauthier and C. St Germain brought in the first rice thresher and portable steam boiler.
1890 The first rice irrigation pumping plant was built on Bayou Lacassine. All of this turned Lake Arthur into successful rice country. One of the largest families in the area was Broussard. It is almost impossible to pinpoint which one arrived first. T.E. Theogene Broussard was a druggist in Lake Arthur. 1878 The first post office was opened with D. Derouen as postmaster. Mail was received once a month from Leesburg (Cameron), and once in a while by horseback from Lake Charles. 1889 Construction of The Live Oak Hotel was well on its way by 1888. Construction was completed in February 1889. One of its guests was

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, who came to Lake Arthur to hunt before he was stricken by polio. The Live Oak was maintained and operated as a private hotel until 1922, when it was sold to the Lake Arthur Hunting Club. It was torn down in 1934. Boat captains were an important part of early settlers lives. The lake is about one mile wide and nine miles long and connects with the

Mermentau River The Mermentau River () is a river in southern Louisiana in the United States. It enters the Gulf of Mexico between Calcasieu Lake and Vermilion Bay on the Chenier Coastal Plain. The Mermentau River supplies freshwater for the Mermentau Basi ...

, a waterway to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

.
1886 D. E. Sweet bought the "Louisa Storm" and "Olive" which made trips to Grand Chenier for 17 years. This was that only means of travel between Lake Arthur and

Cameron Parish Cameron Parish () is a parish in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,617. The parish seat is Cameron. Although it is the largest parish by area in Louisiana, it has the second-sm ...

. A lumber boom began not long after the town was laid out, with two sawmills. Lumber barons were Aaron Streater and Pete Reimers.
1890 Lee Fox built the first sawmill within the Lake Arthur corporate limits; it was destroyed by fire in 1905, as was the Brewer, Reynolds and Streater Mill that had been built on the lake front in 1900. Besides the mills, lumber covering several acres went up in smoke. More than 5 million feet of cypress lumber was lost. 1890 The Lake Arthur Town Lot and Land Co. planned the original town. This company was composed of Samuel Marquet, E. L. Lee, W. E. Chapin, and H. C. Kellog. These men were all from the state of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. Later, Samuel Marquet bought all the interest in the town site. 1903 A petition signed by a majority of the land holders was submitted to the governor asking that Lake Arthur be incorporated as a village. Names on the petition for incorporation were Dr. V. A. Miller, E. S. Streater, F. A. Smith, J. H. Jeppeson, George S. Wheeler, A. D. Spooner, Nick Arend, H. E. Sergrist, John L. Walter, A. G. Streater, F. R Gibbs, P. T. Reimers, John Lovell, L. N. Toups, M. Broussard, J. F. Ney, W.H. Ney, J. F. Kestner, George Bailey, and T. E. Broussard. Lake Arthur was incorporated in 1904, and Dr. Miller was chosen as its first mayor. 1904

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

came from Lake Charles. 1922 Lake Arthur was made an independent parish by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Jules B. Jeanmard of Lafayette. Rev. W. E. Allen was the first pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish. He retired in 1935, and Rev. L. E deMonsabert was made pastor. Today Lake Arthur citizens are a mixture of

Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...

and French, and

Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...

who arrived from the state of

during the 1890s.

Geography

The town is in southeastern Jefferson Davis Parish, on the north shore of Lake Arthur, a tidal section of the

. The town limits extend into the center of the lake, which is the

Vermilion Parish Vermilion Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, created in 1844. The parish seat is Abbeville. Vermilion Parish is part of the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area, and located in southern Acadiana. At the 2020 U.S ...

line. Louisiana Highway 14 passes through the town center, leading west to Lake Charles. To the east Highway 14 crosses the Mermentau River at its mouth then leads to

Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...

Louisiana Highway 26 Louisiana Highway 26 (LA 26) is a state highway located in southwestern Louisiana. It runs in a northwest to southeast direction from a junction with the concurrent U.S. Highways 171 and 190 southeast of DeRidder to LA 14 in Lak ...

has its southern terminus in Lake Arthur and leads north to

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town of Lake Arthur has a total area of , of which are land and , or 23.67%, are water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,595 people, 982 households, and 737 families residing in the town.

Education

Jefferson Davis Parish Public Schools operates public schools in Lake Arthur. Schools serving Lake Arthur include Lake Arthur Elementary School (PK-6) in Lake Arthur and Lake Arthur High School (7-12) in a nearby

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

. Jefferson Davis Parish Library operates the Lake Arthur Branch at 600 4th Street.

References

External links

Town of Lake Arthur official website
{{authority control Towns in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana Towns in Louisiana