MADISON
PARISH
NORTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
- THE PARISH OF MADISON – ITS FARMING INTERESTS – RAILROAD TOWNS – BUSINESS MEN
– BAYOUS – CROPS – IMPROVEMENTS AND PROSPECTS
From June 29,
1885 New Orleans Picayune
Madison Coordinator’s note: Many thanks to Sue Moore of
Longview, Texas who found this article. The article was written by an unknown
(HHH) New Orleans Picayune correspondent,
who obviously was unfamiliar with Madison Parish. I have corrected his many
misspellings of Tallulah (Tallula), Brushy (Breshy) Bayou and Roundaway (Rondaway)
Bayou, but, except for names, most his other spellings remain as the original.
More information about Madison Parish agriculture may be found by clicking on Agriculture,
Landowners
or Plantations. RPS April 2014.
Madison is one of the
northeastern parishes of Louisiana, being only one parish removed from the
extreme northeastern corner of the state and just opposite to Vicksburg, Miss.
It has water boundaries on the eastern and western sides, being immediately on the
west side of the Mississippi River and having a water frontage of about 60
miles, with as much water frontage on the west side on the Bayou Macon, which
constitutes the confines of its western limits. The meandering of these water
ways prevent the parish from having any regularity in size on its east and
west, sometimes varying eight or ten miles in the sudden changes in the current
of these streams, but the average width of the parish is about 35 or 40 miles.
On the north it is bounded by East Carroll Parish; with an almost straight and
exact dividing line, and on the south side, the parish of Tensas, with slight
irregularity in the Bayou Vidal section, representing 40 to 45 miles in length,
making it the largest parish in north Louisiana except Morehouse and Union, and
considerably the largest on the Mississippi River. It is strictly a bottom or
alluvial long parish, having no hills or soils other than black rich sandy and
buckshot soils, which are equal to that of any section in the South for productions
of cotton, corn, grasses of all kinds, fruits,
vegetables and melons.
In addition to these prominent water lanes on
its borders there are five or six good-sized bayous coursing through backward
and forward – meandering one mile north, several west, then possibly in a
direct opposite way, and so on until there is hardly any portion of the parish
five miles distant from a considerable stream. The Tensas River is probably the
most prominent of those streams, though Joe’s Bayou, Walnut Bayou, Brushy Bayou,
Roundaway Bayou and Vidal Bayou constitute a chain or system of bayous that
penetrate a large part of the parish, affording magnificent agricultural lands
and abundant supply of water for stock.
These streams are all
located on a ridgeway one to two feet higher than the
lands two miles back, and are consequently the best for planting and greatly
superior for home purposes, and will each receive more later on in this report.
The parish is crossed
from east to west by the Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad from Delta
to Waverly, a distance of thirty-six miles.
On this route there
is a fine, continuous agricultural interest from Delta to Lum’s Station and
considerable interest of that kind dotted on the route beyond. There are
located on this road in Madison Parish a number of stations and towns. The
first one is Delta, on the Mississippi River, which is the transfer point from
Vicksburg to Louisiana, and was before the high waters of a few years ago the
seat of justice for the parish, during which time it was a flourishing little city of several hundred inhabitants
with a dozen or two stores and other business interests.
To-day
there only a few citizens and five stores, with many vacant houses, and some of
these homes would be a credit to any section. The old courthouse and fire
department, and town hall, are among the wrecks which mark the change from
prosperity to ruin. In the suburbs, where town lots years ago were reserved for
building the city on a larger scale, beautiful fields of cotton and corn are
growing this year for the first time.
Seven miles west of
Delta, Mounds, the next station, is located, and in and around this place there
is a fine agricultural interest centered. Fishel
& Lucas have a large country store here, and are building a telegraph line
to their other store, eleven miles distant, in a southwesterly direction, on
Roundaway Bayou. There is already built and in operation a line to Young's
point on the Mississippi River, on Mr. Maxwell's place.
The next
two places, California and Lum’s station, are small
places with only station privileges. Then Tallulah, the present seat of
justice, is the next place on the railroad, and it is also on the Brushy Bayou,
which in time of high water is large enough to float boats to Tallulah.
The
courthouse has not been located at this point but about two years and no public
buildings have as yet been built, the people preferring to delay these
buildings until a few good crops would better enable them to put up substantial
structures. While speaking of the courthouse it will not be inappropriate to
allude to the subject more in detail.
The
original seat of justice for this parish was located at Richmond, which was a
thriving little village before the war, situated on Roundaway Bayou, about two miles
from Tallulah, which was totally destroyed by fire by Grant’s Army on their
march through this parish and was never rebuilt. Splendid crops are now growing
where formerly was located a rich and prosperous country village. After the
war, the radicals(?) being in power, had an act passed by the legislature
removing the courthouse from Richmond to Delta, without leaving it to a vote of
the people, where it remained until two years hence, when the Democratic
members of the legislature from this parish produced the passage of an act for
the people to vote as to where the courthouse would be located, which resulted
in favor of Tallulah, which makes it to-day the largest place in the parish and
is doing a good mercantile and other business.
The mercantile business
is conducted by McClellan
Bro. and Coltharp, Carter and Ziegler,
Beer and Fried and S. E. XXX. George Esily has a good
work and repair shop there. There is also two hotels,
and teams are to be hired out for trips to Milliken’s Bend, etc. The place
ships about 4000 bales of cotton.
Having followed the
interest in the parish situated on the railroad it will now be necessary to
devote attention to the interest throughout the parish located on the water
courses. Striking on the Mississippi River from Delta
the first place reached is that of Richard K
Boney, Esq., a prominent young attorney of the parish, who is also devoting
himself to planting on a handsome place. He has a magnificent piece of
property, having a fine river frontage near Delta and almost extending to the
river on the side below Delta! He has 800 acres in cultivation this year, as
fine a crop as can be found anywhere in the state. NOTE: Richard K. Boney’s diaries
made during 1874-1880 while he was attending VMI. University of Virginia and
University of Louisiana (now Tulane) law schools may be seen by clicking here.
Mr. Boney devotes the largest part of his place to cotton and
corn, but also has planted for several years past large crops of Irish
potatoes, which have been remunerative to him, finding ready sale and good
prices in St. Louis and Chicago. He has also this year experimented in Clark flour-corn
which was exhibited in New Orleans at the Exposition, which promises a fine
yield, a hill containing 10 cars of corn. He also planted three acres on trial
of Milo Maize. He is using Brown's cultivator this year and is very much
pleased with it and thinks next year there will be a very general use of them
in the parish. Mr. Boney is just starting livestock interest, including Jersey
and Devon cows, Berkshire hogs, and at an area day devote a large portion of
his place to the cattle interest, believing it has great promise for the South
and those who engage in it.
Brown’s Cultivator 1877
Richard K. Boney and his (and Madison Parish’s) First Tractor
The first
canal cut in this parish by Grant to get below Vicksburg was cut through Mr.
Boney's place, and at its mouth, a small clear water lake has been made which gives
Mr. Boney ample water facilities for his contemplated cattle interest. The
rest of the canal has been nearly filled by the washings in high water seasons.
Duckport Canal -
1863
Just above Mr.
Boney's are the places of A. D. Mattingly and Mrs. Crane, and though not so extensive
as his are in a fine state of cultivation and well improved.
Adjoining these is F. L.
Maxwell's place, "Young's Point," a Mississippi River landing where
large shipping interest centers and where the short telegraph line of only two
miles runs from Mounds, on the railroad. Mr. Maxwell is the second largest
planter in the parish having in cultivation three places where he lives and
three on Walnut Bayou just below the Mounds, making a total acreage of 2800 in
cultivation, and will make about 2000 bales of cotton. He has about thirty
acres in Irish potatoes and will ship about 700 barrels of these to St. Louis
and Chicago, which will net him about $2 per barrel. The estate of Gabriel Utz, operated by Wm. Utz, just above Mr. Maxwell, has about 500 acres in
high state of cultivation and a fine crop this year.
Duckport, with two
stores and post office, is the next place. There are three mails a week to this
point by the river route. The merchants are W. T. Jeffries and D. Mayer. Mr.
Jeffries says this year's crop in his neighborhood is made much cheaper than
any year since he has been on the river. He does the paying out of money for
several plantations, and knows they have been operated with much less expense
than usual. D. Mayer, the other merchant, does not live there, but his interest
is so extensive that a brief reference to it will not be amiss.
Duckport Landing
A few weeks since a special
from Vicksburg to the Picayune, with reference to the crop prospect, spoke of
Mr. Mayer, as next to Col. Richardson, the largest planter in the South. Hence
your correspondent, having an opportunity to learn something of the next
largest planter in the South, ascertained that he lived at Mayersvilie,
Issaquena county, Miss. and had a number of stores at different points and one
body of land in Issaquena county of 5000 acres in cultivation, and 4000 in
another body and several smaller places, making a total of 12,000 acres in
cultivation by Mr. Mayer.
Just above Duckport
is the place of Col. G. L.
Boney (obituary),
father of R. K. Boney, Esq., who is planting about 1200 acres this year, the
bulk of which is in cotton, though he has fine crops of corn, with potatoes and
grain. He has shipped 1000 barrels of Irish potatoes from his place and will
ship a good quantity this year.
Mr. Boney has some
Jersey cows and Berkshire hogs and a dozen fine home-raised young mules, with a
number of splendid young horses of his own raising. He never expects to buy
another horse or mule, without some accident befalls his present start, as he
is devoting some attention to this matter and meeting with good results. Adjoining
Mr. Boney's place is one of D. Mayer's places, which contains about 900 acres
in cultivation constituting that much of his total cultivated acreage of 12,000
acres.
Mrs. Sarah Marshall's
place is about the only one above this point, immediately on the river, of any
magnitude. There are 1800 acres in high state of cultivation on her place.
Returning down the river to Duckport and taking up Walnut. Bayou, which is
connected with the Mississippi River by another one of Grant's canals two miles
long, a very fine planting interest, continuous for miles and across that
portion of the parish back to the Mississippi River at Milliken's Bend, which
is a beautiful stretch of country and blooming with a promising crop.
Along this route are
situated some fine places and extensive interests, among which may be mentioned
the places of T. W. Mason, Mrs. Jackson, Jim P. Parker, (1000 acres), well
improved and in a high state of cultivation; also the Humphrey's estate,
"Dalkeith" place, with 800 acres in cultivation, and G. A.
Richardson, a member of the Police Jury, has 800 acres in fine crops of corn,
cotton and fruit. He is regarded as one of the best planters in the parish.
Next to Richardson is
Major George C. Waddill’s place, which is a mile from Milliken's Bend. Major
Waddill is the largest planter and land owner in the parish. He has 3000 acres
in cultivation at this point in four plantations, and nearly 2000 elsewhere in
the parish on the Tensas River and Joe's Bayou, with nearly a total of 5000
acres planted. His landed interest in the parish is about 57,000 acres. His
crop is said to be the best since the war. He has a large store on his property
near Milliken's Bend, where W. R. Hudson is general agent. Mr. Moseley is his
superintendent. Their labor is reported as in better condition than generally,
and one-third more land is being cultivated this year with the same labor as
last year. There are 20 convicts on the place who are kept busy in clearing off
and opening up new lands.
Milliken's Bend,
which is a mile beyond Major Waddill's place, is a good business point, with a
hundred or more inhabitants, with a number of good merchants who draw a fine
trade from the tributary country. Those merchants are H. Deis, Coltharp, McClelland
& Bros., Joe Witherow, N. Kahn, Mr. McCain, Marx Rothchilds,
Dr. W. P. Yerger and A. B. Maxwell. They have a nice lodge of Knights of Pythias at Milliken's Bond with good membership. This place
has experienced unusual adverse fortunes from the whimsical currents of the
Mississippi River, as the town has had to be moved three times on account of
the caving banks. Its present location is three-quarters of a mile from the
river; the original site of Milliken's Bend is more than half way in the river,
if not on the opposite --on the Mississippi soil.
It is seven miles from
Milliken's Bend to Tallulah, to which point there is a daily mail service and
telegraphic communication. En route to Tallulah along the banks of Brushy
Bayou, many good places with universal fine crops are to be seen. Just across
the bayou from Tallulah, T. B. Adams, for McClelland Bros. and Coltharp,
planted cotton last year between the 5th and 10th of June, after the fall of
the high waters, which yielded considerably over a bale to the acre. This firm plants about 2500 acres, and are among the successful
men of the parish, owning large interest in landed and planting properties,
besides the leading stores in Tallulah and Milliken's Bend.
Leaving Tallulah down
Brushy Bayou a mile or two where it intercepts Roundaway Bayou is where old
Richmond was formerly located.
Up Roundaway for
twenty-five to thirty miles many fine places and some beautiful homes are to be
seen. The first prominent place is that of A. W. Crandle, who is one of the leading spirits of this
parish in everything which tends to the betterment of the community in which he
lives and the parish generally. Mr. Crandle has a fine interest and plants over
1200 acres, which give unusual promise this year. He uses the Brown cultivator
considerably and thinks next year their use will be much more general in the
parish, as two mules and one man can do the work of four mules and four men.
Mr. Crandle has a splendid home and is at public-spirited citizen whom any
community may well appreciate.
Some twenty or thirty
minutes after the arrival of the Picayune’s correspondent at Mr. Crandle’s, a nice, gentle and steady rain, which was much
needed, began to fall. Mr. Crandle, in manifesting his hospitality to the
representative and showing his appreciation for the shower, said: "There
now, the Picayune always brings me something good."
Further up the bayou
7 miles from Tallulah, State Senator George
Montgomery has a nice place of 1000 acres, which is in good cultivation.
On beyond Senator
Montgomery, Major Hugh P. Lucas has two large places, "Waterford" and
"Good Hope," and he also has a fine interest on Walnut Bayou, six
miles from the Mounds, and adjoins Maxwell's Walnut Bayou places. His planting
interest in about 2500 to 2600 acres in cultivation, On "Good Hope"
is located Fishel & Lucas' store, which has the post office
"Pace," and to which their telegraph line is being built.
The Cholula
plantation, cultivated by Bedford & King (Congressman King), has 1000 acres
in fine state of cultivation.
Mr. Eb Smith the oldest native citizen of the parish, being 62
years of age, has a fine planting interest in Madison and Tensas parishes the
line cutting across his property. His total planting interest is about 1500
acres. He is hale and hearty and does not show breaking in his physical or
mental condition. His place is at the junction of Roundaway and Vidal bayous,
up which two boats run six months in the year to Cholula and Hapaka.
Araby, on Vidal, is a fine
place, property of V. & A. Meyers, of New Orleans, Richland Plantation, on
Vidal, under the management of Francis S. Shields, the newly appointed Internal
Revenue Collector, is another large interest. "Hapaka," the property
of Judge Perkins,
once a distinguished member of Congress before the war from our State and
during the war a member of the Confederate Congress from his State, is also on
Vidal Bayou. Judge Perkins is quite old and blind though he spends his winters
on his place.
Returning down
Roundaway to Fishel & Lucas' store, the bayou was left and the trip made
across to Walnut Bayou, where is located the places of Major Lucas, Mr.
Maxwell, Mr. McDowell,
Mrs. Amis, J. T. Cochron, Mrs. Lacey, W. B. King,
Mrs. Jones, and N. Hackett and there to the Mounds, thence to Delta.
But little has been
said about Tensas River and Joe's Bayou as, but little interest is there as
compared with former years. Before the war there was a continuous planting
interest all along those two streams but overflows and the war left them to
grow up into weeds and bushes. In 1870 Mason, and
later Loyd bought cattle from other parts of the
country and carried them to those bayou places for pasturage, wherein a few
years they made large sums of money. This was in the neighborhood of Quebec,
which before the war was a flourishing little city, shipping 7090 bales of
cotton. It was at the junction of the Tensas River and the railroad. It is now
a waste place and to pass there on the railroad you would never know that a
town had been there.
These lands did not
belong to Mason or Loyd, and they had to leave. This
year this section is coming out considerably, and Col. Ed Richardson and Major
Waddill are planting several places there and opening up others. Col.
Richardson owns six or seven plantations, containing 7000 to 10,000 acres on
Joe's Bayou, and has three in cultivation and two others are being improved for
next year. Major Waddill has very large Interest in this section, and in
devoting much time and attention to its cultivation. Altogether, the soil and
location of the parish is peculiarly adapted to the cultivation of corn,
cotton, sorghum, grain, grasses and fruits.
The public school
interest is in a very, good condition, having about six white schools, with
average attendance of fifteen each, and
eight negro schools, with average attendance of ninety each; school term is
eight months, and teachers get cash without any difficulty for their pay. Last
report of the parish treasurer there was $8800 cash on hand; assessed valuation
of property is $2,000,000; tax rate, six mills for State, ten for parish and
five for levee tax. The population is 15,000, a large portion of which is
colored.
This correspondent
begs to return thanks to many, but especially to R. K. and G. L. Boney, A. W.
Crandle and Mrs. Eb Smith for courtesy and hospitality. H. H. H.