Lake Arthur, Louisiana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lake Arthur, Louisiana
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Town
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Location of Lake Arthur in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana
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Location of Louisiana in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | Jefferson Davis |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.43 sq mi (6.29 km2) |
| • Land | 1.85 sq mi (4.80 km2) |
| • Water | 0.57 sq mi (1.49 km2) |
| Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,595 |
| • Density | 1,399.68/sq mi (540.39/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
70549
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| Area code(s) | 337 |
| FIPS code | 22-41050 |
Lake Arthur is a town located in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States. It's a small community with a rich history. In 2020, about 2,595 people lived there. The town is part of the Jennings area. The current mayor is Sampson “Poncho” Lejeune.
Contents
History of Lake Arthur
The area around Lake Arthur was a popular camping spot for early Native Americans. This was because of the lake itself and the many animals living nearby. The Atakapas tribe likely lived here, and sometimes Comanche Indians were also in the area. Before Lake Arthur became a town, there were smaller villages nearby called Lakeside and Shell Beach.
Early Settlers and Naming the Lake
In the late 1700s, families from Acadia (now Nova Scotia, Canada) moved to this region. They called the lake le petit lac Mentau. "Mentau" was the name of an Atakapas Indian chief. One of the first Acadian settlers was Arthur LeBlanc. Travelers started calling the lake le lac d'Arthur, which means "Arthur's Lake." Over time, this name changed to Lake Arthur.
In 1811, Atanas Hebert was one of the first people to settle in Lake Arthur. The first store in the area was run by D. D. Hebert.
Growth and Industry
Around 1840, the first sawmill was built. The area had a lot of cypress trees, which brought many early settlers. In 1854, Gustave Laurents opened a store. Some of the early settlers were noble Creoles from New Orleans. Jean Revlon built a large house in 1854, which is now known as MacDonell plantation. Other families, like the deLaunays, Deschamps, and Gaithes, also came from New Orleans after the French Revolution.
At first, people grew corn and other crops. But they soon found that rice was the best crop for the area.
- 1876: The first rice mill was built by Gustave Laurents and D. Derouen.
- 1887: Anatole Gauthier and C. St Germain brought in the first machine to separate rice from its stalks, along with a portable steam engine.
- 1890: The first plant to pump water for rice fields was built on Bayou Lacassine. All these changes helped Lake Arthur become a successful rice-growing region.
The Broussard family was one of the largest families in the area. T.E. Theogene Broussard was a druggist in Lake Arthur.
Communication and Travel
- 1878: The first post office opened, with D. Derouen as the postmaster. Mail arrived once a month from Leesburg (now Cameron) and sometimes by horseback from Lake Charles.
The Live Oak Hotel was built between 1888 and February 1889. One famous guest was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who visited Lake Arthur to hunt before he became ill with polio. The hotel was privately owned until 1922. It was sold to the Lake Arthur Hunting Club and torn down in 1934.
Boat captains were very important for early settlers. Lake Arthur is about one mile wide and nine miles long. It connects to the Mermentau River, which leads to the Gulf of Mexico.
- 1886: D. E. Sweet bought two boats, the "Louisa Storm" and "Olive." These boats traveled to Grand Chenier for 17 years. This was the only way to travel between Lake Arthur and Cameron Parish.
Lumber and Town Planning
A lumber boom started soon after the town was planned, with two sawmills. Important lumber business owners were Aaron Streater and Pete Reimers.
- 1890: Lee Fox built the first sawmill within Lake Arthur's town limits. It burned down in 1905. The Brewer, Reynolds, and Streater Mill, built on the lakefront in 1900, also burned down. These fires destroyed the mills and millions of feet of cypress lumber.
Also in 1890, the Lake Arthur Town Lot and Land Co. planned the original town. This company included Samuel Marquet, E. L. Lee, W. E. Chapin, and H. C. Kellog, all from Iowa. Later, Samuel Marquet bought out the other owners.
Becoming an Incorporated Town
- 1903: Most landowners signed a petition asking the governor to make Lake Arthur an official village.
- 1904: Lake Arthur officially became an incorporated town. Dr. V. A. Miller was chosen as its first mayor.
- 1904: The Southern Pacific Railroad arrived from Lake Charles, connecting Lake Arthur to other areas.
Religious Community
- 1922: Lake Arthur became an independent parish (a church district) by Bishop 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 became the new pastor.
Today, the people of Lake Arthur are a mix of Acadians (French-speaking people from Canada) and Anglo-Americans who came from Iowa in the 1890s.
Geography of Lake Arthur
Lake Arthur is located in the southeastern part of Jefferson Davis Parish. It sits on the north shore of Lake Arthur, which is a tidal part of the Mermentau River. The town's borders extend into the middle of the lake, where the line for Vermilion Parish is.
Roads and Connections
Louisiana Highway 14 goes through the center of town. If you go west on Highway 14, it's about 44 miles to Lake Charles. To the east, Highway 14 crosses the Mermentau River and leads about 36 miles to Abbeville. Louisiana Highway 26 starts in Lake Arthur and goes north about 10 miles to Jennings.
Area Details
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Lake Arthur covers a total area of about 6.3 square kilometers (2.43 square miles). Of this, about 4.8 square kilometers (1.85 square miles) is land, and 1.5 square kilometers (0.57 square miles) is water. This means about 23.67% of the town's area is water.
Climate
| Climate data for Lake Arthur 7 SW, Louisiana (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1901–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 91 (33) |
87 (31) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
99 (37) |
103 (39) |
102 (39) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
99 (37) |
90 (32) |
85 (29) |
105 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.4 (16.3) |
65.6 (18.7) |
71.6 (22.0) |
77.6 (25.3) |
83.5 (28.6) |
89.9 (32.2) |
91.4 (33.0) |
92.0 (33.3) |
88.8 (31.6) |
81.0 (27.2) |
71.2 (21.8) |
63.4 (17.4) |
78.1 (25.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 52.4 (11.3) |
56.2 (13.4) |
62.4 (16.9) |
68.6 (20.3) |
75.7 (24.3) |
81.7 (27.6) |
83.2 (28.4) |
83.1 (28.4) |
79.3 (26.3) |
70.7 (21.5) |
61.0 (16.1) |
54.1 (12.3) |
69.0 (20.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 43.5 (6.4) |
46.7 (8.2) |
53.3 (11.8) |
59.6 (15.3) |
68.0 (20.0) |
73.4 (23.0) |
74.9 (23.8) |
74.2 (23.4) |
69.8 (21.0) |
60.5 (15.8) |
50.7 (10.4) |
44.9 (7.2) |
60.0 (15.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 13 (−11) |
11 (−12) |
25 (−4) |
34 (1) |
42 (6) |
53 (12) |
61 (16) |
58 (14) |
41 (5) |
34 (1) |
23 (−5) |
18 (−8) |
11 (−12) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.61 (142) |
4.20 (107) |
3.10 (79) |
4.75 (121) |
4.61 (117) |
6.17 (157) |
4.99 (127) |
6.08 (154) |
5.85 (149) |
4.51 (115) |
5.25 (133) |
4.78 (121) |
59.90 (1,521) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.1 (0.25) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.3 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 12.3 | 13.0 | 12.7 | 10.9 | 9.3 | 10.3 | 12.7 | 129.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics of Lake Arthur
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 1,093 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,882 | 72.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,602 | −14.9% | |
| 1940 | 2,131 | 33.0% | |
| 1950 | 2,849 | 33.7% | |
| 1960 | 3,541 | 24.3% | |
| 1970 | 3,551 | 0.3% | |
| 1980 | 3,615 | 1.8% | |
| 1990 | 3,194 | −11.6% | |
| 2000 | 3,007 | −5.9% | |
| 2010 | 2,738 | −8.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,595 | −5.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,145 | 82.66% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 300 | 11.56% |
| Native American | 2 | 0.08% |
| Asian | 2 | 0.08% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 109 | 4.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 36 | 1.39% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,595 people living in Lake Arthur. These people lived in 982 households, and 737 of these were families.
Education in Lake Arthur
Public schools in Lake Arthur are managed by Jefferson Davis Parish Public Schools.
- Lake Arthur Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade. It is located in Lake Arthur.
- Lake Arthur High School serves students from 7th to 12th grade. This school is in a nearby area outside the town limits.
The Jefferson Davis Parish Library also has a branch in Lake Arthur. You can find the Lake Arthur Branch at 600 4th Street.
See also
In Spanish: Lake Arthur (Luisiana) para niños
