2017 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 7
BY SENATOR JOHNS
A RESOLUTION
To commend the city of Lake Charles on the celebration of its one hundred fiftieth
anniversary.
WHEREAS, the first people to settle the lake were Mr. and Mrs. LeBleu of
Bordeaux, France in 1781, and it was known as LeBleu Settlement; and
WHEREAS, they secured their home six miles east of the present site of Lake
Charles, living peacefully with several Indian tribes; and
WHEREAS, other settlers ventured to the area, including Charles Sallier who
married Catherine LeBleu and the couple built their home on the lake and it became known
as Charlie's Lake; and
WHEREAS, by 1860, the area was being called "Charleston" or "Charles Town" and
on March 7, 1861, Lake Charles was officially incorporated as the town of Charleston,
Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, six years after the city was incorporated, dissatisfaction over the name
Charleston arose and on March 16, 1867, Charleston was renamed and incorporated as the
town of Lake Charles after its founder, Charles Sallier; and
WHEREAS, the first industry in Lake Charles was lumber and exporting that
commodity increased at the end of the Civil War with inexpensive pine being sought
throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, as a result, more sawmills were being built and the 1880s saw the small
sawmill village develop into a boom town and grow four hundred percent; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the lumber industry, Lake Charles had a geographic
advantage for the traveling entertainment business and many traveling troupes passing
through the South to New Orleans and on to Galveston and Houston found Lake Charles to
be a good place for a one-night Sunday performance; and
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WHEREAS, Gerstner Field, a large aviation training camp during World War I, was
the first military air field built in Lake Charles and in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, it was an integral part of Lake Charles' history, employed several
thousand people, and graduated four hundred ninety-nine fighter pilots and aviation
instructors; and
WHEREAS, after it was closed and demolished, Lake Charles and Southwest
Louisiana were left with a penchant for aviation that continues to this day; and
WHEREAS, in 1967, a time capsule was buried during the City of Lake Charles
Centennial Celebration with instructions that it be opened fifty years later during the
sesquicentennial celebration; and
WHEREAS, a centennial edition of the American Press, a McNeese State College
log roster of the Newcomer's Club, a centennial program book, a centennial parade picture
story, centennial coins and souvenirs, and a recorded message from Governor John
McKeithen, Mayor James Sudduth, Police Chief J. E. Pete Stout, and state Senator Jesse
Knowles, are included in the time capsule; and
WHEREAS, in honor of the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of Lake Charles,
Louisiana, the time capsule will be opened on Saturday, April 22, 2017; and
WHEREAS, today the city of Lake Charles is known as a friendly community that
still plays a large role in business and industry in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend the city of Lake Charles and its citizenry and public officials upon
the celebration of the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the municipality.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
mayor of the city of Lake Charles.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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