1894 An Invitation to Immigrants

Bossier Parish

This parish is situated in the northwestern part of the State and contains 494,720 acres of land.

The land is good upland and alluvial in formation, and is very fertile and productive.

It is drained by Bodcau Bayou, Bodcau Lake, Red River and numerous small streams.

The water is plentiful and generally of good quality.

The Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific railroad traverses the south-central parts of the parish and the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas railroad its northwestern section.

Bellevue, situated near Lake Bodcau is the parish seat.

The timber is oak, pine, ash, cypress, persimmon, gum, beech, elm, holly, hickory, sycamore, poplar and cotton wood.

Cotton is the chief crop product; corn, hay, oats, beans, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, and the garden varieties all do well.

The fruits are apples, pears, peaches, plums, quinces, grapes and figs.

Cattle, hogs, sheep and horses are raised and thrive well.

Game is found, such as deer, coons, opossums, foxes, squirrels, rabbits, mink, wild turkeys, wild ducks and geese, partridges, snipe and woodcock.

Fish of good quality are found in the lakes and streams, among them bar-fish, trout and bass.

There are deposits of salt, fire-clay, potters'-clay, marl and green sand.

There are 30,260 acres of United States Government land and a large amount of State public land in the parish.

Private lands are worth from $1.00 to $20.00 per acre.

Extracted 27 Aug 2020 by Norma Hass, from An Invitation to Immigrants, published in 1894, pages 35-36