Acadia Parish Tourist Commission

HISTORY OF CROWLEY

"Rice Capital of America"

The story of Crowley, Louisiana, "The Rice Capital of America," is a story of success and of a thriving little city emerging in a comparatively brief time from a barren prairie. The creation of a new town was the dream of two brothers, W. W. and C. C. Duson, natives of this section, whose father had come to Louisiana from Canada. In 1886, a one hundred and seventy-four acre stretch of land was sold for $80 to the Southwest Louisiana Land Company. This company, with headquarters in Opelousas, was headed by Alphonse Levy as President and with W. W. Duson as General Manager. C. C. Duson lent his talents as a politician and diplomat to help make the projected town a success, but it was W. W. Duson who managed the business transaction and insured the establishment of Crowley. On this site, the town of Crowley was laid out. It was named for Pat Crowley, an Irish road-master who was employed by the Louisiana Western (Southern Pacific) Railroad.

The first sale of lots was held February 10-11, 1887, resulting in total sales of $26,250. Wide publicity had been given and the railroads ran special excursions for the event. After this, work which had already begun on streets, ditches and buildings, was continued in earnest and Crowley was on the map. In the same year, the new town received a strong impetus by winning an election for the selection of the parish seat of the newly created Acadia Parish, formed out of the Imperial St. Landry in 1886.

Situated in the heart of one of the most fertile districts in the South, early settlers were attracted by the promise of good lands and bountiful harvest in which they were not disappointed. Many came from the North seeking to escape the rigorous winters and stayed to become the pioneers of Crowley and Acadia Parish. The growth of Crowley has been a steady development rather than by periodic "booms." Census figures show that in 1890 there were 420 inhabitants in Crowley.

Soon after its founding, Crowley was organized with Dr. J. P. January, Mayor and four councilmen. By January 1888, it was incorporated as a village and on June 21, 1899 a charter was granted, incorporating it as a town, under which the municipal government still operated. In 1903, it was designated as a city.

With the years, Crowley has not only grown in numbers, but has advanced in every other way. Beginning as a "wooden town" it emerged into the brick stage about the turn of the century, so that it now possesses some of the finest structures in Southwest Louisiana. Adequate quarters have been provided, not only for its business establishments, but also for religious, cultural and municipal organizations.

Freshwater Fisheries— More than 12,030 acres in Acadia Parish are used in cultivation of Crawfish and Catfish. In 1984 8,400,000 pounds of Crawfish, along with 25,000 pounds of Catfish representing more than $3,538,000 in gross farm value.

Agriculture is the most dominating land use in Acadia, with 264,885 acres. Soybeans are the leading principal crop in Acadia, followed by rice, wheat and grain sorghum. Currently Acadia is one of the leading crop producers in the State of Louisiana. Acadia is one of the few parishes in Louisiana that has a farm income that exceeds 60 million a year.

One of the nation’s biggest harvest celebrations and the oldest in Louisiana, the International Rice Festival, is staged annually in October. It draws from 100,000 to 150,000 people from all over the nation. Some of the interesting events of the Festival are the Rice Belt Livestock Show, the Frog Derby, and Grand Parade, and the selection of an International Rice Queen.