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Message
re: Why isn't Lake Charles a lot bigger than it is?
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:14 pm to ShunnedHuman
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:14 pm to ShunnedHuman
It's about as big as it should be.
0
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:22 pm to ShunnedHuman
quote:
It's got a very large port, it's got a lot of plants/refineries, It's on I-10 and centrally located between Houston and New Orleans, got a loop, etc.
Yet only has 80,000 people.
Why isn't it bigger?
Lake Charles was controlled by a few families as it originally was a very prosperous timber town before WWII These were the large landowners.
The oil industry wanted them to build more office space post WWII and no one would do that. Laffy built the Oil Center and small businesses were built servicing the oil industry because of that.
Cap One, originally the CM Tower, was completed AFTER the oil bust in the early 1980's It was never close to fully occupied and not exactly a money maker. Capital One Tower was obtained it when Capital One bought the VERY solvent Calcasieu Marine National Bank from the Lawton/Burton family. The Lawton brothers were aging and one was more insterested in cattle and horses. I'm not sure that there was any family member capable or willing to take the reins.
The only person as a member of the ruling class trying to do things was Spook Stream, in the 1970's. Spook turned a downtown building into nightclub, Gandolf's after buying Jalal's restaurant and turning it into nightclub, Judge Roy Bean's. Gandolf's hosted bands from Austin weekly such as Asleep at the Wheel. Judge Roy Bean had the first ever Mardi Gras celebration in Lake Charles, a Zydeco band on flat bed truck in the parking lot. Spook also started a crane a rigging contractor, and one of the best FM stations ever, with the latest best equipment, KGRA/NOVA 104 and a lot of other businesses like Streamprint, a silk screen shirt printing operation. Spook got bored easily so sold all of these businesses, though Gandolf's just closed. He was great at starting good businesses but didn't follow up after success, or so it seemed.
The 1970's showed a lot of promise but even Lake Charles was affected by the oil price collapse in the early 1980's. Then some of the plants were closed.
Also, a lot of the family members of these large landowners had by then moved to Houston and more interested in investing there after
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:24 pm to fightin tigers
They are Texas legalizing gambling from being Jackson Mississippi
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:25 pm to ShunnedHuman
Because it’s in Louisiana and not Texas
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:27 pm to Cleathecat
Corpus Metro is 421000. Why do you think it should be bigger?
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:27 pm to Kenna City Solja
quote:
Coonasses
Nah, they were the worker bees who moved there during and after WWII to work in the plants. The big boys were not Cajun at all. There were very few Cajuns west of Jennings until the 1940's. In fact, most of the so called Cajuns west of Laffy are actually of German ancestry. a number have Cajun names because mom married a coonass. Take my ex's family. 3/4 Miller, 1/4 Lejeune. Their last name was Lejeune.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:28 pm to CitizenK
K,
Was Gandolfi's located near the court House on Ryan Street?
Do you recall the names of the managers?
Was Gandolfi's located near the court House on Ryan Street?
Do you recall the names of the managers?
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:30 pm to CharleyLake
It was either the old Paramount Theater or next door, on Ryan. Near the corner where the Calcasieum Marine was located at the corner of Pujo and Ryan. I didn't know any of the managers, but I did go there a good bit.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:33 pm to SlowFlowPro
Do you believe that the "old money" did not want the Oil Center" and influenced it to be located in Lafayette? I have always heard that.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:36 pm to ShunnedHuman
As everyone said. Too close to Texas. No state income taxes in Texas. Done and done.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:43 pm to ShunnedHuman
The Port of Lake Charles was controlled by Lake Charles/Lake City Stevedores. It they were not going to make serious bank, that business was not obtained. The company was owned by the Austin family. In the early 1980's the Austin brother, Horace, still living would take out his several bank bags of Krugerands and count them on New Year's day per his great nephew who I think OD's from cocaine several years later. Horace would go to his office every single day and sleep at his desk in his 70's, in the morning a few of the management would go there to give him reports, then he would go home for lunch, return to nap.
It was the top rice export port in the US until the longshoreman strike of the late 1960's and most of the Arkansas rice went to the Port of Mobile where everyone was an employee of the state, so did not strike.
It was also the largest point of import of Volkswagons for the USA. Cars and microbuses were shipped via rail to St. Louis for distribution.
With all of its assets, why is Port Arthur such a shithole? It had more assets than Lake Chuck. Same goes for Beaumont which is not nearly as bad a shithole as Port Arthur.
It was the top rice export port in the US until the longshoreman strike of the late 1960's and most of the Arkansas rice went to the Port of Mobile where everyone was an employee of the state, so did not strike.
It was also the largest point of import of Volkswagons for the USA. Cars and microbuses were shipped via rail to St. Louis for distribution.
With all of its assets, why is Port Arthur such a shithole? It had more assets than Lake Chuck. Same goes for Beaumont which is not nearly as bad a shithole as Port Arthur.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 2:45 pm to ShunnedHuman
quote:
Why isn't Lake Charles a lot bigger than it should be?
How big should it be? We kind of need to know that to answer your question.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:05 pm to redstick13
quote:
Lafayette 45 minutes away is a
Damn, you must drive fast
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:06 pm to CharleyLake
quote:
Do you believe that the "old money" did not want the Oil Center" and influenced it to be located in Lafayette? I have always heard that.
Laffy was a small town with a college and a railroad hub, much like Dequincy used to be. A lot of small farms and cheap labor who were risk takers. Lake Chuck was pretty stable already and no risk takers. Old Money liked having control. Outside investors would have diminished that.
The story goes that any good business plan brought to the Calcasieum Marine National Bank would be kicked up to W.T. Burton who would not loan money but get part of the business by being the only investor. Flanagan and Schmidt of Lakeside National Bank did similar, but instead they would seek small business ideas which need capital to start up or expand. They were more entrepeneur minded as opposed to Burton being more predator minded
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:07 pm to redstick13
quote:
went completely off the rails about the area right after Laura.
Oh this satisfaction did not happen over night.
Give Up Strong was what I used to tell folks was LC's motto after the hurricane.
Half the people were resiliant. Half just stood around with their mouths open not knowing what to do. I probably should have given them more grace.
I've had 3 kids since then. I way more mellowed out now
way more.This post was edited on 1/10/26 at 4:08 pm
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:10 pm to SUB
quote:
How big should it be? We kind of need to know that to answer your question.
It could have been Houston instead of Houston being Houston.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:12 pm to CitizenK
With her family surnames, it likely rules out all communities except Iota.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:13 pm to redstick13
I wish we could find that big Laura thread. That would be some laughs and embarrassment. I had a lot of stress trying to help put a plant back together
This post was edited on 1/10/26 at 4:15 pm
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:17 pm to CharleyLake
quote:
With her family surnames, it likely rules out all communities except Iota.
Hathaway
Posted on 1/10/26 at 4:30 pm to CitizenK
My family lived in Lake Charles post WW II. Shell made inquiries into building a plant in Lake Charles. The old money wanted money up front and some control over the resulting plant.
Shell didn’t agree and chose to build in Houston.
Shell didn’t agree and chose to build in Houston.
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