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- He did not edit his manuscript as he was suffering from Bright's disease and he died shortly after finishing it.
* * *
- Just before I went to the army, father sent me to Lake Bistineau, La.,
for salt, with Uncle James Warnock. I drove our big horses and he had a
team. The so-called lake is 4 or 5 miles south of Minden, La. It had been
discovered that salt water could be had by digging 18 or 25 ft. deep in
the dry bed of the lake. The lake was formerly deep, it is 4 or 5 miles
wide and 20 miles long, Bodcaw and Dorcheat Creeks (1) running into it,
but in the course of time it had filled in so much that it dries up in
summer, all except the run of the creek. More than 1000 men had gathered
there to make salt. It was the strangest place I ever saw. All the wood
and water had to be hauled form the hills. The people were living and boiling
salt in shanties of all descriptions. The boilers were every kind of a
vessell from old whisky barrells to steam boilers split open. They run
day and night and as they used rich lightwood on scaffolds for lights the
men were smoked so you could hardly tell a negro from a white man. Many
wells were dug in the channell of the creek, The water being carried to
the boilers many yards away. There were men there from Ark, Tx, La, and
I Ty (2). No one owned the land so they had organized a kind of government,
laid out streets and alleys, etc., and had a police force to keep order.
There was several men there from this co, (3) Mr. John Dunlap was one and
it was from him we bought our two loads of salt. We stayed there 2 nights.
It was certainly the strangest place I ever saw. It was the first part
of October we were there, and everybody was pushing their boilers night
and day, knowing that they would soon have to get out on account of the
water. In diferent places in the bed of the lake, were groves of what is
called bottle cypress.
- ______________________
- 1. Probably the Bodcau and Dauchitte Bayous.
- 2. Texas, Louisiana, and Indian Territory.
- 3. County.
- 2. Texas, Louisiana, and Indian Territory.
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