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It might be said
that the city of Slidell was born because New Orleans needed a railroad to
the north and east – a case of being the right place at the right time.
Because of its strategic location, however, the area was a gateway long before
the railroad was begun in 1881. Holders of Spanish, French, British, and Republic
of West Florida land grants, as well as the newer American homesteaders, occupied
the region in the 1700s. They wanted access to New Orleans and the Gulf coast
to trade forest products, cattle, and wild game for other necessary supplies.
This resulted in an early inland settlement on the banks of Bayou Bonfouca, called Robert’s Landing. (The ferry crossing was said to be located just behind the present railroad station.) From there, boats traveled into Lake Pontchartrain, and then south to New Orleans or east to the Gulf coast.
Building the
railroad
Following the
close of the Civil War, the growing city of New Orleans needed better overland
transportation to the north and east. In 1870, Captain William H. Hardy started
the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad Company and began planning a new
route between New Orleans and Meridian, Miss.
Ten years later,
the St. Tammany Farmer, a Covington newspaper, noted: “Able engineers
have pronounced it practicable to build a line directly across Lake Pontchartrain,
about 22 miles.” In May 1881, the paper reported that the preliminary
survey had been completed and that the railroad would cross Lake Pontchartrain
to Mandeville on a trestle.
Mandeville was
not destined to be the northshore hub, however. Because creosote treatment
was required for all the pilings, crossties, and bridge timbers, a creosote
works with access to water and near the proposed rail roadways was essential.
The inland harbor on Bayou Bonfouca was suitable for a creosote plant, and
land acquisition was cheaper in that part of the parish. The final decision
to move the northshore destination to the eastern site, which would later
become Slidell, would have a significant impact on the future of both communities.
Work on the railroad
on the northshore began in December 1881. All of the road clearances and grading
were performed by hand using axes, shovels and wheelbarrows. Where water access
was not available, oxen carts pulled hand-hewn timbers to road sites and bridges.
On October 15, 1883, the first train from Meridian completed the long-awaited
trip to New Orleans. Later that year, the first passenger train ran the Queen
and Crescent route between New Orleans and Cincinnati.
Captain Hardy had accomplished the building of the world’s longest bridge, across Lake Pontchartrain.
The birth
of Slidell
As the number
of railroad employees increased, Robert’s Landing became the headquarters
site. The engineers, foremen, and work crews needed food and clothing (as
well as large quantities of whiskey!), thus generating several new businesses
near the camp. Other sites were developed into hotels and boarding houses.
These establishments became the foundation of the town of Slidell. The local
economy prospered, as farmers were able to sell all the cows and hogs they
could raise and all the produce they could grow to feed the construction crews.
Any able-bodied man who wanted a job could get one.
The railroad
stop was named Slidell Station in early 1882. A newspaper reported that “at
the creosote works, there is quite a town being built, called Slidell, and
a great deal of land in the vicinity has been bought by speculators. Several
houses and stores have been put up lately, and town lots are selling at good
prices.”
By 1884, in addition to the completion of the railroad, a post office was
established in Slidell and the first telephone and telegraph line was extended
from Mandeville.
Slidell’s
early landowners
The Guzman and
Robert families were Slidell’s most prominent early landowners. (Vincent
Rillieux, for whom Bayou Vincent was named, had previously owned the 5,000-acre
John Guzman tract. In addition, Joseph Laurent had a large tract on the west
side of Bayou Bonfouca, where later developments were made.)
Guzman’s
son, John E., owned a brickyard, a hospital, a ferry, and a store near the
present bayou bridge crossing. He received the first telephone message sent
over the newly constructed telephone line from Mandeville to Slidell.
The Robert tract
consisted of almost 1,300 acres north of the Guzman property and east of Bayou
Bonfouca. The family plantation home was located near present-day Bayou Lane
and Cousin Street, just west of the railroad tracks. Pierre Robert had two
boat docks on his property, one for schooners and one for lighter boats. He
also operated a maritime supply retail store, a small sawmill, a brick plant,
a tar mill, and raised cattle and horses. His son, Junot, later sold the initial
lands that Leon Fremaux laid out
to form the original town of Slidell, the area known today as Olde Towne.
Fritz Salmen, the builder
In 1884, Fritz
Salmen bought some of the Guzman lands near the tracks. Salmen had spent a
number of years in Handsboro, Miss., now an historic region of Gulfport, where
he and his brothers learned the technical advances in lumbering, shipbuilding,
and brick making.
Salmen soon established
his brickworks, using the high quality clay found in the area. His original
brickyard was located just north of the train station on Front Street. With
his profits, he purchased more land and later sent for his brothers, Jacob
and Albert. In 1890, the Salmen sawmill was added; at about the same time,
they built a small shipyard and shipbuilding operations on the west side of
the bayou to transport their products to nearby ports.
The Salmen Brick
and Lumber Company extended its operations to include offices and warehouses
in New Orleans, Tickfaw and Onville. The large retail yards in New Orleans
dealt with a large variety of building materials, including Portland cement,
lime, and plaster, as well as lumber, brick, and ornamental materials. Commercial
lines were opened into Central and South America.
In 1910, the company employed 800 persons. Twenty clerks worked at the Commissary, its general store on Front Street, which had become the largest merchandise store in St. Tammany Parish. The company even expanded into timbering operations, building its own seventy-five-mile railroad with four engines and 250 rail cars. The track connected with the main railroad, giving it countrywide access. It was a full-support operation, having a machine shop, a blacksmith shop, a two-ton capacity foundry, a carpentry shop, and a sheet-metal shop.
Growth of
a town
On November 13,
1888, Slidell was incorporated – while it was still only a fledgling
flag station. The town was described as spanning three miles from north to
south and two miles east to west in the form of a reversed-L shape. Corporate
limits were increased shortly thereafter to include a portion of the Guzman
tract. Roughly, the expanded street boundaries were Fremaux Avenue to Fifth
Street, then Cousin Street to Carey and to Front Street, and then back to
Fremaux.
The town resembled
those in old western movies: It was rough and wild. There was no established
town government until 1888, when a mayor was elected and a town marshal was
appointed.
In typical frontier fashion, more saloons, boarding houses and other businesses sprang up along the railroad right-of-way. On the site that is now the corner of First Street and Fremaux Avenue, the famous Birdcage Saloon was soon doing a booming business. Its success led to the establishment of thirteen saloons along Front Street, which furnished nightlife and entertainment for the early settlers. More hotels were built to meet the demands of the ever-increasing numbers of newcomers, transients and traveling businessmen. Stores offering general merchandise, furniture, clothing, food, tools, hardware, medicines, and services were centered on Carey and Cousin streets.
The early
1900s
An old saying
about Slidell was that it was “two-towns-long and half-a-town-wide.”
Along with progress, rivalry developed between the “uptown” and
“downtown” residential areas. For years, political elections, selection
of public buildings, and other local issues brought disputes, which fell just
short of a feud. The demarcation line was the narrow part of Bayou Potassat
(which was reportedly named for the small perch that filled its waters).
According to
a 1901 article in the St. Tammany Farmer, “Slidell had six churches,
three schools, a sawmill, five saloons, six stores, two brickyards, three
barber shops, four fruit stands, and several other local favorites too numerous
to mention.” Homes, stores, and saloons sprouted up like mushrooms, and
still more hotels were built to accommodate new workers employed at the various
plants. In the central section, a bank, a grammar school, and the White Kitchen
restaurant replaced the former pine-covered flats.
Many of these landmarks still abound in Olde Towne Slidell today. The Country Cupboard gained an addition in 1939. Mires’ Hardware was founded in 1915. Gastrorondo, a French opera singer, opened the Peach Tree. Joe Johnson built Slidell Cleaners in 1939. Olde Towne Antiques was formerly a saloon, grocery store, and meat market before its remodeling. The present Slidell Museum was built in 1907 as the City Hall. The Second Story Lounge was once a grocery store operated by the Carollo family. Other original family names associated with buildings in the area are Abney, Baker, Cornibe, Evans, Fontana, Gazano, Giordano, Neuhauser, Polk, and Pravata.
Slidell –
still a gateway
At various times,
Slidell’s main street has been known as Bayou, Railroad, Harvey and Front
Street. Today, Front Street still follows the course of the railroad and bayou
and links several highways. It has essentially remained the same as the town
continues to expand around it. The old depot station, a major landmark, has
been renovated and now houses Times Bar and Grill. At the depot’s main
entrance, a monument displays eight flags that stand tall to remind citizens
and visitors of the city’s history that dates back to 1699.
Slidell’s role as a gateway to and from New Orleans and the Gulf coast has expanded greatly over the years. What began as a ferry landing and became a vital key to the building of a railroad is now the location of the intersection of three interstate highways. The city remains true to its heritage.
Anyone having photos or information for a forthcoming update of "Slidell" should contact Dan Ellis at 228-452-3138, email to Ask@DanEllis.Net, or 225 Fairway Dr, Pass Christian, MS 39571.
Copyright © 2002 L&M Publishing, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
