A walk back in Crowley history taken by Rotary

By Shantelle Breaux

NEWS EDITOR

CROWLEY – Guest speaker Ann Mire took the Crowley Rotary Club back in time during Tuesday’s meeting.

Mire brought and screened an old black and white film made on the occasion of the 1915 Acadia Parish Fair. The copy of the film was given to the Acadia Parish library in 1969, and shows Crowley when it was a bustling metropolis of 6,000 people.

In the beginning of the film, the camera is panning down Parkerson Ave, and while there are lot of automobiles on the street, there are also a few horse-drawn carriages still in use. The impression is given of a busy city, with crowds gathered for the fair.

The filmmakers made the round of Crowley, capturing on film old depots in the city including the Fresco, T.P. and Southern Pacific Depots, the old Post Office, which stood from 1914 through 1967, and the old fire station. The footage of the fire station featured the old fire engine pulled by horses.

Crowley industries such as Acadia Iron Works, an old stable, and the Rice Irrigating Pump Plant.

Mire also screened a footage taken during the 1940 flood, during which 30 inches of rain fell. About 8ft of water deluged Crowley, and the footage, taken from a boat, shows most of Crowley underwater. According to Mire, 80 percent of the houses in Crowley had water in them.