Bogalusa, Louisiana

Bogalusa is a small city in Washington Parish, Louisiana. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa Combined Statistical Area. The name of the city derives from the Choctaw words bogue lusa, which translates to "dark water" in English.

History


In 1908, the Great Southern Lumber Company (1908–38) sawmill began operation, and the Goodyear (Frank Henry Goodyear and Charles W. Goodyear) interests of New York built the city of Bogalusa to house workers for the sawmill. William H. Sullivan, the sawmill manager for the Goodyears, was town boss when the city was built (1906–1907) and then mayor until he died on June 26, 1929. The city, designed by New Orleans architect Rathbone DeBuys and built from nothing in less than a year, with several hotels, a YMCA and YWCA, churches of all faiths, and houses for the workers and supervisors, was called the Magic City due to its rapid construction. Bogalusa was incorporated as a city on July 4, 1914. At its peak in 1960, the city had over 21,000 residents.

The Great Southern Lumber Company's sprawling sawmill produced up to 1,000,000 board feet (2400 m3) of lumber a day. The sawmill closed in 1938, and was replaced as the city's main industry by a paper mill and a chemical plant run by Gaylord Container Corporation. The Crown Zellerbach Corporation acquired Gaylord's operations in 1955. An attempt to keep the sawmill open with California redwood proved too costly, and the mill was closed. Crown Zellerbach was the target of a hostile takeover in 1985, and the succeeding company for its container division was a new Gaylord Container Corporation, which operated for 16 years until acquired by Temple-Inland in 2002.

In the mid-1960s, Bogalusa was a center of activity for the Deacons for Defense and Justice.

In 1995 a railroad tank car imploded at Gaylord Chemical Corporation, releasing nitrogen tetroxide and forcing the evacuation of about 3,000 people within a one-mile (1.6 km) radius. Residents say "the sky turned orange" as a result. Emergency rooms filled with about 4,000 people who complained of burning eyes, skin, and lungs. Dozens of lawsuits were filed against Gaylord Chemical and were finally settled in May 2005, with compensation checks issued to around 20,000 people involved in the accident.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the city with winds of about 110 mi/h, downing numerous trees and power lines. Many buildings in Bogalusa received damage from falling trees, and several were destroyed. Most of the houses, businesses, and other buildings suffered roof damage from the storm's ferocious winds. Some outlying areas of the city were without power for over a month.

Geography
Bogalusa has an elevation of 100 ft.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.5 sqmi, of which, 9.5 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.52%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,365 people, 5,431 households, and 3,497 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,407.6 people per square mile (543.8/km²). There were 6,300 housing units at an average density of 663.5 per square mile (256.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.18% White, 41.21% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 5,431 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,261, and the median income for a family was $24,947. Males had a median income of $26,716 versus $17,992 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,476. About 26.1% of families and 32.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.1% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Bogalusa was founded by the Goodyears of Buffalo, New York, who chartered the Great Southern Lumber Company in 1902. The sawmill was, for many years, the largest in the world, and the company was famous for its reforestation program. In 1938, the Goodyear families had ended their lumber operations at the Great Southern Lumber Company and sold the paper mill operations. The mill was owned by Crown Zellerbach until 1986 and its brown paper successor Gaylord Container Corporation until 2002, when Gaylord was acquired by Temple-Inland Corporation, the area's largest employer. As of 2012, the paper mill was owned by International Paper, which acquired Temple-Inland.

Bogalusa's economy revolves around the lumber and paper mills, as well as agriculture.

Government
Bogalusa is home to the 205th Engineer Battalion of the Louisiana Army National Guard. This unit is part of the 225th Engineer Brigade which is headquartered in Pineville, Louisiana at Camp Beauregard.

Education
Bogalusa operates its own public school system, Bogalusa City Schools. Northshore Technical Community College is located in Bogalusa. It was the first trade school established in the State of Louisiana in 1930 and is now a fully accredited community college.

Notable residents

 * Kenderick Allen, former NFL defensive lineman
 * Ernest Angelo, Texas oilman and Republican politician; reared partly in Bogalusa
 * Perry Brooks (1954–2010), football defensive tackle, Washington Redskins (1977–1984), Super Bowl XVII Champion
 * Jacob Brumfield (born May 27, 1965 in Bogalusa), former professional baseball player who played outfield in the Major Leagues from 1992-1999
 * Al Clark, NFL player
 * Tom Colten, later the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development; business manager of the thrice-weekly Bogalusa Daily News from 1948 until his relocation in 1955 to Minden in Webster Parish, where he served two terms as mayor
 * James Crutchfield (1912–2001), barrelhouse blues piano player; raised in Bogalusa
 * Theodore "Ted" Jones, Louisiana lawyer, lobbyist, and political appointee from Baton Rouge; maintains voter registration in Bogalusa
 * Yusef Komunyakaa (born April 29, 1947 in Bogalusa), winner of the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; born James Willie Brown Jr.
 * Skip Manning (1934-), 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year
 * John McGeever, former NFL cornerback
 * Beth Mizell (born in 1952 in Bogalusa), state senator for Washington Parish
 * Ben Nevers, state senator from Washington, St. Helena, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa parishes, 2004-2016
 * Henry "Tank" Powell, represented Tangipahoa Parish in the state legislature 1996-2008; member of the Louisiana Board of Pardons
 * Professor Longhair (1918-1980), funky pianist who inspired artists such as Dr. John; several of his songs are Mardi Gras anthems
 * Snoozer Quinn (1907–1949), pioneer of jazz guitar; raised in Bogalusa
 * Jared Y. Sanders, Sr., former governor
 * Jared Y. Sanders, Jr., former U.S. representative and state legislator, practiced law in Bogalusa early in the 20th century
 * Curt Siegelin (1907-1982), four-term Mayor of Bogalusa, 1946–56, 1966–70; Louisiana 'Mayor of the Year' 1956; Executive Director, Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry, 1956–60; Louisiana Co-chairman for the U.S. Presidential Election of the Kennedy-Johnson Democratic presidential ticket, 1960
 * Charlie Spikes, the "Bogalusa Bomber"; Major League Baseball player 1972-1980 for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and Atlanta Braves
 * Jerry Thomas, physician in Franklinton, represented Washington Parish in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature, 1992-2004
 * Tom Thornhill, Slidell attorney and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996–2000; raised in Bogalusa and graduated from Bogalusa High School
 * Malinda Brumfield White (born 1967), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bogalusa, effective January 2016
 * Dub Williams, New Mexico legislator