Hayes, Louisiana

Hayes is located in the southeastern corner of Calcasieu Parish, on the west bank of Bayou Lacassine, which forms the boundary with Jefferson Davis Parish. Louisiana Highway 14 runs through the center of the community, leading west 3 miles (5 km) to Bell City and south then east 18 miles (29 km) to Lake Arthur. Lake Charles, the Calcasieu Parish seat, is 26 miles (42 km) to the northwest.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), of which 0.039 square miles (0.1 km²), or 1.52%, is water.[1]

In the beginning, Hayes was known as Dugas Pasture[2] or "La Savanne des Dugas", named for a cattle grazer from Andrus Cove who discovered this bountiful pasture land. Cattle could be kept here without supervision because the area was bounded on the east by the Lacassine Bayou, on the north and west by swampland, and on the south by marsh. In 1832 Thomas Hayes moved into Dugas Pasture and became the first while settler there. He married Mary Ann Foreman of Andrus Cove, and they settled near the Lacassine Bayou.

The next settler was William Holland, born in Tennessee in 1809. Holland, pioneer and father of nine children,[3] established a school in what was now becoming known as Hayes (for Thomas Hayes, the first settler). Using a team of oxen, he moved an old slave cabin onto his properly, and he hired his friend Tom Cannon as the teacher. The next settler in Dugas Pasture was a widow with seven sons and one daughter. In 1854, Mrs. Bazeline Derouen of New Iberia bought a piece of property from the U.S. government, near the Lorrain settlement. On her property, the first Methodist church was established in 1898. It was a simple, one-room structure with a small, foot-operated organ. The first pastor was the Rev. Robert P. Howell. Prior to that, as far back as 1835, Methodist circuit riders had come into the area on horseback and held meetings in the Hayes and Holland homes. In 1905, after the railroad came to Hayes and the population shifted, the Methodist congregation decided the location was out of the way, so Bill Cox loaded the church building on a logging wagon and moved it to its present site in Hayes.

Francois, Louis, and Eugene Lorrain[4] came from France and settled in the Hayes area in 1860, in what was known as the Lorrain Settlement. The Lorrain Settlement had a brick mill, sugar mill, grits mill and sawmill which operated before steam boilers and used two men with cross-saws to work the mill. Louis Lorrain built a school in the settlement about 1860 and hired a teacher from France named Pierre Lenoir. The school was kept open by Paul Lorrain, who hired Marcelne Goodeaux as a teacher. She boarded with the family. Other teachers were Glady Kinsey and Miss Dicarlo. Then the school was moved to Hayes; early teachers there were Helen Bienvieu, Veva Stribling (Thom), J.R. Logan, Irma Howarton and Misses Freeman, Landreneaux, and Roy. There was a post office at Lorrain around 1880, with mail brought up the bayou by schooner. Mrs. Aueline Lorrain was the postmistress.

Another family moved into the Hayes area in 1885: Ophelien Primeaux, grandfather of Eloi Primeaux. In 1875, the first Gibbs made his appearance. Mr. and Mrs. George Gibbs moved to Hayes from Lowry and opened a general store, with living quarters upstairs. Kinney Gibbs was manager of the Island Plantation near Hayes which was owned by the Rice Plantation and Canal Company.

Others settling in the area in the earliest days included families named Brown, Atkinson, Moore, Mitchell, Duhon, Verret, Lemelle, Andrus, and Trahan. They were followed, after the turn of the century, by Gossett, Morgan, Gravelle, Carmouche, Fruge, Kent and Walker. Groups of northern farmers were brought down by J.B. Watkins'[5] extensive advertising of the "Garden of Eden" in the Deep South.

This area remained isolated for many years. Midwives delivered most of the children. A Cherokee "medicine woman" used concoctions prepared from herbs and plants to treat everything from snake bites to toothaches. The first doctor, Leroy Lambert, did not come until 1916.

The Louisiana Western Railroad, through Lake Charles, Holmwood, Bell City, Hayes, and Lake Arthur, was completed in 1904. Overnight, Hayes became a thriving little community. Toliver Hayes, son of the original settler, sold the rights-of-way and a depot site to the Railroad Company and 40 acres (16 ha) of land to be used as a town site. Thus, the name of Hayes became permanent for the area. In March 1906, a new saw mill was established by Frank Dearborn and Jesse Thom called Hayes Cypress and Lumber Co. Less than two years later, J.M. Nugent of Alexandria purchased controlling interest.

A rice mill was built and a post office opened. In March 1911, Felix Hebert[6] became postmaster after the resignation of Hayes' first postmaster, Solomon Hayes. Jesse Leo Thom[7] was postmaster for 20 years until his death in 1948. Evelyn Hayes, niece of the first postmaster,[8] served through 1981.

A small school near the big "S" curve on the edge of Hayes was believed to have been established in 1895.

Residents of Hayes always stay aware of the possibility of evacuations during the official hurricane season from June 1 to November 30.

On average, the warmest month is July with an average high of 91 °F (33 °C). The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (41 °C) in 2000. On average, the coolest month is January with an average low of 41 °F (5 °C). The lowest recorded temperature was 11 °F (−12 °C) in 1951.

The maximum average precipitation occurs in May with average rainfall of 6.06 inches (15.4 cm), and the minimum average precipitation occurs in February with average rainfall of 3.27 inches (8.3 cm).[24]

The 2010 United States Census population was 780.[1]

2000 United States Census Demographic Profile Highlights:

2009 OASDI beneficiaries for Hayes, La - 70646[25] Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program.

In 2009 beneficiaries total was 150. The breakdown of this total is: Retired workers 70, Disabled workers 20, Widow(er)s 30, Spouses 15, Children 15

Monthly benefits are $141,000. The breakdown of this total is: Retired workers $73,000, Widow(er)s $28,000, Aged 65 or older $95,000

Hayes has a strong Cajun culture and retains a unique dialect of the Cajun-French language and numerous other cultural traits that distinguish them as an ethnic group.

The Cajun cuisine of the region is one of the most famous regional cuisines in the United States.

Crawfish - Cajun Cuisine

Voting Precinct: 262

As per state law, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury has the authority to appoint special districts, boards, commissions, etc. for the purpose of providing specific services for a designated area within the Parish. Each of these districts and boards governs its own activities and has its own budget.

Special districts[31] for Hayes:

Fire Protection District No. One of Ward Two (located on Galley Rd, Hayes), Gravity Drainage District No. Nine of Ward Two, and Community Center (Parks) / Recreation District No. Seven of Ward Two.

Elected officials

Justice of the Peace (Ward 2) and Constable (Ward 2)

K-12 attend Bell City High School, in Bell City, 3 miles (5 km) west of Hayes.

Wallace DeRouen[32] was born on May 3, 1929 in Hayes. DeRouen is a Cajun guitarist and has played with Phil Menard and Joe Bonsall. DeRouen hosted a radio show on KLCL for many years. DeRouen died on January 4, 1988. In 1990, the Lake Charles chapter of the Cajun French Music Association inducted DeRouen into its Hall of Fame.

Rufus Thibodeaux[33] started playing guitar at age six. By twelve he was also playing fiddle, and at thirteen he was playing regularly at dance jobs. In 1950, he started playing for Jimmy Newman and recorded his first single "Diggy Liggy Lo" in Nashville. In 1970, Rufus recorded with Newman the first song in Cajun French to become a gold record, "Lache Pas la Patate". He has written 12 songs including "Forever in Your Eyes" and "Tela's Waltz". He is the recipient of numerous awards such as induction into the Louisiana Hall of Fame, CFMA Hall of Fame, Fiddler of the Year, and the Award of Excellence in 1998. Rufus was born in Ridge on January 5, 1934, and later moved to Hayes. After 40 years in Nashville, Rufus returned to Louisiana and joined Rodney Miller and Cajun Born Band.

Poole's Boil N Go, 7710 Crochet Road – Warren Poole, owner. Serving boiled crawfish when in season. Beyond Louisiana crawfish are often called crayfish or crawdads. Crawfish are harvested locally between December and June, but March, April, and May are the peak months. Louisiana crawfish are usually boiled live in a large pot with heavy seasoning (salt, cayenne pepper, lemon, garlic, bay leaves, etc.) and other items such as potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, garlic, mushrooms.

• First Baptist Church, 7718 E Highway 14
• Faith Christian Fellowship, 7769 Georgia Avenue

• Hayes Cemetery;[34] oldest known grave-site: Thomas Hayes, 1809-1870
• Derouen Cemetery;[35] oldest known grave-site: Natalie Derouen, 08 Mar 1824 - 15 Mar 1868

• Hayes Library