About DeQuincy
The City Of
DeQuincy
We are excited about using this site to communicate online with our citizens, businesses, and visitors. We are certain you will enjoy DeQuincy whether as a ‘virtual visitor’, tourist, resident, or business person. DeQuincy is in the northern part of Calcasieu Parish (County) and is a place where you can escape the hustle and bustle of big city life and enjoy the pleasures of living in a community where you will always find a warm welcome and old fashioned hospitality.
We are very proud of our friendly, small town atmosphere and continue to preserve our unique cultural and historic heritage while cultivating a dynamic economic environment. We know you will find the quality of life here exactly what you’re looking for. Recreational opportunities abound that include parks, skating rink, skate, and BMX bike park, museum and tennis courts. Educational opportunities are excellent. Our students rank among the top of the state in several aptitude tests.
We have excellent medical facilities, shopping centers, and restaurants, which offer many different types of cuisines.
We invite you to visit our remarkable City and its surroundings and encourage you to learn about the many possibilities that DeQuincy has to offer.
The History Behind
DeQuincy
DeQuincy, Louisiana in the extreme northern part of Calcasieu Parish is a six-mile square block which projects into Beauregard Parish and is surrounded on all sides by pine and hardwood forests. Thomas and Bertrand Beers bought several thousand acres from the U.S. government in May of 1885. The acquisition included the future site of DeQuincy.
A deed dated May 21, 1892, shows that the original purchasers conveyed 9749.28 acres to the Calcasieu, Vernon, and Shreveport Railway. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Missouri, Arthur E. Stillwell dreamed of building a railway from Kansas City to the Gulf of Mexico. Financed mainly by European investors, the Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Guld Railway crept southward in the 1890’s laying out towns as it went. The original townsite of DeQuincy was laid out about 1896 or 1897 when the main line of the K.C. P. and G. reached the site. Inconclusive evidence suggests that the site was named to honor a Dutch investor. The first train bound for Lake Charles left Kansas City at 3:00 P.M. on June 20, 1897 and reached Lake Charles via DeQuincy on June 28, 1897.
Meeting the minimum population requirement of 250 people, Governor William Wright Head issued a proclamation recognizing DeQuincy as an incorporated village on May 14, 1903. Ten years later on June 13, 1913, Governor Luther Egbert Hall declared the village to be a town with a population of 1604 inhabitants. Finally, on January 14, 1947, Governor Jimmie Davis declared the town of DeQuincy to be recognized as a city with a population of 5257. In addition to the prominent role of the railroad, the turpentine industry also played a large role in DeQuincy’s early history. Mr. W.B. Logan came to the area about 1921 to explore the possibility of converting thousands of acres of pine stumps remaining from the great logging boom into turpentine, rosin, and pine oil.
The Acme Products Company was formed and the plant remained in operation until 1957 when the supply of stumps was exhausted. About the same time, the Missouri Pacific Railroad also closed its local shops for the maintenance and repair of steam engines. Many felt that the loss of these industries marked DeQuincy’sdemise, but the city still remains a vibrant community blessed with good resources, good people, and good government.
