Zwolle, Louisiana
Encyclopedia
Zwolle is a town in Sabine Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. The population was 1,783 at the 2000 census.
arrived.
The first English
-speaking settlers arrived in Sabine Parish in 1824, via Natchitoches
. These pioneers came chiefly from Mississippi
, Alabama
, Georgia
, and the Carolinas. In 1871, many more of these settlers moved in and acquired land under the homestead act.
Arthur Stilwell built the Kansas City Southern Railroad from Kansas City
to Port Arthur
, Texas
. He had reached Van Buren
, Arkansas
in 1893 when he ran out of funds. Stilwell went to Zwolle
, The Netherlands
and met with a rich coffee merchant Jan De Goeijen. De Goeijen was impressed with St. Joseph Catholic church, a product of the early Spanish missionaries
which stood overlooking the town. De Goeijen sold a $3,000,000 stock issue for Stilwell's railroad and he was permitted to name the place after his hometown and birthplace of Zwolle
, a riverside city of currently over 115,000 population in the Netherlands. The charter for the town of Zwolle was granted June 12, 1898.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (11.99%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,783 people, 630 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The population density
was 552.6 people per square mile (213.1/km²). There were 725 housing units at an average density of 224.7 per square mile (86.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 6.37% White, 47.17% African American, 16.38% Native American, 1.07% from other races
, and 2.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.17% of the population.
There were 630 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples
living together, 27.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the town the population was spread out with 35.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $15,843, and the median income for a family was $17,326. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $14,922 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $9,042. About 37.7% of families and 40.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.8% of those under age 18 and 35.9% of those age 65 or over.
. The town of Zwolle is zoned to Zwolle Elementary School (Grades PK-6) and Zwolle High School http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/SPSBschools/zwhs.htm (Grades 7-12). Zwolle High School is well known in the area for its basketball
team, which from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s secured seven consecutive state championships.
The festival was originally held on the campus of Zwolle High School until the establishment of and relocation to the town's new festival grounds.
The fiesta takes its name from the tamale
and alludes to the town's local notoriety for a spicier version of the Mississippi Delta
style boiled tamale.
industry - the center of the town's local economy. Each year, while a queen is decided via a pageant
, the oldest living logger residing in the town is named king.
Like the fiesta, the Loggers and Forestry festival is held on the town's festival grounds.
Sabine Parish, Louisiana
Sabine Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Many. In 2010, the parish's population was 24,233....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,783 at the 2000 census.
History
The first inhabitants of the bowl shaped area of land upon which the town of Zwolle is situated were the Mound Builders. Lured here for protection from storms, the "bowl" offered them protection. Prehistoric people built the dome-shaped mounds that line the banks of Bayou Scie and Bayou San Miguel, which form a hollow circle around the townsite. Like all other Mound Builders, they are believed to be ancestors of North American Indians found occupying the territory when the EuropeansEuropean ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
arrived.
The first English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking settlers arrived in Sabine Parish in 1824, via Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. These pioneers came chiefly from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and the Carolinas. In 1871, many more of these settlers moved in and acquired land under the homestead act.
Arthur Stilwell built the Kansas City Southern Railroad from Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
to Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He had reached Van Buren
Van Buren, Arkansas
Van Buren is the second largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County, Arkansas, United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40 - Interstate 540 junction...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in 1893 when he ran out of funds. Stilwell went to Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and met with a rich coffee merchant Jan De Goeijen. De Goeijen was impressed with St. Joseph Catholic church, a product of the early Spanish missionaries
Los Adaes
Los Adaes was the capital of Tejas on the northeastern frontier of New Spain from 1729 to 1770. It included a mission, San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes, and a presidio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes . The site is located in the present-day Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. The Los Adaes...
which stood overlooking the town. De Goeijen sold a $3,000,000 stock issue for Stilwell's railroad and he was permitted to name the place after his hometown and birthplace of Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, a riverside city of currently over 115,000 population in the Netherlands. The charter for the town of Zwolle was granted June 12, 1898.
Geography
Zwolle is located at 31°38′6"N 93°38′33"W (31.635134, -93.642560).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.5 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (11.99%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,783 people, 630 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 552.6 people per square mile (213.1/km²). There were 725 housing units at an average density of 224.7 per square mile (86.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 6.37% White, 47.17% African American, 16.38% Native American, 1.07% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.17% of the population.
There were 630 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 27.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.36.
In the town the population was spread out with 35.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $15,843, and the median income for a family was $17,326. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $14,922 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $9,042. About 37.7% of families and 40.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.8% of those under age 18 and 35.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools in Sabine Parish are operated by the Sabine Parish School BoardSabine Parish School Board
The Sabine Parish School Board is an entity responsible for the operation of public schools in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is headquartered in the town of Many.-Schools:*Grades 9-12**Many High School...
. The town of Zwolle is zoned to Zwolle Elementary School (Grades PK-6) and Zwolle High School http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/SPSBschools/zwhs.htm (Grades 7-12). Zwolle High School is well known in the area for its basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, which from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s secured seven consecutive state championships.
Zwolle Tamale Fiesta
The Zwolle Tamale Fiesta is the town's signature festival. Originating in the late 1970s, the fiesta celebrates the Hispanic heritage rooted in the town's origins. Attractions include cultural exhibitions, a parade, a ball and a small scale carnival among others.The festival was originally held on the campus of Zwolle High School until the establishment of and relocation to the town's new festival grounds.
The fiesta takes its name from the tamale
Tamale
A tamale — or more correctly tamal — is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa , which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating...
and alludes to the town's local notoriety for a spicier version of the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
style boiled tamale.
Loggers and Forestry Festival
Smaller in scale to the fiesta, the Loggers and Forestry festival is a celebration of the local horticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
industry - the center of the town's local economy. Each year, while a queen is decided via a pageant
Pageant
A medieval pageant is a form of procession traditionally associated with both secular and religious rituals, often with a narrative structure. Pageantry was an important aspect of medieval European seasonal festivals, in particular around the celebration of Corpus Christi, which began after the...
, the oldest living logger residing in the town is named king.
Like the fiesta, the Loggers and Forestry festival is held on the town's festival grounds.
Notable people
- William J. "Bill" Dodd graduated from Zwolle High School.
- D. L. Dykes, Jr.D. L. Dykes, Jr.David Leroy "D.L." Dykes, Jr. , was the senior pastor from 1955-1984 of the large First United Methodist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana...
, pastor of the First United Methodist Church in ShreveportShreveport, LouisianaShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, began his ministerial career at the denominational church in Zwolle.