Aspects of Self-Sufficiency in the Nineteenth Century Louisiana Diet

Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1989 From Forest, Stream, and Sea: Aspects of Self- Sufficiency in the Nineteenth Century Louisiana Diet. (Volumes I and II). James Patrick Whelan Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Whelan, James Patrick Jr, "From Forest, Stream, and Sea: Aspects of Self-Sufficiency in the Nineteenth Century Louisiana Diet. (Volumes I and II)." (1989). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 4892. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/4892 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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(Volumes I and II) Whelan, James Patrick, Jr., Ph.D. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical Col., 1989 Copyright ©1990 by Whelan, James Patrick, Jr. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 FROM FOREST, STREAM, AND SEA: ASPECTS OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY LOUISIANA DIET Volume I A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty o-f the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by James Patrick Whelan, Jr. B.A. San Francisco State University 1964 M.A. San Francisco State University 1970 December 19B9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In acknowledging the debts of gratitude for inspiration and assistance that aided the effort put into preparing and writing a dissertation, it is sometimes difficult to know where to begin. My interest in man’s use of non-domestic animals derives from my master’s thesis and course work at San Francisco State University and the tutelage of my major professor, the late Dr. Adan E. Treganza. Inspriration for the topic of this dissertation came from the works of my current major professor and committee chairman, Dr. Sam B. Hilliard, to whom I also owe thanks for his guidance, criticism, and the use of his office and library. Thanks are due also to the other members of my committee, past and present, the late Dr. Milton B. Newton, Dr. Robert A. Muller, Dr. Nigel J. R. Allan, Dr. Charles E. Orser, Dr. William V. Davidson, my minor field professor, Dr. Mark K. Johnson, and my outside examiner, Dr. Margaret T. Younathan of the School of Human Ecology. The archival work required by my topic was greatly facilitated by the aid of the staff of the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Collections, LSU Libraries, for which I am sincerely grateful. The staff of the Interlibrary Loan Department of the Lether E. Frazar Memorial Library, McNeese State University was extremely helpful in obtaining materials otherwise not available. A ii debt of thanks is also owed to several individuals who helped in the identification of the correct common and specific names of several species of birds. They include Dr. Gary Gaston, Dr. Roger Nasci, and Dr. Dave Parker of the Department of Biology; Dr. Shane Premeaux of the School of Business; Dr. Robert Rumsey, Wildlife Management professor, all of McNeese State University, and Dr. J. V. Remsen, Curator of Birds, The Museum of Natural Science, LSU. A debt of thanks is also owed to Whitney Autin of the Louisiana Geological Survey for allowing me to use the material on the quaternary geology of the Lower Mississippi Valley. I would also like to thank all those friends who encouraged and nagged me along the way. A last, but by no means least, debt of thanks is owed to Dr. Fred B. Kniffen whose advice, "Just write it!" kept me going when I might have been stymied looking for the right word or phrase. TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume I Acknowledgments ii Table of Contents iv t List of Tables vi List of Figures vii Abstract viii Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Statement of Problem 1 Organization and Methodology 6 Chapter 2. Physical Setting 15 Climate 17 Geomorphology 23 Soils 40 Vegetation 54 Ecological Divisions 66 Chapter 3. Southern Foodstuffs Self-sufficiency 75 Antebellum Period 79 Postwar Period 97 Chapter 4. Louisiana: As It Mas 111 Antebellum Period 111 Postwar Period 117 Chapter 5. Hunting and Fishing Traditions 127 Frontier Settlers 133 Planters 137 Plain Folk 141 Herdsmen/Hunters 143 Squatters/Poor Whites 145 Blacks/Slaves 148 Townfolk 153 i v Chapter 6. The Effects of Human Activity on Game and Fish 158 Changing Game Conditions 161 Relative Importance of Game Species 176 Chapter 7. Species distribution and Abundance 183 Mammals 185 Birds 195 Saltwater Fish 228 Freshwater Fish 231 Reptiles and Amphibians 236 Crustaceans 239 Volume II Chapter 8. Hunting and Fishing in Louisiana 242 Northwest Louisiana Uplands 244 Upper Mississippi...Bottomlands 249 Southwest Louisiana Terrace Lands 267 Lower Mississippi...Bottomlands 272 Southwest Louisiana Prairie Lands 297 Coastal Marshes 300 Southeast Louisiana Terrace Lands 305 Chapter 9. Potential Contributions of Wild Game and Fishery Resources to the Nineteenth Century Diet 312 Harvest Rates 314 Edible Meat Portions 315 Forest Game 320 Farm Game 347 Other Game Birds 367 Furbearers 369 Waterfowl 371 The Rest of the Storys 376 Chapter 10. Conclusion 383 References. 389 Appendix 1. Wild Game and Fishery Resources Taken 414 Appendix 2. Distributions of Wild Game and Fishery Resources and Ecological Divisions in Which Taken 418 Vita. 426 v LIST OF TABLES 1. The South as Defined in Various Sources. 79 2. Potential Pork Prodiction, Consumption, and Residuals. 113 3. Estimated Hunting Activity by 5pecies, 1984—85. 130 4. Species list for Ecological Division 1. 249 5. Species List far Ecological Division 2. 266 6. Species List for Ecological Division 3. 271 7. Species List for Ecological Division 4. 296 8. Species List for Ecological Division 5. 300 9. Species List for Ecological Division 6. 304 10. Species List for Ecological Division 7. 311 11. Distribution of Virgin Deer Range, in acres. 322 12. Potential Heat Contribution of White-tailed Deer, in tons. 326 13. Distribution of Virgin Turkey Range, in acres. 330 14. Potential Meat Contribution of Wild Turkeys, in tons. 332 15. Distribution of Virgin Squirrel Range, in acres. 339 16. Potential Squirrel Meat Contribution, in tons. 340 17. Distribution of Virgin Quail Range, in acres. 353 18. Potential Meat Contribution of Quail, in tons. 353 19. Distribution of Virgin Rabbit Range, in acres. 365 20. Potential Meat Contribution of Rabbits, in tons. 365 21. Other Game birds Live and Edible Meat Weights... 368 22. Potential Meat Contributions of Other Game Birds, in tons. 368 23. Waterfowl Average Live and Edible Meat Weights, in tons. 375 24. Crustacean Harvest Fsgures for 1880. 377 25. Potential Meat Contributions of Crustaceans, in tons. 378 26. Combined Potential Meat Contributions, in tons. 381 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1. Map o-f Study Area: Louisiana. 16 2. Physiographic Divisions of Louisiana. 26 3. Sequence of Holocene Meander Belts and Subdeltas of the Mississippi River. 38 4. Chronologies for Delta and Chenier Plain Development. 41 5. General Soil Regions. 44 6. Natural Vegetation. 56 7. Ecological Divisions. 69 8. Relative Abundance of Some Game Species, 1700-1950. 163 9. Waterfowl Range of Louisiana. 197 10. Ecological Divisions. 243 11. The Big Thicket of East Texas. 268 12. Natural Regions of Texas. 269 13. Distribution of Squirrel Races in Louisiana. 335 14. Ecological Division Map (Appendix 2). 425 vii ABSTRACT Studies of foodstuff self-sufficiency in the antebellum South have shown that during the middle thir.d of the nineteenth century, as represented by the census years 1840, 1850 and I860, certain regions of Louisiana suffered from meat production deficits. It has been assumed by most interested scholars that these deficits were overcome by importing pork and beef from the midwest or Upper South. Other possible sources of meat supplements that have not been generally considered are the wild game and fishery resources of the state. Hunting and fishing have long traditions as important activities in the South in general and in Louisiana as both subsistence and social activities.

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