Sandoz, Joel H. and Spencer, William H. Opelousas courier.
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05959.15 Author/Creator: Sandoz, Joel H. and Spencer, William H. Place Written: Opelousas, Louisiana Type: Newspaper Date: 1862, 1864, 1865 Pagination: 7 issues Order a Copy
The paper was edited by Joel H. Sandoz and William H. Spencer during the first year of this run; by 1864, Sandoz had become chief editor. Sandoz had previously edited the Opelousas Gazette, the town's first paper. Each issue includes war communications and updates and instructions for specific troops. Ads cover war benefits, retail and legal notices, and employment needs and openings.
Vol. 10 no. 14; vol. 11 nos. 42-43; vol. 12 nos. 23, 30, 36 and 43.
(1862/3/8, 1864/1/23, 1864/1/30, 1864/11/5, 1864/12/24, 1865/2/4, 1865/3/25) 1861 issue is 4 pages; rest are 2 pages. After 1862, the issues shrink to 42 x 26.5 cm. Many printed on necessity paper. The newspapers are not strictly bilingual, and many articles in the French are not printed in the English.
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Named for a Native American tribe, Opelousas, Louisiana, was settled by French fur traders early in the eighteenth century, the third oldest city in the state. During the Civil War Opelousas briefly served as the Louisiana state capital in 1862. While only two battles occurred here, Federal occupation of the city in late 1863 resulted in several bloody riots through the war and Reconstruction.
André Meynier founded the Opelousas Courier in 1827, and it ran through 1910, suspended 30 April - 30 July 1870 and 11 January - 8 February 1873. This weekly newspaper was printed both in French and English on the reverse, often on "necessity" paper or wallpaper, as newsprint was scarce.
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