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Lake Charles, Louisiana was named for Charles Sallier, an early settler of the area. Martin and Dela LeBleu were among the first to settle near Lake Charles, in the area called LeBleu Settlement. They arrived in Lake Charles in 1781 from Bordeaux, France, and settled approximately six miles east of present-day Lake Charles, Louisiana.
- History of The Sallier Oak
- A Gunshot and The Amethyst Broach
- Lightning Strike
- A Symbol of Survival
- Getting There
Southwestern Louisiana was mostly flat prairie with few trees when the first European settlers arrived in the late 1700’s. But one tree, a live oak, may have caught the eye of Frenchman Charles Sallier. “He fought on the wrong side of the French Revolution and had to make a speedy escape from Europe,” Adley Cormier tells me. Cormier is a Lake Charl...
The wildest tale involves a jealous encounter between Charles Sallier and Lafitte. Sallier returns from a hunting trip and sees his new bride Catherine standing under the oak tree. “He sees what he thinks is a passionate embrace by Jean Lafitte,” Cormier says. “He aims his gun at the couple and shoots and Catherine falls down seemingly dead.” But a...
The old oak tree has withstood some of the strongest hurricane winds to ever pound coastal Louisiana. The winds stripped much of the foliage from the oak’s branches. And years earlier, a lightning strike nearly split the tree in half. A large rusted chain hangs from the tree trunk. “The Salliers tried to wench it back together to bring it back to l...
This old lonely tree on the prairie has proven that it is a true survivor. And that means something to the community of Lake Charles as residents continue their struggle to recover from the devastation of recent hurricanes. Cormier tells me, “Despite the ups and downs of the economy, the weather change, whatever it is, this tree has been a symbol o...
The giant oak tree is located on the grounds of the Imperial Calcasieu Museum. The address is 204 W. Sallier Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601. Phone: (337) 439-3797.
Aug 17, 2023 · Charles Sallier, was the son of Michel Sallier and Jeanne Monmayeux, but no record has been found of his birth, and was probably born in France perhaps about 1776. He seems to have used the name Anselm Sallier and Charles Savoyard, his descendants use Charles Anselm Sallier.
- Male
- March 22, 1763
Apr 2, 2024 · Sallier, the Survivor. Derived from the Latin term robustus, meaning “strong as oak,” the word ‘robust’ aptly describes the venerable Southern live oak. Few things—man-made or otherwise—endure the tests of nature and time as do these icons of the Southern landscape. “Robust” certainly describes the Sallier Oak, Lake Charles’s ...
Catherine LeBleu married Charles Sallier in 1805. Sallier was a political exile until Barthelemy LeBleu and Jean Lafitte brought him to settle in Louisiana in 1781. Sallier remained in Opelousas, Louisiana until 1797 and then travelled westward until he reached the Arsene LeBleu home, east of the lake that now bears his name.
Aug 8, 2014 · Catherine LeBleu married Charles Sallier in 1805. Sallier was a political exile until Bartheleme LeBleu and Jean Lafitte brought him to settle in Louisiana in 1781. Sallier remained in Opelousas, La., until 1797, then travelled westward until he reached the Arsene LeBleu home, east of the lake that now bears Sallier’s name.
Catherine LeBleu Sallier lived until 1860. So, fact blended with legend about pioneer settler Charles Sallier add color and romance to Lake Charles' history. PD:11/14/92 ∼ Salier, Anselme married Angelique Fontenot ( Henry and Marie Louise Doucet.) 31 January 1792 ( St. Landry Catholic Church Opelousas, Louisiana Vol. 1 Pg. 37)
