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March 25, 1937 ~ June 24, 2022

KAPLAN — Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 2, 2022 at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan honoring the life of Arville Touchet, 85, who died Friday, June 24, 2022. He will be laid to rest at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cemetery with Reverend Mark Miley officiating the services. Serving as pallbearers will be Terry Mire, Mario Barreto, Cedric Babineaux, Steve Clostio, John Duhon and Matt Greene. Landon Folsom and Gus Babineaux will be honorary pallbearers.
At the age of eight Arville began working in the rice fields with his father, which was where his knowledge of soils began. Arville attended Kaplan High School. It was there under the teaching and leading of his agriculture teacher, Mr. Art Lazard Landry, that his formal soil education began. After graduating in 1955, he began college at SLI majoring in Agronomy, studying crops and soils. Upon graduating from SLI in 1959, he got a job at USDA Soil Conservation Service in Alexandria. He received his Master’s Degree in Agronomy which led him to become the Louisiana State Soil Scientist, earning several promotions allowing him to oversee 17 states. His expertise has been used in publishing maps of the parish soils for our state.
Arville’s ability to speak French opened the door for him to do work in the French speaking countries of Africa, through the University of Ghent in Belgium. In 1992, he retired from the USDA SCS and developed his own consulting business. He did some lecturing on soil at UL, and was an Adjunct Professor at LSU in Wetland Studies. He has also served as expert witness in trial cases regarding wetland issues. Arville was also very grateful for the mentor he had in Dr. Charles Cain, his college professor who continued to help him throughout his career.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Annie Grace Mire Touchet of Kaplan; his son, Timothy Arville Touchet and his wife, Joni of Harmony, FL; his daughter, Tina Carolyn Folsom of Abbeville; his grandson, Jeremy Daniel Folsom and his wife, Kecia of Maurice; his two great grandchildren, Landon Folsom and Avery Folsom; and his two sisters, Shirley Thibodeaux of Kaplan and Zula Perry of Alexandria.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Semar Touchet and the former Alix LeBlanc; one son-in-law, Larry W. Folsom; his sister, Marie Abshire; and his brother, Philip Touchet.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Ave., on Friday, July 1, 2022 from 2:00 PM until 9:00 PM with a rosary being prayed at 7:00 PM; Saturday, July 2, 2022 from 8:00 AM until the time of the services at 11:00 AM.arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Kaplan, (337) 643-7276 [Service Information 225-5276]. Condolences may be sent to the Touchet family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.

Questions turned into consternation when a mysterious stranger tried to buy every square inch of public land in Cameron Parish in 1883.
The news of the offer first appeared in the Lake Charles Commercial in May, in a report that “a gentleman from Cameron Parish … went to Baton Rouge [to buy] some State lands, and was informed … that an application had already been made [for] all of the State lands in that parish.”
The Cameron gentleman was so flummoxed that he “returned as he went, not even being able to ascertain who it was that made application for the lands.”
The Commercial’s editors complained that “a large proportion” of the land bought in this “land grab” had been “fraudulently entered at the rate of 12½ cents an acre as lands subject to tidal overflow.” The newspaper claimed the land was actually dry and worth 75 cents an acre, but that the sale was likely to stand because state law regulating it was “nothing but an encouragement to fraud and perjury.”
The buyer turned out to be Kansas banker Jabez B. Watkins, who saw things in the marsh mud that others had missed. Opinion changed after he explained his plans to the New Orleans Item. People decided he was a fool, not a fraud.
It turned out he was neither.
“He is quite a young man, but seems to be full of that calm determined energy which is certain to achieve success,” the Item reported. “He says he has heard so much of Louisiana swamps and marshes that curiosity impelled him to come and take a look at them, and the more he saw the higher his appreciation rose.”
He eventually bought up more than a million acres in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, paying 12½ cents for marshland but a little more for higher ground. The New Orleans States reported later that “knowing ones” said “nearly the entire parish of Cameron has been purchased … and that the name of the parish will shortly be changed from Cameron to Watkins.”
The southwest Louisiana wetlands had until then been regarded as useless for anything but grazing cattle, and not very useful for that. But Watkins assured the newspapers that “if leveled and drained … they will be … quite as productive as the finest alluvial lands in the State.”
He said he intended to begin a huge reclamation project, using “the finest machinery which can be obtained. … Large drains will be made, half a mile apart, levees will be constructed wherever necessary, and where the ground is sufficiently drained for cultivation steam gang-plows of the most approved pattern will be used to turn up the virgin soil and subject it to the mellowing influence of the sun and the atmosphere.”
Watkins said no land anywhere in Louisiana would be better suited for growing rice, oranges, sugarcane, and other crops. Reclamation would be “expensive and relatively slow,” he said. Land not suitable for crops would be “devoted as far as possible to grazing … [such] as the stock [that] will be placed thereon [and] the climate and conditions will bear.”
His plan for rice fields in the lowest parts of the marsh did not work out. Levees made by stacking marsh mud on top of marsh mud were too soggy and porous. But the rest of it turned out pretty well. The scheme was hugely successful on land where rice could be irrigated with fresh water. Watkins made a fortune.
It didn’t hurt anything that he was a peerless promoter. He bought a newspaper in New York to publicize his vision of a bountiful south Louisiana and later moved it to Lake Charles, where it became the forerunner to the American Press. He outfitted a railroad car with Louisiana products and his land company’s brochures and toured the Midwest. When yellow fever and malaria scares threatened to keep settlers away, Watkins organized the Telegraph Medicine Company to advertise and sell a patent medicine to take care of those and other diseases. He formed the Watkins Railroad to haul crops to market, built a mortgage banking conglomerate, and invested in other businesses drawn to south Louisiana by his success.
By the time he died in 1921 his business had grown into an empire with offices in Lake Charles. Dallas, New York, and London. His estate included seven corporations holding 200 smaller companies, more than 200 farms mostly in Kansas, and more than 100,000 acres of land in Texas and Louisiana.
Nobody described him then in anything but glowing terms. The foolish speculator was lauded as one of the greatest developers ever in south Louisiana.
You can contact Jim Bradshaw at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

When striving to accomplish a goal, it’s easy to conjure up a long list of excuses as to why you can’t reach your objective. It is amazing how many excuses can be found in a short time. Although you may have dozens of excuses for failure, you only need one reason to succeed. Let’s look at some excuses and how to counter them.
Excuse: I’m too old. You are never going to be as young as you are today. So, you may as well get started now. People of senior ages have finished a degree, started a new career, and made major changes to their life. Take action today so you don’t regret not doing so tomorrow.
Excuse: I don’t have enough talent. Everyone has strengths which should be fully utilized. Any weaknesses you have can be overcome through education, experience, and practice. There are people who possess the talents you need. They can be your partner or you can pay for the services of those with the necessary talent as needed.
Excuse: I don’t know enough. You can either learn what you need or hire people who do have the knowledge you desire. There are more opportunities for learning today than at any time in history. Education is a lifelong endeavor. You can always be expanding your knowledge.
Excuse: I come from a poor background. History is replete with examples of highly successful people who started with nothing. Your desired destination is what matters. Your starting point is irrelevant.
Excuse: I don’t have enough time. Everyone has the same amount of time each day. It’s up to you how to use it. You are productive when you are actively working towards a goal. You are active when you are busy with nothing to show for you efforts. The more productive you are, the more you will accomplish.
Excuse: I know I can’t do it. If you believe you can’t, you are right. Conversely, if you believe you can, you are also right. Your attitude determines your success. Your brain believes what you tell it, so program your brain for success. Successful people believe in themselves and their ability.
Excuse: I’m not a lucky person. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. The harder you work, the greater the luck you’ll have. Don’t wait for opportunity, go find it. If you can’t find the opportunity you want, go create it.
Excuse: I’m not that motivated. Find goals which excite you. The world is full of opportunity. Start by looking for whatever motivates you. Remember that everything you do for fun and enjoyment, someone is making a living doing.
Excuse: I’m not ready. What are you waiting for? Procrastination is a dream killer. You can start today doing something. Begin with research and planning. Explore options. Learn about how others have pursued similar goals. Every journey begins by taking the first step.
Excuse: I don’t want to fail. Failure only occurs when you don’t start or give up. An undertaking which doesn’t work as anticipated is a learning experience. Success usually requires several attempts before a desired objective is reached. The only way to avoid failure is to keep going.
Excuse: People will laugh at me. Every invention and discovery was achieved by an individual who ignored the naysayers. Your success is not dependent on what others say, think, or do. What matters is what you say, think, and do.
If you truly want to succeed, formulate just one reason for success. Eliminate all excuses for failure. Harness your drive, determination, and persistence. Never give up. Problems can be solved and obstacles overcome.

The Carson Scholar Fund recognizes students who excel both academically and in humanitarian accomplishments. 547 new students from across the country were named as 2022 Carson Scholars this year. In May, these remarkable scholars and their families were recognized at exclusive film premieres across the country. “Carson Scholars: Heroes Among Us,” featured live shots of scholars demonstrating how they are using their gifts and talents to make the world a better place. Touchet attended the premiere and award night in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was presented his medal and certificate from Dr. & Mrs. Carson. The Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. was founded in 1994 and has awarded more than 10,000 scholarships since it’s inception.
Nathan is the first Erath High School student to receive this distinguished award and he is one of only 2 students from the state of Louisiana to receive this honor this year. Nathan will be a Senior in the fall at Erath High School where he has maintained a 4.0 GPA. He is the Senior Class President, E-Board Parliamentarian, a member of the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council, and a 3-sport athlete. He is the son of Theresa & Michael Touchet.