Charles Sallier

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Lake Charles, Louisiana was named for Charles Sallier, an early settler of the area.

Among the first to settle what is known today as Lake Charles were Mr. and Mrs. LeBleu. They arrived in Lake Charles in 1781 from Bordeaux, France, and settled approximately six miles east of present-day Lake Charles, Louisiana. Soon after, many immigrants began arriving in the area to settle. Among them was Charles Anselm Sallier.

Charles Sallier moved to Lake Charles and married the LeBleus' daughter, Catherine. Charles Sallier and his wife, Catherine, were among the first to settle near the lake. Together they had six children, and lived near the lake. As legend tells it, one day Charles Sallier discovered that Catherine was having an affair with Jean Laffite. In rage, he shot at his wife and assumed she was dead. In guilt and regret, Charles shot himself. However, Catherine had survived the shot by only a simple piece of jewelry – her brooch.

She continued her life raising the six children in Lake Charles. Soon after, Lake Charles residents began calling the area "Charlie's Lake," and by the late 1800s, the area where Charles Sallier once lived was called "Charleston," or "Charles Town." Eventually it became known as "Lake Charles."