I am looking for historical information on the Iberia & Vermilion Railroad which operated between Abbeville and what appears to be either Vermilion, Louisiana or a junction known as Iberia and Vermilion Junction. I know that the railroad was formed in late 1891, early 1892 and eventually became a part of the T&NO in the 1930's. I found a reference somewhere in my research that seems to indicate that the T&NO leased the railroad for a certain time starting in 1927. However, any information about the railroad between 1892 and 1927 has eluded me thus far. What I am specifically interested in is a possible connection with the Vermilion Transportation company who owned a paddle wheeler named the H.A. Harvey Jr. This was the first full size steamboat to reach Dallas, Texas in the 1890s. The disposition of the boat was not very well known apparently, other than the fact that the boat was sold to a company in Louisiana in 1898. My research discovered a boat of the same name operating for the Vermilion Transportation Company out of Abbeville in 1903, and the source seems to indicate that the Vermilion Transporation Company and the Iberia & Vermilion Railroad may have been parts of the same company. If this is the case, I'm curious to find out how long the boat was retained by the company before being sold, scrapped or sunk. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike Sullivan

Mike,

Since your question includes a steamboat, try co-listing your post over at http://www.steamboats.org One of the regulars over there may be able to help trace the boat and its link to the railroad.

Good luck!

Wesley

Hi Mike;

I am almost certain the Vermilion in the Iberia and Vermilion Railroad name refers to Vermilionville. That was the old name of Lafayette, Louisiana; it was changed to Lafayette in 1884 in honor of the American Revolution hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, the Frenchman who served the republic in the Revolutionary War. If you look on a map; Abbeville is a reasonable distance from Lafayette and there used to be several sugar mills in the area; Lafayette later had a station, frieght house, and railroad yard on the T&NO Sunset Limited line to New Orleans. So, having a connection to the line going to Abbeville makes sense; I grew up in Lafayette; but can't recall off-hand any railroad tracks from Lafayette to Abbevillle.

The Vermilion River runs through Lafayette. While it was navigable as far north as Lafayette; I have not heard of any references to riverboat traffic on the Vermilion. So, I think it has no relation to the steamboat in question. If the railroad did connect to a riverboat on the Vermilion River; it is an aspect of local history I have never heard of before.

BTW, did you used to be a contractor at Southwest Airlines?

Unfortunately there are a number of Mike Sullivans that exist in the world. I have never worked for Southwest Airlines in any capacity. So in this case "I am not the man you seek". HAHA

Thanks for the info. As far as boat traffic is concerned, the information that shows a boat operating out of Abbeville came from the 1903 annual report of the Louisiana Railroad Commission. The information given for the Vermilion Transportation Company shows that there were two boats owned, one being the 52 ton H.A. Harvey Jr, and the other being the 14 ton "Why Not"(this is a very interesting name for a boat and I'm sure the story is lost to the passages of time). The Why Not worked in 1903 making over 100 trips that year, but there is no information on the Harvey Jr. or whether it worked at all during 1903. Steamboats typically lived very short lives and it wouldn't surprise me if the boat was scrapped in that year or the next.

It's a very interesting piece of history, and it's been great fun to try and find this boat. Thanks again for the info on the I&V.

Mike Sullivan