Upper Iowa University is pleased to bring the opportunity of a college education to the residents of Beauregard Parish with classes being taught in DeRidder.
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The story of DeRidder goes
something like this. In 1893, railroads were being built in the
United States, and one of their builders was Mr. Stilwell. There was
an international financial crisis that year, and Mr. Stilwell could
not raise the $3 million needed to finish constructing a railroad
from Kansas City down to the Gulf, about 800 miles. Since he could
not raise the money in the United States, he decided to go to Europe
for aid. He first tried England, but failed. He then went to Holland
for assistance. He was at a loss while in Amsterdam, and then
remembered a young coffee merchant he had met while on a previous
trip to Europe with his wife. Mr. Stilwell went to the Coffee
Exchange for their list of members, and found the name of the young
merchant, Jan Dehouyen. Mr. Stilwell found Jan Dehouyen and told him
about his plans for building the railroad in the United States.
These plans intrigued Jan Dehouyen, so he raised the $3 million
needed for this Kansas City Southern Railroad. Then Mr. Dehouyen
decided to change careers from coffee to railroads, and traveled to
the United States with Mr. Stilwell. More.
2007
