Hi Julia,
Can you tell me why and when General Diaz Street in Lakeview changed its name from, I believe, St. Louis?
R. Ray, New Orleans
Hi R.,
General Diaz was one of several streets in Lakeview that were developed mostly after World War II when soldiers came home, and they were backed by the GI Bill to help them build homes.
There were several streets in the area with names themed to World War I: Gen. Haig, Gen. Diaz, Marshall Foch and Argonne. The two generals; Douglas Haig and Armando Diaz, were commanders for Great Britain and Italian forces respectively. Marshall Foch commanded the French forces. The Argonne Forest was a mountainous woodlands area east of Paris where, though the Allies won, is remembered as America’s bloodiest battle. Commanding the Americans at Argonne was Gen. John Pershing, after whom a street is named Uptown. This story from the war reflects how brutal the Battle of Argonne was:
Allegedly, while visiting a military hospital in October, an American soldier apologized to Gen. Pershing for not saluting him. When Gen. Pershing saw the soldier, he realized that his arm had been blown off near his shoulder. Pershing then said, “No. It is I who should salute you.” After returning to the privacy of his car, Pershing began to weep.
Of all the commanders the one who gets the most mixed reviews from history is Haig. He has been praised for his innovation and criticized for policies that sacrificed many lives at the deadly Battle of the Somme, so that he was labeled by some as “The Butcher of the Somme.” In fairness, during wars it is hard for generals to please everyone, even on their own side.
Much of Lakeview was developed by real estate developer Robert E. Smith. The public library on Canal Boulevard was built in 1956 on land that he donated. Ron, we have no evidence of Gen. Diaz Street once being named St. Louis. There is a nearby Louis XIV Street. Maybe you were thinking of that? Poydras has some well-connected friends who are geeks about street names. I will ask him to check it out.
Dear Julia and Poydras,
I see from the Historic New Orleans Collection that New Orleans once had an active Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Were any temperance fountains erected in New Orleans and are any remaining? If so, such a fountain would be a great spot to celebrate Carrie A. Nation’s birthday with a shot of bourbon and with Poydras there.
Ron HIll, Algiers Point
Hi Ron,
The Woman’s Temperance Union was a national organization founded in Cleveland in 1874. Among its stated goals was to create a “sober and pure world.” There was a chapter in New Orleans. The HIstoric New Orleans Collection exhibit talks about Caroline Merrick, a local leader who had connections with the national organization. According to THNOC, Merrick was not really as interested in temperance as she was with another cause, women’s suffrage—the right to vote. Organizations such as the Temperance Union gave activist women opportunities to make contact with peers who were also active in various social causes.
You mention a fountain; the most famous Temperance fountain was built in Delaware in 1929 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of that chapter. It was a water fountain (six feet tall; three feet wide and made of granite) suggesting an alternative to alcohol. There was no evidence of such a fountain being built in New Orleans.
Carrie Nation was the most outspoken, and best known, prohibition proponent. Your suggestion that her birthday could have been celebrated at the New Orleans fountain, had there been one, has merit. We suggest that instead of regular water the fountain would have bubbled with club soda. Yes, Poydras might have added a shot of bourbon, though he prefers rum.
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