By Marie Hughes
Beaumont News
The sprawling historic Beaumont Rice Mills, situated at 1800 Pecos Street in Beaumont, Texas, loomed bleak and large, dominating the landscape as I approached for an interview with the mill president, Louis Broussard, Jr. His son, Jacob, arrived just in time to direct me to the third-story office where the business of the mill was being wrapped up.
Louisiana’s rice boom started around 1884 with the introduction of mechanical harvesting equipment, but due to pricey Louisiana land, many of the farmers headed across the state line to Texas, where land was abundant and cheap.