LOUISIANA CONSERVATION REVIEW 
 
 
                      II. 
 
                MARSH ISLAND 
 
    I realized that if the migratory wild life of 
the Mississippi Valley was to be preserved for 
all time, a much greater area of winter feeding 
and resting ground must be provided for per- 
manent refuges. 
   During the summer of 1911, I quietly got to- 
gether options on Marsh Island, a long strip of 
wonderful duck and geese country lying between 
Vermilion Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, in Iberia 
Parish, Louisiana. The acquiring of the options 
to purchase this property required a very large 
amount of detailed work, and occupied almost my 
entire time from early summer until late fall. 
First, the numerous individuals who owned the 
property had to be induced to sell their lands at 
a price at which I could feel justified in making 
the attempt to raise the purchase price. Second, 
the various titles to the different parcels of land 
had to be perfected. This in itself seemed almost 
impossible, and but for the able assistance of 
Mr. John Dymond, Jr., and Mr. A. Giffen Levy, 
this part of the work would never have been 
accomplished. Third, to have a proper survey of 
the property made, as no actual survey had ever 
been made, and the boundary, as afterwards 
proven, must have been located by guess. 
   By the middle of December, 1911, all troubles 
had been overcome, and as Mr. C. W. Ward had 
come South for the winter, I laid my plan for 
this additional refuge before him, and he at once 
agreed to join me in putting up the necessary 
cash to procure an option on this property. 
   This being accomplished, and a six months' 
option being secured, I left for the North to lay 
before my many sportsmen friends my plan for 
acquiring this great tract of land for a per- 
manent wild life refuge. Reaching Chicago on 
January 8, 1912, in twelve days I secured pledges 
amounting to $38,000.00, with the promise of 
considerably more. I then went to New York 
and at once got in touch with Mr. Win. T. Horna- 
day, who was at that time greatly interested in 
the conservation of our wild life. Mr. Hornaday 
kindly gave me a letter of introduction to Mr. 
Robert W. DeForest. On January 25, 1912, by 
special appointment, I met Mr. Robert W. DeFor- 
est and Mr. Henry W. DeForest, and went fully 
into the advisability of establishing this great 
wild life sanctuary in Louisiana. These gentle- 
men at once thought favorably of the plan and 
promised to give me their assistance. They 
brought the matter to the attention of Mrs. Rus- 
 
 
sell Sage, and after numerous conferences and at 
her request, a thorough investigation of the 
adaptability of the property for the conservation 
of wild life was ordered, and Mr. George Byrd 
Grinnell Was sent to Louisiana to make the in- 
vestigation. Mr. Grinnell arrived at Avery 
Island on March 4 and spent four days going over 
the Marsh 4sland proposition. 
   On March 18, I was advised by wire by Mr. 
DeForest that Mr. Grinnell -had reported favor- 
ably. I at once went to New York, where ar- 
rangements were made for the purchase of Marsh 
Island in its entirety by Mrs. Sage. All those 
who had pledged their support to aid in the pur- 
chase were relieved of their pledges, and on the 
22nd of July, 1912, Mrs. Sage paid the purchase 
price for Marsh Island, leaving the title of the 
property in my name until it was decided what 
body politic should finally receive it. 
   The property purchased by Mrs. Sage was: 
 
 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
 
6. 
7. 
8. 
9. 
 
 
From Lawrence F. Fabacher .......... 
From  Victor Von Schoeler, John     D. 
Grace and W. P. and S. I. Reymond.... 
From Victor Von Schoeler and John D. 
G race ................................. 
From  Richard J. Hummel, Benj. R. 
Mayer and Alexander D. Barrow ...... 
From James Webb, Alexander D. Bar- 
row, Richard J. Hummel and Benj. R. 
Mayer ...............  ............. 
From Ashley W. Pettigrew, Lewis J. 
Bass and Sam Nye Bass .............. 
From Theolin Landry ................. 
From the Broussard Realty Co ....... 
From Dr. J. W. Sanders .............. 
 
 
35,855.19 acres 
5,950.87 acres 
10,239.58 acres 
1,281.44 acres 
 
19,6,58.81 acres 
  293.77 acres 
  1,426.94 acres 
  557.35 acres 
  400.00 acres 
 
 
      Total Acreage ....................  75,663.95  acres 
   For the price of $162,980.02. 
   On August 12, 1913, I, acting as agent for 
Mrs. Russell Sage, tendered Marsh Island to the 
Conservation Commission of Louisiana, for a 
period of five years, to be used as a wild life 
refuge, which tender was duly accepted, and 
Marsh Island was placed under the control of 
the State of Louisiana. 
 
                      III. 
 
  THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION WILD LIFE 
                    REFUGE 
 
   Shortly after I acquired Marsh Island for 
Mrs. Russell Sage, a large body of land, 86,000 
acres, lying in the Western Vermilion and East- 
ern Cameron Parishes, bordering the Gulf of 
Mexico for many miles, was brought to my 
attention. 
   I knew the land quite well, having hunted 
ducks and geese over various sections of it, and 
I knew it was highly adapted for a winter feeding 
 
 
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