Few People Know Louisiana Was Home To The First Woman Hired To The United States Forest Service In America
By Jackie Ann|Published March 22, 2023
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Jackie Ann
Author
Louisiana native and LSU Alum (Geaux Tigers!), Jackie has lived in Louisiana for over three decades and currently lives in New Orleans. She's been writing for OnlyInYourState since 2016 and can often be found with a coffee at her side, dreaming of her next adventure.
Without the pioneering efforts of Caroline Dormon, central Louisiana would look much different than it does today. She dedicated her life to educating others about the importance of preserving Louisiana’s natural landscape, and she led the movement to establish the Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana’s only National Forest. In a time when women didn’t have many rights, she was making waves as the first woman hired to the United States Forest Service. Let’s take a look at her life and some of her accomplishments:
Caroline Dormon was born in 1888 at Briarwood, her family homestead located near Saline, Louisiana.
Both of her parents were avid naturalists and, like many of us, spent much of her childhood outdoors. This planted the seeds early on for what would become her legacy.
After graduating from Alabama’s Judson College in 1907, Dormon returned to Louisiana and spent many years teaching in Natchitoches Parish schools.
The Kisatchie Elementary School was one of the schools she taught at, and it was here that her love for the longleaf pines and their importance inspired her to take action.
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She was the first woman employed by the United States Forest Service, and she got straight to work.
She led the effort to establish the Kisatchie National Forest, and she even got the honor of naming it! She chose the name Kisatchie, which means "long cane" to honor the Kichai tribe. Dormon was also very interested in Native American history and was very well respected by these communities.
Throughout her life, Dormon wrote several books about Louisiana’s natural plants as well as Southern Native American history and became one of the leading sources for preserving Louisiana’s natural landscape.
It didn’t take long before she had the largest collection of rare native plants in Louisiana, which drew botanists from all over to visit Briarwood and study the estate.
Before she died in 1971, Caroline willed her estate to a non-profit organization that continues to care for the property today.
Briarwood is open to the public during select months of the year, and visitors to her estate can walk through Caroline’s cabin as well as stroll through the property and admire all of the native plants including Louisiana irises, wild azaleas, and the real star of the show: Grandpappy. Grandpappy is a massive pine tree, but not just any pine tree...this was Caroline’s favorite, so be sure to get a selfie with it during your visit. The first image in this article is Caroline with Grandpappy.
Briarwood offers tours during March, April, May, October, and November.Visit the Briarwood website to learn more, including tour times and upcoming events, and don’t forget to follow Briarwood on Facebook so you can stay up to date on what’s in bloom.
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