DeQuincy Depot: Alluvial Architecture EarthCache

Welcome to the DeQuincy Railroad Museum, the site of the original Kansas City Southern Depot! This cache is an Earthcache, meaning that there is no physical container at the posted coordinates; it is required that you use the following Earth Science lesson and building at GZ in order to answer several questions related to the Depot architecture.

In the mid to late 19th century, American communities were continuing to expand out into the Southwest, and with them came religious and cultural influences from various settlers’ pasts. In the context of building, these influences would eventually evolve into more modern takes on old styles of architectural design. For example, the state of California was originally under Spanish rule as the colony of New Spain, and traveling priests would create small missions around the center of popular colonies. Due to being an ocean away from better building equipment, these missions would be made of simple materials, shaped to look as close to the common Spanish churches as possible. After New Spain became the US State of California, Californians would combine the classic Spanish design of architecture in their missions with architectural influences from other cultures, starting the revival style. Mission design would progress to home design, and with the introduction of the American rail system, train depot design.

Before we get into the makeup of the train depot, we will need to take a quick detour into Louisiana soil types. The state of Louisiana is home to over 300 different soil types, even having its very own state soil! Louisiana’s various soils range from different colors and mineral contents. In areas near and sometimes up to 20 miles from rivers, many soil types would be found to be “alluvial”, meaning soil deposited by flowing water. As a whole, these soils are called alluvium. Due to the unique Louisiana geography, alluvium soil here primarily contains the minerals sodium, sulfur, potassium, silicon, and phosphorous. A unique benefit to alluvium is that it comes in a wide variety of textures (ranging from sandy to silty to heavy clay), which allows it to function perfectly as farmland, and also as an important ingredient in building material. Adobe is a very popular, very old (use dates to 8300 BC) form of building material that is formed by drying a blend of large amounts of alluvial clay with straw and light dirt. The created bricks are fireproof and extremely durable, able to easily withstand wind, heat, and water. Adobe brick is often pasted together and further protected with plaster, a combination of Gypsum (compound of Calcium, Sulfur, and Oxygen), water, and alluvial sand that serves as a strong paste when mixed. Gypsum is a common mineral that can found throughout many southern regions of the US. Like most salts, it is soluble in water, however Gypsum is unique in the fact that it becomes less soluble at higher temperatures, an ability most other salts lack. This allows it to dry easily and hold together various materials. When mixed with water and alluvium sand, gypsum is really strong at resisting weathering. In the area of Southwest Louisiana, sulfur natural gas deposits assist with the creation of this mineral, allowing it to easily be accessed. It’s also important to note that a lot of these minerals were from billions of years of weathering and erosion of mountains and similar landforms primarily starting around the Precambrian period, and then depositing thanks to the 2,000 mile long, 620 mile wide, and 3,000 feet deep Western Interior Seaway during the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous that submerged this region of Louisiana, the majority of modern day Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, The Dekotas, Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana, Midwest Canada, Eastern Mexico, New Mexico, Utah, and multiple other states. Eventually land started emerging again due to tectonic activity and the region started resembling what it is today, mineral makeup included.

In 1897, a new line of the Kansas City Southern Railroad was finished, ranging from Shreveport to Lake Charles to Port Arthur. Along the rails, the Louisiana community of DeQuincy began growing, and in the early 1900’s, the town completed a new train depot to aid in travel. Going against the more popular large, two story modern depot styles at the time, architects of the DeQuincy Depot took inspiration in the new spreading Californian mission design, and decided to incorporate that into the new building. Taking advantage of the alluvium clay deposits around the general area, builders turned the frame of the depot into plaster-covered adobe material, and added in clay shingles, wood beams, and curved window/door frames. In the end, the Kansas City Southern Depot became one of only three Louisiana depots incorporating the unique recreated SM-style of architecture, standing as a very important landmark and situating itself on the list of the National Register Of Historic Places in 1995. It was established as a historic museum prior to it’s joining the NRHP in 1974, and still maintains it’s unique mineral design to this day.

Requirements:

From the lesson and a look at the general area, tell me:

1. Why is the material used in the design of the depot viable?

Head up to the building and inspect the adobe walls. 

2. Describe the texture of the walls.
3. What specific minerals are you looking at? (Name at least five)

Around the posted coordinates are several plaques. From one, tell me:

4. Which Conservation Fund administered the park? What is it’s importance?

*Be sure to Email or message me your answers within 6 days of logging a “found it”. If I don’t receive your answers within the timeframe, I reserve the right to delete your log.