Kaplan

History

In 1896, the Holy Rosary Catholic Church was established in the growing European-American settlement. Most of the people were Acadian, so the main language was French. The town was named after Abrom Kaplan, who bought the Jim Todd Plantation in 1901. The town of Kaplan grew quickly and was established in 1902. The following year, residents created the first school. On July 14, 1906, the first Bastille Day Celebration was held. In 1911, the Eleazar Theater was built. In 1916, the Kaplan Telephone Company began. In 1920, the school was rebuilt.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Louisiana Highway 14 passes through the city which heads east to Abbeville, the Vermilion Parish seat, and west to the town of Gueydan. Louisiana Highway 13 intersects with LA-14 outside the city limits and heads north to the cities of Crowley (26 miles) and Eunice (39 miles). Louisiana Highway 35, which intersects LA-14 as North Cushing Avenue, heads north to Rayne.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,761
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,416
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,355
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,290
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,206
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,175
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,071
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,014