Editing Eunice, Louisiana (section)

==History==
One-time lawman and pioneer land developer [[Curley Duson|C.C. Duson]] is credited with founding Eunice, which was named for his second wife, Eunice Pharr Duson. He and his brother, W.W. Duson, had already founded [[Crowley, Louisiana]] in 1887, and he looked to the north of the parish for future development. Duson bought {{convert|160|acre|km2}} of land from Willie Humble of [[Prairie Faquetaïque]] and mapped out a town site, laid out in lots 50-by-140 feet, 12 lots to the block. Next, he persuaded the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] to extend a branch line from Crowley to his new town. Then he began what he and his brother had learned how to do as well as anyone: promote land sales. It was chartered as a village on September 12, 1894, and incorporated as a town on June 4, 1895.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071338/http://www.carencrohighschool.org/LA_Studies/ParishSeries/StLandryParish/Eunice.htm www.carencrohighschool.org 'Eunice named for pioneer developer's wife"]}}</ref>

[[Evangeline Parish, Louisiana|Evangeline Parish]] was created with the passage of a bill in June 1908. Eunice and [[Ville Platte, Louisiana|Ville Platte]] were in competition for the parish seat, and Ville Platte was selected by voters on April 12, 1909. After the election, Eunice declared it would remain in St. Landry Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lacollege.edu/sites/default/files/EVANGELINE%20PARISH%20HISTORY.pdf|title=Evangeline Parish History|website=www.lacollege.edu|access-date=January 1, 2017|archive-date=January 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101161411/http://www.lacollege.edu/sites/default/files/EVANGELINE%20PARISH%20HISTORY.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 2000 a chemical freight train derailed in Eunice, spilling numerous hazardous chemicals and causing about 15 tank cars to explode and burn; approximately 3,500 residents of the town were evacuated for as many as five days. Over 10,000 residents settled in May 2004 for $65 million with the [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific Corporation]] in a class action suit, claiming that the corporation had failed to repair a defective section of track.<ref>[https://classactionamerica.com/public/caseIndex.aspx?lngCaseId=3449&intCategoryID=7 classactionamerica.com "Union Pacific Corporation"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317050641/http://www.classactionamerica.com/public/caseIndex.aspx?lngCaseId=3449&intCategoryID=7 |date=2006-03-17 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2004/05/26/42564.htm www.insurancejournal.com "Union Pacific Announces Derailment Settlement"]</ref>