By SHERRI TAYLOR
News Editor

Need to know anything about the town of Zwolle? Ask their resident historian, James Q. Salter. Certainly he will deny being an historian but his knowledge and understanding of his hometown in days gone by belie him.

Anyone who spends an enjoyable hour visiting in his parlor just a few yards off Main street will come away with hundreds of interesting facts and dates related to the history of Sabine Parish.

That's reasonable, since Salter spent 33 years in the educational field where he taught English, speech and social studies. For 12 years he was principal at various schools and then moved into the Central Office around 1980.

In his dedication page of "Zwolle, Louisiana: Our Story", the book he wrote for his town, Salter said: "I attended school with you as youngster right here in Zwolle. I went off to war with you. I taught you, your children and, yes, some of your grand children."

Few in town were as well prepared to gather the information necessary to bring a book about the town to life.

The book idea came about as a result of a grant received by the town. Originally, Harold Leone was asked to write the publication, but ill health intervened and Salter got the job. Salter's first assignment was to learn to use a computer. Not many are willing to tackle learning computers at the age of 67, but Salter was not deterred.

"I went to Erie, Pennsylvania where my grandson taught me to use a word processor," Salter said.

He started the book on the word processor but the town soon purchased a computer in order for him to complete the work.

"About 4 a.m., I would begin working at home," Salter recalls. By 1 p.m. he was ready to go to the office and put things into the computer. After several months, Salter's work was through and the editors took over.

"The best part of the experience was the cooperation I received from all the people," Salter said. Another memorable experience was the people he met through the research.

Dr. Robert E. Parrot of Knoxville, Tennessee came to see Salter. He at one time had three family members practicing in Zwolle. They had owned the Parrott Plantation. From him, Salter received much information to be included in the book the town was publishing.

For a town of only 1,800, Zwolle has a rich history. The town was originally named by a wealthy railroad tycoon named Jan DeGoeijen from Holland. His hometown was also named Zwolle. Locals pronounce the name DeQueen. He had been instrumental in building a railroad from Shreveport to Houston, Texas and put $3 million into the Kansas City Southern railroad to accomplish that feat.

Salter recorded, gathered and collated all this material from the earliest Indian settlers to the beginning of the 21st century. It took nearly an entire page for him to acknowledge all the people who aided him in the project. For him, it was a labor of love.

Salter welcomes visitors and regales them with history and incidents resulting from his writing of the book about Zwolle.

Otherwise, Salter spends his days fishing and hunting and gardening. He loves to travel and of course, he writes.

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