Lake Charles were mixed, as slavery was secondary to business interests. In fact, fewer than five percent of the population were slaves. Many citizens became involved in the war. Some local families supported the Confederacy, while others supported the cause of the Union. After the Civil War In the years following the Civil War, Lake Charles regained its status as a lumbering center. Especially in the 1880s, the city saw an increase in population and economic demand largely due to an innovative advertising campaign by J.B. Watkins. Thanks to this campaign, the city's population grew four-hundred percent during this decade. Using the pine wood from the city's mills, construction of large Victorian mansions transformed Lake Charles during the 1890s. Carpenters competed with verve to out-build each other with their use of elaborate fretwork and decoration. The area of present-day Lake Charles located just east of downtown is known as the Charpentier Historic District from the French word for carpenter and features unique homes from this era. Lumber industry In the early 1880s Michigan lumber tycoons, including R. H. Nason and N. B. Bradley, as well as William E. Ramsey (originally from Canada) had purchased large tracts of land in the area. In 1887 the "Bradley-Ramsey Lumber Company" was formed by the "Michigan Men" that included Ramsey, Nason, Bradley, Lewis Penoyer and Benton Hatchett, with over 150,000 acres. The company built two sawmills (Michigan mill and the Mt. Hope mill) in the area. The mill of J. A. Bel, a local businessman originally from New Orleans but in the area from youth, became the second largest. 1912 By 1912 the American Lumberman Equipment Register listed the J. A. Bel Lumber Company., Ltd, Calcasieu Long Leaf Lumber Company (Hdq. Long-Bell Lumber Co. Kansas City, Mo.), Hodge Fence & Lumber Company (machine shop and 12 miles of railroad), Lyons Lumber Company (also in Thicket, Texas) with 4 miles of railroad, and Powell Lumber Company with a machine shop. Twentieth century On April 23, 1910, a great fire, known as the Great Fire of 1910 devastated much of the city. The 1890 courthouse, along with most of downtown Lake Charles, was destroyed. Two months afterwards, the Louisiana legislature divided the former Imperial Calcasieu Parish into the current parishes of Allen, Beauregard, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Calcasieu. However, Lake Charles soon rebuilt itself and continued to grow and expand. After World War II, Lake Charles