About 1887, John A. Crews, of Chicago, promoted a 60-ton furnace to
smelt the surface deposits of iron ore found near Orr Switch and
Lassater on the L. A. & T. railroad.
The smelter operated intermittently from 1887-1905, under changing
managerships, until the high cost of transporting coke for fuel for the
furnace made profitable operation impossible.
Several governmental—federal as well as state—investigations and surveys
were made of the ore pits in an effort to ascertain the possibility of
profitable exploitation.
Had the navigability of the bayou remained unchanged, it is highly
possible that Jefferson might have regained the prominence and
prosperity it enjoyed during the days of the great river traffic.