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It all started on a cold night in Indiana. Salmon Lusk Wright "Sol", wheat farmer born in Rockville,, Indiana was reading the newspaper when he noticed this advertisement placed by the Duson brothers of Rayne. Land Buyers! -From The- North Will receive prompt attention by doing W. W. DUSON @ BRO. RAYNE, LA REAL ESTATE AND COLLECTION AGENT I have many fine tracts of improved and unimproved lands in the
parishes of St. Landry, ARE THE RICHEST In this section and will produce abundant yields. FREE OF CHARGE Sol had spent the previous decade form 1873-1883 in Albany, Oregon growing wheat when his doctor suggested if he wanted to preserve his health, he would to move to a warmer climate. Fortunately for the sake of our story, Sol took his doctor's advice. Sol moved back to Indiana briefly before seeing the advertisement that would move him from the cast expanse of wheat fields in the American mid-west to Crowley, Louisiana in 1890, purchasing what would later become the Crystal Rice Plantation for $1,500, in turn making $1,900 on his first rice crop. There is no doubt that nature seemed to embrace this man lovingly. Sol was a self-taught man of nature. He trained horses, was beekeeper, and as reported in the Country Gentleman Magazine's July 1920 issue, may have accomplished for the wheat industry what he did for the rice industry. Even though Sol turned a profit on his first crop in his new environment, he soon realized that the current imported seed rice from Japan and Honduras was not well suited to the area. His nature of course was to want to develop a better way of doing things. He was the quintessential optimist that fed off of a challenge. Sol would embark on the quest for the perfect seed rice that would produce in the field and hold up in the milling process, a perfect "Crystal Rice" if you will. He seemed to be on a mission to turn around a struggling industry not only to profit for himself but to help others as well. Using natural selection and cross-pollination with his bees, he labored for 12 seasons with patience and determination to develop the prefect rice. At last, in 1912 his hard work paid off and laying before him in his study were the grains of Crystal Rice he had sought to achieve for so long. The trick now was giving it a name. Chastised by his wife Laura for staying up late at night trying to think of a name, Laura stood at the top of the stairs and quipped, "Sol, you just as well come on to bed as it is getting late and searching for a name for your rice is like looking for a Blue Rose". Sol jumped up and down with joy exclaiming the new name for his rice, "Blue Rose it shall be!!!" Sol would go on to develop new varieties in long, medium, and short grain rice. Newspaper and magazine articles poured in as word of his new developments spread. It is reported that close to 90% of the rice planted in the U.S. from 1912 through 1940 were varieties developed by Sol. At that time he was the only independent rice breeder in the U.S. with the remaining research conducted by government research stations. To highlight his accomplishments, Sol would be honored in 1927 as the first king of the Rice Carnival in Crowley while his daughter Edith stood along side as the first Queen. Sol would die of a heart attack in front of his home February 9th, 1929. His good friends W. W. Duson whose advertisement convinced Sol to move to Louisiana gave the eulogy at his funeral. Sol's life story would later be fictionalized in the novel "Blue Camellia" by Francis Parkinson Keyes. A more detailed article of Sol's history is also contained in the Acadia Parish history book volume II written by Mary Alice Fontenot. Sol's only son, Salmon Lusk Wright Jr. "Salmon" would later go on to start Wright Laboratory in 1956 based on a rinse resistant rice coating process he helped pioneer. Salmon's only son, Salmon Lusk Wright III "S. L." and wife Elaine would return home in 1957 from a two year Army tour of duty in Germany to join his father in the family businesses. The addition of S. L. in the business gave Salmon more time to indulge in his first true love for cars, boat building and all other manner of creative "projects". From a very young age, Salmon displayed a definite talent for craftsmanship. He made model ships, cars, furniture and wooden boxes among other things. One of Salmon's handcrafted wooden boxes once showed up on the antique roadside show. Salmon and his wife Francine constituted a dynamic duo of antique collecting in a time when antiques were not yet valued as they are today. Francine was once called a one-preservationist. Her insight into the antique industry coupled with promotion through tourism started a whole new chapter in the family businesses. Good timing allowed both to collect quality antiques while at the same time using tourism as a vehicle for rice promotion. The depth and breadth of their collection is truly awesome. In the meantime, S. L. incorporated Wright Enrichment in 1972 to expand on Wright Laboratories processes and build it into a diverse vitamin enrichment business. Focus would later shift away from only enriching rice to dry vitamin blending for applications to products ranging from Kellogg's cereal to Slim Fast drinks. In 1984, daughter, Diane, would come into the business to oversee quality control. In 1989, S.L's oldest son, Salmon Lusk Wright IV "Sam" would move home to join the family business. Sam worked in marketing to extend Wright Enrichment's reach globally as well as further diversifying the business. Second son Lee would enter the business in 1991 to work with S. L. in research and development. In 2004, Sam would take over the reins of The Wright Group while Diane has started her own company to promote new heart healthy products she has developed and patented. This has given S. L. more time to devote to research and development. He has since patented vita rice among others. Parallel to development in The Wright Group was the evolution of Crystal Rice Plantation. The original 320 acre farm Sol purchased in 1890 has expanded to 800 acres today of which 484 acres is farmed in rice and crawfish. A rice farm since 1890, Crawfish was added to the rice crop rotation in 1995 and tours were revitalized. Overseen by the youngest son, Jeb, Crystal Rice Plantation has evolved into a diverse operation itself. Jeb represents the fourth generation of Wright's to run "The Farm". Today, the Crystal Rice Heritage Farm tour offers a comprehensive presentation of the family history and the result of the family's evolution and diversification in business. Sol Wright not only developed new rice varieties to save a struggling industry, he spawned an attitude and desire to find a better way of doing things. that spirit has come to be known among the Wright's simply as "The Wright Stuff". With the fifth generation, including Salmon Luck Wright V "Sloane", waiting in the wings, the Wright Family businesses appear poised to carry on into a future of new developments. In closing, be sure to take your vitamins, eat plenty of rice and crawfish and of course, do things in life that you love doing....Jeb
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