He was a Sephardic Jewish trader of either Basque-Spanish or Venetian-Italian origins. Lake Charles was founded by merchant and tradesman Marco Eliche (or Marco de Élitxe) as an outpost. On March 7, 1861, Lake Charles was incorporated as the town of Charleston, Louisiana.
Main article: History of Lake Charles, Louisiana Ryan Street in Lake Charles, 1903 Downtown Lake Charles, c.