The town was first incorporated in 1857 as Charleston, after an early settler, Charles Sallier. There are also urban tales he had planned to name the settlement Nouveau Cadix (New Cádiz)', after the city in Spain, but this is uncertain. Eliche had also founded other outposts and towns in Louisiana prior, most notably Marksville, which is named after him. Long before incorporation and even before the Louisiana Purchase, other names for Lake Charles were Porte du Lafitte (Port of Jean Lafitte) or Rivière Lafitte (River Lafitte/Lafitte's River), among many other names now lost.
He had arrived in Louisiana after hitchhiking and was invited onto a Spanish vessel due to his determination and loyalty to volunteer and work freely for the Spanish Empire.
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.
