Jessie Price Interview

An unlikely environmental activist, Jessie Price, waged a battle at age sixty-five, against a paper mill that she believed was polluting the Little River. She was also concerned when she learned that the city of Ruston was also discharging sewerage into Little River. Some people give Jessie credit for the city of Ruston building a modern sewage plant. At age 69, she decided to run for public office on an environmental platform. Although she didn’t win, she considered her loss a victory because it brought attention to her concerns for river pollution. Jessie remained an outspoken advocate for Little River until her death in 2003, at the age of 83. Audio interview with Jessie Price for Women Pioneers of the Louisiana Environmental Movement by Peggy Frankland, conducted by Jennifer A. Cramer, Director of the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History. Copyright: Louisiana State University Special Collections.