It started with a simple act: several neighbors and business associates from the Cedar Rapids and Mechanicsville, Iowa area boarded a train in 1904 for a prospecting trip to the cypress swamps and wilderness of south Louisiana. Land was for sale and opportunity was seen. Ultimately, twenty-two men and seven women contributed capital of $74,000 in 1905 to form St. Martin Land Company with the purchase of 38,000 acres in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. Today, the Company owns and operates most of the initial land purchased by its founders and has diversified into real estate holdings and investments.