Editor’s note: Andrew Perzo is on vacation. Today’s Informer features questions and answers from the June 4 and Sept. 22, 2014, editions of the paper.

Recently in an “Our Past” reprint of news from 1964, the town and high school we now refer to as Westlake was referred to as West Lake. When did the change from two words to one occur?

The name of the town, which owes its existence to a settlement called first Lisbon and then Bagdad, comes from the resident-coined “West Lake Charles.”

The U.S. Postal Service in the 19th century shortened that to “Westlake,” which has since been the recognized federal designation.

Still, for the balance of the 1800s and throughout the next century, area newspapers — employing no discernible logic — variously referred to it as both “Westlake” and “West Lake,” often at the same time.

One rationale for use of the two-word version was offered by the The Informer in January 1967 in response to a similar query:

The town of Westlake is known everywhere as Westlake except in the Lake Charles American Press. Can you tell me why the newspaper insists that it should be called West Lake?

West Lake was incorporated by proclamation of the governor in 1945. In the heading of the proclamation, the town is listed as two words — West Lake. Would you now believe everyone else is wrong?

The American Press apparently adopted the prevailing one-word spelling in the late 1980s.

The last use of “West Lake” that The Informer could find in the American Press archives was in the headline of a brief sports story printed in an April 1989 edition of the newspaper, though the story itself used “Westlake” throughout.

Before that the two-word spelling appeared in the dateline of an Oct. 7, 1988, Westlake City Council story. Again, the story used the one-word spelling.

Saints first appeared in playoffs in 1988

When did the New Orleans Saints make the playoffs for the first time?

The Saints made their first appearance in the postseason in 1988, when they faced the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 3 in an NFC wild-card game in the Superdome.

The Saints scored first, on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Bobby Hebert to wide receiver Eric Martin. But the team soon faltered, mishandling kick returns and missing tackles, and was down 31-10 at the half.

The final score was 44-10.

The Saints have faced the Vikings three times in playoff games, losing twice and winning once, in 2010 — the year they won the Super Bowl.

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Online: www.pro-football-reference.com.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.

(American Press Archives)

Michelle Higginbotham