Natchitoches
("Nak-a-tish") is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase.
Natchitoches was founded in 1714, when Pierre LeMoine D’Iberville,
governor of the colony of Louisiana sent Louis Juchereau de St. Denis to
establish a permanent settlement in the colony, in order to stop Spanish
expansion in the new world. St.
Denis chose an area occupied by the Natchitoches Indians and set out
cultivating favorable relations with the many Indian groups which
inhabited Natchitoches and its surrounding areas.
A fort was erected on a hill overlooking what is today Cane River
Lake and was named Fort St. Jean Baptiste, in honor of its founder.
Natchitoches became the westernmost outpost of the French Colonial
Empire in the West.
In
1803, the United States and France entered into the Louisiana Purchase.
Through the Antebellum period, Natchitoches and the Cane River
plantations thrived. Natchitoches
received steam boat service from New Orleans as early as 1820. Natchitoches also benefited by the log jam, called the Great
Raft, which blocked further travel upstream from Natchitoches.
In 1832, Captain Shreve was appointed Superintendent of the Western
River Improvements by Vice President John C. Calhoun.
Over time, as the log jam was slowly removed, the flow of the Red
River shifted from the Cane River channel to Grand Ecore.
Thus, Natchitoches was assessable to steam boat traffic at only
certain times of the year. By
1838, nearly all river traffic had bypassed Natchitoches and immensely
curtailed the town’s growth
The
town of Natchitoches was greatly spared during the Civil War.
In 1864, Union General Nathaniel Banks was defeated at the Battles
of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. During
the Union Army’s retreat, the divisions of General Banks and Union
General A.J. Smith occupied Natchitoches.
It was feared that Natchitoches, like many other southern towns,
would be burned by Union troops. However,
it is believed that through the intervention of Bishop Martin and the friendships which several Natchitoches residents had with General U.S.
Grant, Natchitoches was spared.
At the end of the Civil War, all of the plantations on the east
side of Cane River had been burned with the exception of Melrose
Plantation, which was then called Yucca Plantation.
In addition, many other Natchitoches stores and buildings had been
burned and their goods destroyed or stolen.
The
Twentieth Century brought great progress to Natchitoches.
The town’s economy diversified to include numerous businesses. Northwestern
State University, which was founded in 1884, has prospered and played a
vital part in the restoration of Natchitoches. Natchitoches has also received national exposure through several
movies, including Steel Magnolias, which
was written by the Natchitoches native, Robert Harling, and was filmed in
Natchitoches in 1988. In
1990, The Man in the Moon, which
starred Reese Witherspoon and Sam Waterson was also filmed in Natchitoches
Parish. These movies along
with the renewed interest in the National Landmark Historic District
created a new tourist industry which is displayed through a prosperous bed
and breakfast industry and a dramatic increase in the number of tourists
who visit Natchitoches each year. The
tourist trade will also receive a tremendous boost in 2004 with the
opening of the Cane River Creole National Park and the Cane River National
Heritage Area.
Natchitoches
Parish is the heart of a unique area referred to as the Cane River
Country. Its origins include
a mixture of cultures, including European, African, Native American,
French Creole and Spanish, which have lived in Natchitoches Parish for the
past three hundred years. This
unique and diverse area continues to prosper today and offers a glimpse of
how a myriad of cultures can come together to create a historic and
cultural paradise.
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click book for
larger view
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Images
of America, Natchitoches
A
book by local historian, Payne Williams, on
behalf of the Joyous Coast Foundation, which details the history of Natchitoches
and shows how its myriad of cultures have blended to create the beauty of
this timeless place.
To
order your copy:
call
318-356-7118
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