Natchitoches, Louisiana

Founded in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, the city of Natchitoches was originally established as an outpost on the Red River to establish trade with the Spanish in Mexico. The site selected was on the west bank of the Red River near a village of Natchitoches Indians, a tribe whose name means "Chinquapin-eaters."

At the time of the establishment of St. Denis’ fort, Fort St. Jean Baptiste, a massive logjam prohibited navigation of the Red River. In the 1830s, Captain Henry Shreve cleared the logjam north to a Caddo Indian encampment, now Shreveport.

In the 1930s, the Red River changed its course and bypassed Natchitoches, leaving it without an outlet to the sea. This change of course left only a very shallow body of water near the city. Eventually, earthen dams were built to separate the old river from the Red River, leaving a 36-mile-long oxbow lake called Cane River Lake that runs through the downtown National Landmark District.

Once a bustling river port and crossroads, Natchitoches gave rise in the 1800s to vast cotton kingdoms along the river. Affluent planters not only owned magnificent plantations, but kept elegant houses in town.

The Downtown Landmark District overlooks a portion of beautiful, meandering Cane River Lake, reminiscent of the time that Natchitoches was the largest port on the Red River. Today, Natchitoches is a lovely tourist destination full of French, Spanish, Native American, African and Anglo-Saxon influence. Natchitoches maintains a colorful palette of ethnic tradition, gracious hospitality and tremendous pride in the past that residents eagerly share with those who wish to visit Natchitoches.

Back