Natchitoches

In 1690, when the French explorer and trader Henri de Tonti was sent from Quebec in search of La Salle’s lost colony and arrived in the Indian village in Natchitoches, he found the Indians living in poorly constructed houses of wooden poles and mud plaster roofs covered with grass.  This is a far cry from today’s historic district of Natchitoches, with its mixture of Queen Anne style and Creole cottages.

In 1714, three years before New Orleans was founded, another Frenchman, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, ordered the first substantial dwellings to be built in Natchitoches.   This established the first permanent European settlement in what became the vast Louisiana Purchase Territory.

The Colony Flourished
These simple buildings were located within the palisade walls of Fort St. Jean Baptiste.  The fort and colony continued to expand, and they flourished for the next 100 years.   So promising was the outlook for the town, that American author Timothy Flint predicted, “It will one day become the largest town in the country, except New Orleans.”

A thriving agricultural economy had developed along the banks of the river by the time the region was joined to the United States in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.  Natchitoches was the region’s commercial center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as “Côte Joyeuse,” meaning joyous coast, and Isle Brevelle, small and large plantations produced indigo, tobacco, and later, cotton.

But nature struck a devastating blow.  The Red River began changing its course in 1825 and continued until the old channel was abandoned in 1849, leaving Natchitoches high and dry!

The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation and cultural change for the residents of the Cane River region.  There is a story that Natchitoches was spared from destruction when retreating Union troops, after their defeat at the Battle of Mansfield, were ordered by Gen. U. S. Grant to spare the town because of his friendship with the townspeople.  He had been stationed at Camp Salubrity, at Grand Ecore three miles north, before the war.

European Flavor
Natchitoches retains its European flavor through its architecture, heritage and lifestyle.  At the heart of this National Landmark Historic District lies Front Street, a brick thoroughfare, where wrought iron balconies, restaurants and shops face the beautiful Cane River Lake, a 33-mile oxbow lake formed from the former Red River.

Beginning in Natchitoches, the El Camino Real de los Tejas (Highway 6 in Louisiana and Highway 21 in Texas), has existed for more than 300 years and was designated a National Historic Trail in 2004.

Established by Congress in 1994, the Cane River National Heritage Area is a largely rural, agricultural landscape known for its historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture and its multicultural legacy. Homes that are open daily along the Cane River Road include Melrose Plantation, the newest national park at Oakland Plantation and the complex located at Magnolia Plantation, referred to as the Cane River Creole National Historical Park.

Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site is a full-scale replica of the French colonial fort built in 1732.  The site is open daily with costumed guides interpreting daily life on the frontier.

Historic Sites along El Camino Real
Westward along the El Camino Real de los Tejas, you will discover three other state historic sites.  The first, Los Adaes, once the capital of the province of Spanish Texas, features the remains of a Spanish fort built in the 1700s to protect Texas from the French.

The second, Rebel State Historic Site, traces its origins back to the days of the American Civil War.  According to a local legend, a young Confederate soldier became separated from his unit, and shortly after he stopped at a spring for a drink of water the lad was spotted by three Union cavalrymen and killed.  Rebel State Historic Site has been established as this soldier's final resting place.

The third is the Louisiana Country Music Museum.   The site contains exhibits that tell the story of how various folk music traditions developed in this region – from early gospel and string band music to the country sounds we enjoy today.

Fort Jesup, built in 1822, was the western-most property owned by the United States government.  The site is a National Historic Landmark.  The original kitchen has been restored, and the reconstructed officer’s quarters serve as a museum.

Established as a center for trade between local Indians and French colonists, Natchitoches has known the imprint of French, Spanish, African, American Indian, Creole and American cultures.  Today, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory is a vibrant community dedicated to preserving its incredibly rich and diverse heritage.