Early years Natchitoches was established in 1714 by
Canadien explorer
Louis Juchereau de St. Denis. It is the oldest permanent European settlement within the borders of the 1803
Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was founded as a French outpost on the
Red River for trade with Spanish-controlled
Mexico; French traders settled there as early as 1699. The post was established near a village of
Natchitoches Indians, after whom the city was named. Early settlers were French Catholic immigrants and creoles (originally meaning those ethnic French born in the colony). French creoles acquired lands that were developed in the antebellum years as cotton-producing
Magnolia Plantation and
Oakland Plantation. Each has been preserved and is designated as a
National Historic Landmark. After the United States'
Louisiana Purchase of 1803, migration into the territory increased from the US. Natchitoches grew along with the population in the parish. Initially, the Americans were primarily of English and Scots-Irish ancestry and of Protestant faith. They developed several cotton
plantations along the Red River. Numerous enslaved African Americans were brought to the area through the domestic slave trade to work the cotton, and provide all other skills on these plantations, generating the revenues for the wealthy planters before the Civil War. The United States Government established a
federal fur trade factory here in 1805. It was removed to
Sulphur Fork, Arkansas in 1818. In the 1820s and early 1830s, Natchitoches also served as a freight transfer point for cotton shipped from parts of east
Texas. Cotton shippers used a land route crossing the
Sabine River to Natchitoches, where the freight was transferred to boats, and floated down the Red River to
New Orleans. When the course of the Red River shifted, it bypassed Natchitoches and cut off its lucrative connection with the Mississippi River. A
oxbow lake was left in the river's previous location which became known as
Cane River Lake.
Civil War During the
Civil War, Natchitoches was set on fire by Union soldiers who retreated through the town after their failed attempt to capture
Shreveport.
Confederate cavalry pursued the fleeing soldiers and arrived in time to help extinguish the flames before the town was destroyed.
Alexandria was destroyed by Union troops in 1864, but both Union and Confederate troops were responsible for severely damaging plantations along the river during the war, including Magnolia and Oakland. Radford Blunt published the
Natchitoches Republican. He was also a candidate for the state legislature. William H. Tunnard edited the paper.
20th century As the parish seat, Natchitoches suffered from the decline in agricultural population through the mid-20th century, and grew at a markedly lower rate after 1960. The mechanization of agriculture had reduced the number of workers needed, and many moved to cities for jobs. By the early 1970s, the town's businesses were declining, along with many area farms, and buildings were boarded up. In the mid-1970s, Mayor
Bobby DeBlieux and other preservationists believed that attracting tourists to the area, based on its historic assets of nearly intact plantations and numerous historic buildings, could be a key to attracting visitors, reviving the town, and stimulating new businesses. Over the years, he worked with a variety of landowners and local people to gain support for designating a historic district in the city. He also supported making a national park out of the working area of
Magnolia Plantation, which had many surviving outbuildings from the 19th century, and from
Oakland Plantation, both downriver in the parish. By the end of the 20th century, the mile-long French colonial area of downtown, which lies along Cane Lake, was designated as a
National Historic District. Many buildings were adapted as antique shops, restaurants and souvenir emporiums. To accommodate tourists, the town had 32 bed-and-breakfast inns, the highest in the state. with the support of US Senator
J. Bennett Johnston. He was a cousin by marriage of Betty Hertzog, the last of the family to live in the great house at Magnolia. Since the late 20th century, Cane River Lake has served as the spring-break training location for numerous university
crew teams,
Notable events Natchitoches was the site of a gas pipeline explosion on March 4, 1965, that killed 17 people. In 1973, singer-songwriter
Jim Croce was killed when
his plane crashed as it was leaving Natchitoches Regional Airport. Natchitoches received numerous
New Orleans evacuees due to
Hurricane Katrina (2005). Many college students from
New Orleans were transferred to
Northwestern State University to continue their education. ==Geography==