Title: Brief History of Caddo Parish Submitted By: Peggy Hale Date: July 12, 2006 Sources: caddohistory.com & Encyclopedia Louisiana ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** In 1803 the first known settler, Larkin Edwards immigrates from Tennessee to what is now Caddo Parish. He settles near a Native American village overlooking what is now Shreveport on Coates Bluff. Other pioneers who settled here were: James Coates in c. 1817 (obviously the bluff is named after him), and John McLeod in c. 1835.This is also where the first area Post Office was located in April, 1838. Coates Bluff is located on the NE corner of E. Olive Street and Youree Drive Extension in present day Shreveport. Edwards befriends the Indians who give him the land and he acts as an interpreter. Edwards later sells his land to Angus McNeil and the Shreve Town Company, among the first buyers of the land are Cane and Bennett who have established a trading post. In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson appointed William C. C. Claiborne as governor of the Territory of Orleans, by which Louisiana was called at this time. The largest, Natchitoches County, included all of Louisiana north of Rapides County and west of Washita (Ouachita) County. So you may understand how large this area was nine parishes were later formed from this area: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster. The legislature soon created 19 parishes along with the counties. Louisiana became a state in 1812. At this time North Louisiana consisted of 6 counties: Natchitoches, Ouachita, Warren, Catahoula, Concordia, and Rapides Counties. Many people were passing through Louisiana to reach Texas and many people stayed in Louisiana. The increase in population allowed Natchitoches County to be divided creating Claiborne Parish, named for the governor, in 1828. Claiborne Parish included all the land east of the Red River in northern Natchitoches County. In 1832 the Cane-Bennett Trading Post was established on July 1, by James Cane and his brother-in-law William Smith Bennett, who were from New Hampshire, on the bluff where Shreveport will later be founded in 1836. In 1833 the U. S. government hired Captain Henry Miller Shreve to remove the 165 mile-long log jam, extending from Loggy Bayou to Hurricane Bluffs. Later when the rival community called Coates Bluff springs up nearby, the Shreve Town Company hires Captain Shreve to divert the river slightly, leaving Coates Bluff high and dry. In 1835 the Caddo Indians ceded about 1,000,000 acres to the United States for $80,000, opening this area to settlers. The Indians also gave Larkin Edwards, interpreter and their friend, a tract of land that would later become the site of Shreveport. John McLeod also settles in the area. In 1837 with the help of four steam boats and about 160 men Captain Shreve completes the removal of the raft, opening the Red River to navigation and making Shreveport an important trade center and the gateway to the west. In 1838 there were enough settlers to create another parish, Caddo Parish. Caddo Parish was created on January 18, 1838 by the Louisiana legislature. Caddo Parish was named after the Native Americans that ceded the land by the suggestion of legislation member W. H. Sparke. Caddo Parish’s first seat was in the Wallace family home on the south shore of Wallace Lake but was later moved to Shreveport. Originally Caddo Parish borders were the Arkansas line at the north and the Red River on the east while it extended further south than it does today. The western border was the line that had established the Louisiana Territory after the Louisiana Purchase and was recognized by the settlers as the boundary. Also in 1838 Leonidas Polk is named missionary bishop of the southwest and during the next year held the first religious ceremony in Shreveport. On February 4, 1839 the city of Shreveport is founded by Shreve Town Company. The city is named for Captain Henry Shreve, who opened the Red River to navigation. The Company incorporated Shreveport on March 20, 1839. In 1843 the southern part of Caddo Parish is taken to make up DeSoto and Sabine Parishes. In 1845 parish's western boundary was changed when Texas was annexed to the Union. The boundary of the Red River on the east has also changed making some of what would seem to be Bossier Parish actually Caddo Parish and the same for Bossier Parish. On February 14, 1845 the First Baptist Church of Shreveport is established by John Bryce. The federal government sent him from Virginia to collect customs on goods coming from the Republic of Texas. The First Methodist and First Presbyterian churches were also started this year. In 1855 the parish seat is established in Shreveport leading over Greenwood by 1 vote. The Shreveport Courthouse that is built would be used as the state Capitol during the Civil War. In 1856 the Trinity Catholic Church is established in Shreveport. Holy Trinity Church was moved to its present site in 1858. In the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873 five of the church's priest would die treating the victims of this deadly disease. In 1896 the Romanesque Revival style church was built in its present location. In 1860 Caddo Parish was the leading parish in cotton production which was the primary production of the northwest Louisiana plantations. Caddo was closely followed by Carroll Parish. Carroll Parish would later be divided into East and West Carroll Parishes. With the start of the Civil War in 1861 several of the parishes surpassed their required number of soldiers to be enlisted. These parishes included: Caddo, Carroll, Bossier, and Ouachita which pulled together several companies. They later increased their number of units with the formation of such groups as the Caddo Rifles. In 1865 having repelled the Union forces under General Banks at Mansfield the confederate forces at Shreveport is the last to surrender to the North. Given the earliest succession movement at Rocky Mount and the last surrender of troops, Caddo Parish can be considered both the birthplace and the last breath of the rebellious South. In 1872 Col. Robert H. Lindsay built the Symphony House in Shreveport. The building is a transition between Greek revival and Victorian architecture. In 1873 Caddo Parish was one of the parishes wishing to break away from Louisiana and become part of Texas as they found the Reconstruction unbearable. To be able to do this they would have to receive approval from the legislature and the carpetbaggers serving in the legislature at that time would not allow it. Shreveport and Dallas are connected by rail during this year. Caddo's recovery from the was much more rapid than its southern neighboring parishes, but the outbreak of the yellow fever epidemic killed hundreds of people in the area. Sawmills were a necessity that came to the area because of large amounts of timber being transported by steamboats and railroads to the Northeast factories. Cotton and timber remained the greatest economic resources until the turn of the century. In May of 1904 the first oil well was drilled in Caddo Parish. Five barrels of oil were produced in the Caddo-Pine Island Field. In 1908 Centenary College relocated to Shreveport and was the oldest liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River. In 1910 the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce is founded. The Chamber was instrumental in establishing the Barksdale Air Force Base and the return of navigation to the Red River. They also started The Shreveport Regional Arts Council, a sports foundation a Downtown Development Authority and other economic development programs. In 1911 the first off-shore oil well was drilled on Caddo Lake by the Gulf Refining Company because of this Shreveport was established as a regional oil center. This was the first off-shore drilling ever to be done in America. Another oil boom was seen in the 1930's as people began to flock to Rodessa in north-west Caddo Parish. In 1932 the Downtown Municipal Airport in Shreveport is completed and in 1952 the Shreveport Regional Airport is completed. There is much more to the history of Caddo Parish than I have listed but I hope these highlights of major events will help you in your research.