Rapides Parish Memoir, Rapides Parish, Louisiana
File prepared and submitted by Sherry Sanford 

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"Biographical And Historical Memoirs of Louisiana", Vol. II
The Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1892

The lands of Rapides parish comprise the long-leaf pine hills, 900
square miles; the oak uplands, 123 square miles; and the alluvial, or Red
river bottom lands, 475 square miles.  The returns of Assessor Haworth for
1890 give the following statistics:  Total assessment, $3,493,300; total poll
tax, $4,984; barrels of molasses, 6,565; hogsheads of sugar, 3,350; barrels of
sugar, 5,188; bales of cotton, 17,930; bushels of corn, 460,320; bales of hay,
25,800; bushels of potatoes, 55,260.  In June, 1890, the United States
enumerators found 27,635 inhabitants in the parish.  The number of children of
school age is 9,127, of whom 4,915 are of African descent.  M. Maillefert, in
1860, discovered the remains of a mastodonic animal, the teeth of which were
four and a half inches with tusks six inches in diameter.  The parish has
deposits of building stone.

A plat made by the Spanish commission in October, 1803, shows the
location of the Beluxy, Pascagoula, Old Yonahny and Choctaw villages.  The
parish  was established in 1805.  The population of the chief town is about
3,000. The site is a beautiful one.  Alexander Fulton, who platted the town,
was its first merchant.  September 29, 1868, an act incorporating the town
of Alexandria and repealing all older acts was approved.  The town charter
was repealed and the city charter granted n 1882.  The state seminary was
founded in 1855.  The Bank of Louisiana was established here in the second
decade of the century, and transacted business up to 1846.  The Alexandria
Street Railroad company was organized in June, 1881.  Pineville is one of the
oldest settlements in the state.  Here, about 1711, when the church at
Adayes was erected, a mission chapel was built.  Stores were established
there between 1830 and 1835 by John David and F. Poussin.  In 1858 the
place had fifty or sixty inhabitants.  During the war the confederate
forces destroyed the pine forest and built huts where giant trees stood
before.

After the surrender the place became the rendezvous for federal troops.
During the stay of the federals a large number of businees houses were
established.  The postoffice was established in 1871.  The first election
of municipal officers under the new charter was held May 6, 1878. 
Boyce, Cheneyville, Lecompte, Moorland, Babb's Bridge, Bismarck, Crane, Godwin
Gum, Hinestown, Halloway, Lamourie Bridge, Lena, Lloyd's Bridge, Milder,
Milford, Poland, Weil and Welchton are villages, posttowns and trading points
in the parish.