Natchitoches Parish's oldest permanent settlement was founded in 1714 on the Red
River by the French to promote trade with the local Indians and the Spanish in Mexico. The
trading post of Natchitoches (Nack-a-tish, an Indian word meaning Place of the Paw-Paw (or
Chinquapin), played a major role in the history of both Texas and Louisiana.
Several overland highways, including the Natchez Trace from the east and the El Camino
Real from Mexico, and the boats on the Red River going to New Orleans made Natchitoches a
primary transfer point for trade and a gateway for settlers going to Texas.
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Americans rushed into the area. From a population of
only 457 in 1766, the parish grew to over 2,870 by the census of 1810.
When Louisiana was divided into its 12 original counties in 1805, smaller civil divisions
called parishes took over the functions of the counties. When organized in 1807, Natchitoches
Parish was 120 miles long and 70 miles wide. It included what is now Caddo, Bossier, Webster,
DeSoto, Bienville, Claiborne, Sabine, and Red River parishes, plus parts of Lincoln, Winn,
Vernon, Jackson and Grant.
Parishes adjoining Natchitoches are Sabine,
Vernon, Rapides, Grant, Winn, Bienville, Red River,
and Desoto.
For a more detailed history of Natchitoches Parish go to Natchitoches Parish History,
Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana - Submitted by: Gaytha Carver Thompson - Source: Biographical
and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana,
The Southern Publishing Company, 1890, at the USGenWeb
Archives- Natchitoches Parish web site.