Sam Collier

North Caddo Parish (La) (Images of America) Sam Collier

In 1835, the United States purchased close to one million acres of land from the Caddo Confederacy of Native Americans; the Louisiana portion became known as Caddo Parish. The Indian agency's protection of that land delayed the settlement of the parish

for 25 years or more after it began in other parts of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. The Red River logjam that existed for a few hundred years backed up bayous, which in return created navigable streams

and lakes. The uplands contained massive stands of virgin timbers and bountiful fruit, berries, fish, and game. The first land patents were sold in 1841, and by 1850, the area was known as Caddo Prairie. For a majority of the next 100 years, steamboat traffic, homesteaders, plantations, subsistence farmers, logging operations, entrepreneurs, and a building boom brought on by the railroad and oil industries uniquely melded to define local, cultural history. Today three towns and five villages are located in north Caddo Parish, while the memories of 10 historic communities remain strong.