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Where We Practice Law: The History of Monroe,
Louisiana
Ouachita Parish is located in northeastern Louisiana
approximately halfway between New Orleans, Louisiana
and Memphis, Tennessee. The Ouachita River runs
through the Twin Cities. On its east bank is Monroe,
with approximately 56,000 residents and encompassing
31.2 square miles. The parish is 643 square miles in
size and has a population of 150,000.
Years before the
Louisiana Purchase unified American colonization
efforts, the present site of Monroe was an
established trade center on the banks of the
Ouachita River. The word “Ouachita” has been
variously translated to have meant “silver water”,
“clear water” or “good hunting”. The early
explorers, de Tonti and Bienville, had reported the
presence of a Native American tribe identified by
the name in the area which is now northeast
Louisiana.
In 1780, a primitive
French settlement called Prairie de Canots (Prairie
of the Canoes) marked the real beginnings of Monroe.
It’s political beginnings may be traced to the
year 1783 when Jean Baptiste Filhoil, also known as
Don Juan Filhoil, was appointed by the Spanish crown
to oversee the sparsely populated “Poste de
Washitas” region of what is now northeast
Louisiana. By 1790, Filhiol had established a fort
(Fuerte Miro) on or near the present day site of
Monroe. A land grant of 1,680 acres from the King of
Spain, settled in the territory. Soon after, a
prohibition ordinance was enacted, and Fort Miro was
constructed to protect his village.
The War Between the
States made its presence felt in Ouachita Parish, as
it did throughout all of Louisiana. Monroe saw
action in the form of two skirmishes in 1863 and the
parish courthouse was destroyed by a Union gunboat
which traversed the Ouachita River during the siege
of Vicksburg. The parish experienced a continuation
of agricultural prosperity and growth throughout the
years following Reconstruction. Industrial
development found its foothold in 1915 with the
discovery of natural gas in Ouachita Parish, which
contributed greatly to the economy. It became known
as the Natural Gas Capitol of the World. This was
followed by the advent of the paper industry in
Louisiana during the 1920’s.
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Babcock Law Firm, L.L.C., All Rights Reserved
Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyers, Baton Rouge Serious Injury
Attorneys, Medical Malpractice,
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