For nearly 300 years, Natchitoches (pronounced Nack-a-tish), has been welcoming visitors to the heart of the    Cane River region.  Its history is also the story of the development of our nation, of the challenges and successes of democracy, and of ever evolving American values.

With its picturesque location on the banks of the 36-mile long Cane River, Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement within the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Named for the Caddo Indian tribe that lived in a nearby village, this quintessential southern town (population 18,000) was originally founded as a French outpost on the Red River for trade with American Indians in the region and with Spanish controlled Texas. The settlement was the last stop for boats navigating the river with goods for sale and trade.  Natchitoches quickly became an important transfer point where waterborne goods brought up the Red River could be handed over for overland transport.

When the United States acquired the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it opened up the region to American immigrants.  From a population of only 457 in 1766, the parish grew to almost 3,000 by 1810. By the early 1800s, cotton had become one of the most important agricultural crops in the South.  It produced unprecedented prosperity for landowners and it wasn’t long before vast plantations dotted the Natchitoches landscape. Southern aristocrats built lavish homes along the Red River and enslaved Africans worked the fertile land.  In this setting, Cane River’s complex Creole culture was born. 
The Red River began changing course in 1825, eventually moving five miles to the east of town and taking with it Natchitoches’ lucrative connection with the Mississippi. It was not until the 20th Century that the river was dammed; creating the serene Cane River, which meanders peacefully through the center of this historic city and through what is now the Cane River National Heritage Area.

Today, Creole townhouses and other centuries-old merchant buildings comprise Natchitoches' 33 block National Historic Landmark District - one of only three such districts in the state of Louisiana.  The district is anchored by Front Street, paved with weathered brick and lined with wrought-iron-laced buildings, stately Live Oaks, Magnolia trees, shops, boutiques and restaurants.                                                                                              

For more information please visit: www.caneriverheritage.org