Louisiana was accepted by Congress as a state on April 30, 1812, however, the territory had been occupied more than 100 years before its statehood.
Spain is attributed as the first European nation to reach the area, with explorer Alvarez de Pineda discovering the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1519 and Hernando De Soto crossing into Louisiana and discovering the Mississippi River during his expedition in 1541.
Later, in 1682, Frenchman René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, erected a cross at the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed the territory for Louis XIV of France, which is whom the state is named after, according to Louisiana.gov.
Natchitoches is the oldest town and permanent settlement in Louisiana. Here’s the history
Four years after France laid claim to the mouth of the Mississippi River, La Salle made contact with the Hasinai Nation, which consists of members from the Caddo tribe, in 1686 when searching for the Mississippi River. Caddo country was revisited by Bienville and Louis Juchereau de St. Denis in 1700, according to the Natchitoches Tribe of Louisiana.Amid this time, Canary Islanders traveling from Mexico erected a settlement within what is now Natchitoches in 1691. However, the Canary Islanders were later forced by the French to relocate to the Spanish settlement Los Adayes, says The Louisiana Anthology
In 1714, Juchereau Saint-Denis went on an expedition, traveling down the Red River and bringing with him 24 Canadians and 30 men of the Natchitoches Nation, to found a settlement and establish trading ties with Mexico.
Along the way, near the area of the Natchitoches tribe village on the river, Saint-Denis encountered a log jam that made the river impassable, according to the National Park Service.
Here, two buildings were quickly constructed to store merchandise, brought by Saint-Denis, and 10 men were left behind to guard the structures, says the Natichitoches Tribe of Louisiana.This settlement was later named Fort St. Jean the Baptist and is considered the oldest permanent European settlement within the Louisiana Purchase and in the state of Louisiana.
After the French and Indian War, Louisiana was succeeded to Spain following a treaty and was under Spanish rule from 1763 to 1803. During this period, Spain operated Fort St. Jean the Baptiste as a military outpost and trading center.Eventually, the fort was abandoned and was in ruins by the time the U.S. acquired the territory after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, says The National Park Service.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com