Red River Parish, Louisiana
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Red River Parish, Louisiana | |
---|---|
Parish of Red River | |
Country | United States |
State | Louisiana |
Region | North Louisiana |
Founded | March 2, 1871 |
Named for | Red River |
Parish seat | Coushatta |
Largest municipality | Martin (area) Coushatta (population) |
Incorporated municipalities | 4 (total)
|
Area | |
• Total | 1,040 km2 (402 sq mi) |
• Land | 1,010 km2 (389 sq mi) |
• Water | 30 km2 (13 sq mi) |
• percentage | 9 km2 (3.3 sq mi) |
Population ( CDT) | |
Area code | 318 |
Congressional district | 4th |
Website | Red River Parish Police Jury |
Red River Parish (
In 1880, the parish had a population with more than twice as many blacks as whites.
History
As in many other rural areas, Red River Parish and the Red River Valley were areas of white
During the 1870s, there were regular outbreaks of violence in Louisiana, despite the presence of two thousand federal troops stationed there.[5]: 550 The extended agricultural depression and poor economy of the late 19th century aggravated social tensions, as both freedmen and whites struggled to survive and to manage new labor arrangements.
The disputed gubernatorial election of 1872 increased political tensions in the state, especially as the outcome was unsettled for months. Both the Democratic Party and Republican candidates certified their own slates of local officers. Established in May 1874 from white militias, the White League was formed first in the Red River Valley in nearby Grant Parish. The organization grew increasingly well-organized in rural areas like Red River Parish. Soon White League chapters rose across the state.[7]: 76 Operating openly, the White League used violence against officeholders, running some out of town and killing others, and suppressed election turnout among black and white Republicans.[7]: 76
In August 1874 the White League forced six white Republicans from office in Coushatta and ordered them to leave the state. Members assassinated them before they left Louisiana. Four of the men murdered were the brother and three brothers-in-law of state Senator Marshall Twitchell.[5]: 551 The White League also killed five to twenty freedmen who had accompanied the Twitchell relatives and were witnesses to the vigilante acts.[6][7]: 76–77
Historians came to call the events the
With increased voter fraud, paramilitary violence against Republican blacks and whites, and intimidation at the polls preventing people from voting, white Democrats regained control of the state legislature in 1876. The population of the parish in 1880 was 8,573, of whom 2,506 were whites and 6,007 were blacks.[4] In 1898 the state achieved disfranchisement of most blacks and many poor whites through a new constitution that created numerous barriers to voter registration.[8]
20th century
To seek better opportunities and escape the oppression of segregation, underfunded education, and disfranchisement, thousands of African Americans left Red River and other rural parishes in the Great Migration north and west. As may be seen in the census table below, most left from 1940 to 1970, when the parish had steep population decreases. Regional agricultural problems contributed to outmigration, especially after increasing mechanization in the 1930s reduced the need for laborers. At this time many African Americans from Louisiana went to California, where the defense industry associated with World War II was growing and workers were needed.
Additional outmigration from the parish occurred as late as the 1980s, when African Americans from Louisiana migrated within the South to jobs in developing metropolitan areas of New South states.[9][10]
Red River Parish has been a Democratic Party stronghold since the party reestablished dominance in 1876. As in other southern states, recent decades have brought a realignment in politics in Presidential elections, with the conservative white majority of the parish voting for Republican
Red River was one of only three parishes that did not vote for the Republican gubernatorial candidate,
Despite its Democratic heritage, Red River Parish is represented in the
Louisiana was the last state to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 2015 after a landmark Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriage in all 50 U.S. states. Red River Parish was the final holdout of Louisiana's 64 parishes when it continued to deny marriage licenses after 63 other parishes began doing so in late June 2015. Parish Clerk of Court Stuart Shaw was the only official besides Governor Bobby Jindal to continue to defy the Supreme Court's ruling even after the Clerks of Court Association reversed their "wait and see" position.[12]
Geography
According to the
Major highways
U.S.
- U.S. Highway 71
- U.S. Highway 84
- U.S. Highway 371
- Louisiana Highway 1
- Louisiana Highway 174
- Louisiana Highway 480
Adjacent parishes
- Caddo Parish (northwest)
- Bossier Parish (north)
- Bienville Parish (northeast)
- Natchitoches Parish (southeast)
- De Soto Parish(west)
National protected area
Climate
According to the
Climate data for Red River, Louisiana, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1969–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) |
87 (31) |
90 (32) |
95 (35) |
99 (37) |
103 (39) |
105 (41) |
108 (42) |
108 (42) |
97 (36) |
88 (31) |
83 (28) |
108 (42) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.2 (24.0) |
78.1 (25.6) |
83.8 (28.8) |
88.0 (31.1) |
92.5 (33.6) |
96.3 (35.7) |
99.1 (37.3) |
100.1 (37.8) |
97.5 (36.4) |
91.1 (32.8) |
83.0 (28.3) |
77.0 (25.0) |
101.7 (38.7) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.7 (13.7) |
61.0 (16.1) |
68.9 (20.5) |
76.5 (24.7) |
83.8 (28.8) |
90.2 (32.3) |
93.2 (34.0) |
93.9 (34.4) |
88.9 (31.6) |
79.1 (26.2) |
67.4 (19.7) |
58.9 (14.9) |
76.5 (24.7) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.4 (8.0) |
50.3 (10.2) |
57.8 (14.3) |
65.2 (18.4) |
73.6 (23.1) |
80.5 (26.9) |
83.3 (28.5) |
83.1 (28.4) |
77.2 (25.1) |
66.5 (19.2) |
56.0 (13.3) |
48.4 (9.1) |
65.7 (18.7) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 36.0 (2.2) |
39.5 (4.2) |
46.6 (8.1) |
53.9 (12.2) |
63.3 (17.4) |
70.9 (21.6) |
73.4 (23.0) |
72.2 (22.3) |
65.5 (18.6) |
53.9 (12.2) |
44.7 (7.1) |
38.0 (3.3) |
54.8 (12.7) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 21.7 (−5.7) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
30.9 (−0.6) |
38.7 (3.7) |
49.7 (9.8) |
62.2 (16.8) |
67.4 (19.7) |
64.7 (18.2) |
52.4 (11.3) |
39.0 (3.9) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
20.1 (−6.6) |
Record low °F (°C) | 6 (−14) |
13 (−11) |
18 (−8) |
29 (−2) |
41 (5) |
51 (11) |
59 (15) |
50 (10) |
42 (6) |
28 (−2) |
18 (−8) |
3 (−16) |
3 (−16) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.88 (124) |
4.43 (113) |
5.07 (129) |
5.56 (141) |
4.54 (115) |
4.23 (107) |
3.41 (87) |
3.28 (83) |
3.46 (88) |
4.54 (115) |
4.03 (102) |
5.00 (127) |
52.43 (1,331) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.5) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 9.8 | 100.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Source 1: NOAA[15] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: National Weather Service[14] |
Communities
Town
- Coushatta (parish seat and largest municipality)
Villages
- Edgefield (smallest municipality)
- Hall Summit
- Martin
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 8,573 | — | |
1890 | 11,318 | 32.0% | |
1900 | 11,548 | 2.0% | |
1910 | 11,402 | −1.3% | |
1920 | 15,301 | 34.2% | |
1930 | 16,078 | 5.1% | |
1940 | 15,881 | −1.2% | |
1950 | 12,113 | −23.7% | |
1960 | 9,978 | −17.6% | |
1970 | 9,226 | −7.5% | |
1980 | 10,433 | 13.1% | |
1990 | 9,387 | −10.0% | |
2000 | 9,622 | 2.5% | |
2010 | 9,091 | −5.5% | |
2020 | 7,620 | −16.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010[20] |
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
4,150 | 54.46% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
2,952 | 38.74% |
Native American
|
41 | 0.54% |
Other/Mixed
|
289 | 3.79% |
Latino
|
188 | 2.47% |
As of the
In 2000, were 3,414 households, out of which 35.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.50% were married couples living together, 18.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. Individuals made up 23.10% of all households, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the parish the population was spread out, with 30.10% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. As of 2000, the median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.40 males.
According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the parish was $23,153, and the median income for a family was $27,870. Males had a median income of $27,132 versus $17,760 for females. The
Education
Public schools in Red River Parish are operated by the Red River Parish School District.
It is in the service area of Bossier Parish Community College.[23]
Government
Red River Parish is governed by the Red River Parish Police Jury, which is divided into seven districts. District 1 is represented by William Brown, District 2 by Brandon Hillman, District 3 by Shawn Beard, District 4 by Jessie Davis, District 5 by John W. Moore, District 6 by Ben Taylor, and District 7 by Tray Murray.[24] Red River Parish is represented in the Louisiana State Senate by Republican Louie Bernard of District 31.[25] In the Louisiana House of Representatives, the parish is represented by Republican Michael Firment of District 22 and Democrat Kenny R. Cox of District 23.[26] In the United States House of Representatives, it is represented by Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana's 4th congressional district.[27]
National Guard
Coushatta is the home of C Troop 2-
Hospital
Christus Coushatta Health Care Center is the only hospital in Red River Parish.
Prison
Name | Address | Zip | Aged |
---|---|---|---|
Red River Parish Detention Center |
E. Carroll Street, Coushatta, Louisiana | 71019 | 18+ |
Notable people
- Jean Baptiste Brevelle (1698-1754), early 18th century explorer, trader and soldier of Fort Saint Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches and Le Poste des Cadodaquious, the first European settlement in the area.
- Andrew R. Johnson, former state senator (1916–1924) and mayor of Homer in Claiborne Parish, is interred in Red River Parish at Springville Cemetery in Coushatta.
- Lloyd F. Wheat, attorney and member of the Louisiana State Senate from Red River and Natchitoches parishes from 1948 to 1952
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 2,413 | 58.40% | 1,644 | 39.79% | 75 | 1.82% |
2016 | 2,391 | 54.07% | 1,938 | 43.83% | 93 | 2.10% |
2012 | 2,483 | 51.65% | 2,253 | 46.87% | 71 | 1.48% |
2008 | 2,484 | 53.66% | 2,080 | 44.93% | 65 | 1.40% |
2004 | 2,507 | 53.15% | 2,140 | 45.37% | 70 | 1.48% |
2000 | 2,200 | 48.65% | 2,177 | 48.14% | 145 | 3.21% |
1996 | 1,344 | 31.28% | 2,641 | 61.48% | 311 | 7.24% |
1992 | 1,649 | 35.24% | 2,360 | 50.43% | 671 | 14.34% |
1988 | 2,266 | 49.41% | 2,254 | 49.15% | 66 | 1.44% |
1984 | 3,060 | 60.39% | 1,958 | 38.64% | 49 | 0.97% |
1980 | 2,147 | 43.06% | 2,776 | 55.68% | 63 | 1.26% |
1976 | 1,728 | 46.61% | 1,906 | 51.42% | 73 | 1.97% |
1972 | 2,245 | 65.95% | 957 | 28.11% | 202 | 5.93% |
1968 | 380 | 10.08% | 914 | 24.24% | 2,477 | 65.69% |
1964 | 2,235 | 87.00% | 334 | 13.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 406 | 21.18% | 377 | 19.67% | 1,134 | 59.15% |
1956 | 661 | 36.97% | 803 | 44.91% | 324 | 18.12% |
1952 | 774 | 29.82% | 1,822 | 70.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 113 | 5.37% | 452 | 21.46% | 1,541 | 73.17% |
1944 | 409 | 29.55% | 975 | 70.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 231 | 10.88% | 1,892 | 89.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 132 | 7.45% | 1,641 | 92.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
1932 | 24 | 1.42% | 1,661 | 98.34% | 4 | 0.24% |
1928 | 317 | 26.00% | 891 | 73.09% | 11 | 0.90% |
1924 | 34 | 5.26% | 579 | 89.49% | 34 | 5.26% |
1920 | 187 | 19.62% | 766 | 80.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 4 | 0.70% | 567 | 99.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
1912 | 6 | 1.29% | 357 | 76.61% | 103 | 22.10% |
See also
References
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Red River Parish, Louisiana". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Red River Parish". Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ a b "IV: Red River Parish History". Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana. Chicago: Southern Publishing Company. 1891. p. 209 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ a b c Foner, Eric (2002) [1988]. Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863–1877. New York: Perennial Classics.
- ^ Humanities. 25 (1). Archived from the originalon September 16, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- ^ ISBN 9780374248550.
- SSRN.
- ^ "African American Migration Experience: The Second Great Migration". New York Public Library: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
- The Brookings Institution: Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. pp. 1–3. Archived from the original(PDF) on April 28, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
- Louisiana Secretary of State. October 20, 2007.
- The Times-Picayune. Archived from the originalon July 2, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Shreveport". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Red River RSCH STN, LA". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- Louisiana's Technical and Community Colleges. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Police Jurors". Red River Parish Police Jury. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Louie Bernard". Louisiana State Senate. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Members by Parish". Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "About". Congressman Mike Johnson. December 3, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". USElectionAtlas.org. Retrieved November 6, 2017.