by Alana A. Carmon

Established in 1838, Caldwell Parish was formed from Ouachita and Catahoula parishes. Caldwell has a population of slightly over 9,300 and an area of 531 square miles. The economy of the parish is based on agriculture production and the cattle and forestry industries.

During the antebellum period and steamboat era, Columbia, the seat of government in Caldwell Parish, was a major shipping point in central Louisiana. The Civil War temporarily disrupted the parish’s agricultural trade as the Confederate government prohibited the embargo and sale of cotton. At the conclusion of the war, the cultivation of cotton was re-instituted and river trade escalated.

Symbolic of the cotton kingdom epoch are the picturesque plantation homes that survived along the Ouachita River in Caldwell Parish.

HISTORIC SITES

National Register

MUSEUMS

The Schepis Museum

WILDLIFE PRESERVES

Boeuf Wildlife Management Area

Copenhagen Hills Preserve