by Carl A. Brasseaux and Alana A. Carmon
In
March 1832, the state legislature created Carroll Parish, stretching
from Morehouse Parish on the west to the Mississippi River on the east.
On March 26, 1877, legislation signed by Louisiana's governor divided
Carroll Parish into eastern and western parts divided by Bayou Macon.
Lake Providence served as the initial seat of justice in East Carroll
Parish, and the town remains the parish's governmental center. Throughout its early history,
East Carroll Parish was a cotton plantation area. During the Civil War,
General Ulysses S. Grant attempted unsuccessfully to bypass the Confederate
defenses at Vicksburg by ordering his men to dig a canal diverting the
Mississippi River from its existing channel.
East Carroll Parish is perhaps
best known for the Louisiana State Cotton Museum and the beautiful scenery
lining the oxbow just outside of Lake Providence. The region is also
an important gateway to the famous Poverty
Point archaeological site to the west.
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