Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1803-1840: A Creole Community on the American Frontier

Kathleen M. Byrd’s Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1803-1840 is an examination of one French Creole community as it transitioned from a fur-trading and agricultural settlement under the control of Spain to a critical American outpost on the Spanish/American frontier and finally to a commercial hub and jumping-off point for those heading west. Byrd focuses on historic events in the area and the long-term French Creole residents as they adapted to the American presence. She also examines the effect of the arrival of the Americans, with their Indian trading house and Indian agency, on Native groups and considers how members of the enslaved population took advantage of opportunities for escape presented by a new international border. Byrd shows how the arrival of Americans forever changed Natchitoches, transforming it from a sleepy frontier settlement into a regional commercial center and staging point for pioneers heading into Texas.

Until her retirement, Kathleen M. Byrd was the director of the School of Social Sciences at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. She has also served as the state archaeologist for Louisiana.