Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, or ''Fort des Natchitoches'', in Natchitoches,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, US, is a replica of an early French fort based upon the original blueprints of 1716 by Sieur Du Tisné and company. The settlement which became the town of Natchitoches was founded in 1714 by French Canadian Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis as the first permanent European settlement in the lands later encompassed by the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

. In 1722, Juchereau de St. Denis in 1722 became commandant of ''Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches''. The fort was devised as a

trading Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchan ...

and

military outpost A military outpost is detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main force or formation, usually at a station in a remote or sparsely populated location, positioned to stand guard against unauthorized intrusions and surprise attacks ...

to counter any Spanish incursions into French territory. Soon it became a center of economic significance, particularly with neighboring

Caddo The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language. The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, wh ...

tribes. After 1764, Fort St. Jean was abandoned, with the transfer of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The exact location of the fort has since been lost. In 1979, the fort was reconstructed in the vicinity of where the fort is believed to have been located. Today, the fort is an attraction within the

Cane River National Heritage Area The Cane River National Heritage Area is a United States National Heritage Area in the state of Louisiana. The heritage area is known for plantations featuring Creole architecture, as well as numerous other sites that preserve the multi-cultural h ...

. The site is also host to

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

re-enactments of what life in the fort was like in the 1750s.

References

External links

Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
- Louisiana State Parks page
Cane River National Heritage Area
- information page St. Jean Louisiana State Historic Sites Protected areas of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana St. Jean St. Jean French-American culture in Louisiana Buildings and structures in Natchitoches, Louisiana Museums in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Military and war museums in Louisiana {{KingdomofFrance-stub