St. Landry Parish () is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 82,540. The

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...

is Opelousas. The parish was established in 1807. St. Landry Parish comprises the Opelousas, LA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is also included in the Lafayette-Opelousas- Morgan City, LA Combined Statistical Area. It is at the heart of Creole and

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

culture and heritage in Louisiana.

History

French and Spanish Territory

The land that became St. Landry Parish was inhabited since at least 10,500 B.C., as deduced from excavations of three prehistoric dwelling sites. By the 15th century, the Opelousa Indians settled in the area situated between

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River () is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River of the South, Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and is the fifth largest river in N ...

and Sabine River (at the border of Texas-Louisiana). The Opelousa were war-like and preyed on neighbors to defend their own territory. The first European recorded in the Opelousa territory was a French trader named Michel de Birotte. He came in 1690 and negotiated with the Opelousa nation. Nine years later, France named

as a colony and defined the land occupied by the Opelousa as the Opelousas Territory. The area south of the Opelousas Territory between the Atchafalaya River, the Gulf of Mexico and Bayou Nezpique, occupied by the Atakapas Indians (Eastern

Atakapa The Atakapa Sturtevant, 659 or Atacapa were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who spoke the Atakapa language and historically lived along the Gulf of Mexico in what is now Texas and Louisiana. They included several distinct b ...

), was named Atakapas Territory. In 1764,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

established the Opelousas Post slightly north of the contemporary city of Opelousas (near present-day Washington). It was a major trading organization for the developing area. In addition, France established the Attakapas Post (near the present-day St. Martinville) in the Attakapas Territory, in 1765. France gave land grants to soldiers and settlers to encourage development. Most settlers were French immigrants. Tradition says that Jean Joseph LeKintrek and Joseph Blainpain, who had formed a partnership to trade with the Opelousa Indians, came in the early 1740s. They brought three enslaved Africans, the first to live in the area. Some Indians sold land to the newcomers. When the Eastern Attakapas Chief Kinemo sold all the land between Vermilion River and

Bayou Teche Bayou Teche (Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche ...

to Frenchman Gabriel Fuselier de la Claire in 1760, however, the angry Opelousa tribe exterminated the Attakapas (Eastern Atakapa). France ceded Louisiana and its territories to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1762. Under Spanish rule, Opelousas Post became the center of government for Southwest

. By 1769 about 100 families were living in Opelousas Post. Between 1780 and 1820, the first settlers were joined by others coming from the Attakapas Territory, from the Pointe Coupée Territory, and east from the Atchafalaya River area. They were joined by immigrants from the

French West Indies The French West Indies or French Antilles (, ; ) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloupe, including the islands of Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Les Saintes, Ma ...

, who left after Haiti/St. Domingue became independent in a slave revolution. Most of the new settlers were French, Spaniards, French Creoles, Spanish Creoles,

Africans The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, with each ethnicity generally having their own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. The ethnolinguistic groups include various Afroasiatic, Khoisan, Niger-Congo, and Nilo-Sahara ...

and

African-Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

. The group from Attakapas Post included many

Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...

. These were French who migrated from

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1763, after their expulsion by the English in the aftermath of France's defeat in the Seven Years' War (known in North America as the French and Indian War). They were led by

Jean-Jacques Blaise d'Abbadie Jean-Jacques Blaise d'Abbadie (February 4, 1726 – February 4, 1765, New Orleans) was the French Director-general of the Colony of Louisiana. He served from February 1763 until he died in office two years later, in New Orleans. Naval c ...

. D'Abbadie was Governor of the territory from 1763 to 1765. The French community built St. Landry Catholic Church by 1766, dedicated to St. Landry (Landericus) of Paris, the

Bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been create ...

in the 7th century. On April 10, 1805, after the United States had acquired the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

, the post was named the town of Opelousas and became the seat of the County of Opelousas, part of the

Territory of Orleans The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was Admission to ...

. In 1807, when the territory was reorganized into parishes, Opelousas was designated the seat of St. Landry Parish.

Purchase by the United States

The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

gained control of the territory in 1803 through the

. Americans from the South and other parts of the United States began to migrate to the area, marking the arrival of the first large English-speaking population and the introduction of the need for more general use of English. St. Landry Parish was officially established on April 10, 1805, by a legislative act, becoming the largest parish in the Louisiana state. The new parish was named after the St. Landry Catholic Church located near the Opelousas Post. The parish's boundaries encompassed about half the land of the Opelousas Territory, between the

and Sabine River, between Rapides Parish and Vernon Parish, and Lafayette and St. Martin Parishes. Since then, the area of the parish has decreased, as six additional parishes have been created from its territory. These include Calcasieu,

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

, Evangeline, Jeff Davis, Beauregard, and Allen. In 1821 the second educational institution west of the Mississippi was founded in Grand Coteau. In this community south of Opelousas is the Academy of the Sacred Heart, a private Catholic school founded by the French Creole community. The city of Opelousas has been the seat of government for the St. Landry Parish since its formation. After

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

fell to the Union troops during the Civil War in 1862, Opelousas became the state capital for nine months. The capital was moved again in 1863, this time to

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

when Union troops occupied Opelousas. St. Landry Parish originally consisted of all the territory in the current parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, and St. Landry. Over time, it was separated into three different parishes. The southwestern portion of St. Landry was broken off to become Acadia Parish in 1886. A bill was introduced in the Louisiana House of Representatives entitled "An act to create the parish of Nicholls, and to provide for the organization thereof." The title was later changed to read: "An act to create the parish of Acadia." Father Joseph Anthonioz, the first pastor of the Catholic Church at Rayne, is credited with having suggested the name, Acadia Parish. The bill passed the house on June 11, the senate on June 28, and was approved by Governor Samuel D. McEnery on June 30.Fontenot, Mary.''Acadia Parish, Louisiana''. The Center for Louisiana Studies, 1976, p. 244. On October 6, an election was held to affirm the creation of the parish, with 2,516 votes for and 1,521 votes against the creation. St. Landry was divided again when the northwestern portion was broken away. In June 1908, a bill was passed to create a new parish out of a portion of St. Landry Parish. This new parish became named Evangeline Parish in 1910. Prior to creation of the new parish, Eunice and Ville Platte were in competition for the new parish seat. Ville Platte was selected by voters on April 12, 1909. After the election, Eunice declared it would remain in St. Landry Parish.

Opelousas massacre

In the aftermath of the ratification of Louisiana's Constitution of 1868 and the

Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. Considered one of the most consequential amendments, it addresses Citizenship of the United States ...

, tensions between white Democrats and Black Republicans in St. Landry Parish escalated throughout the summer of 1868. On September 28, white schoolteacher and Republican newspaper editor Emerson Bentley was attacked and beaten by three white supremacists while teaching a classroom of Black children in

Opelousas, Louisiana Opelousas (; ) is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 in Louisiana, Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 in Louisiana, U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a ju ...

. Rumors of Bentley's death, while unfounded, led both Black Republicans and white supremacist Democrats, including the St. Landry Parish chapter of the Knights of the White Camelia, to threaten violent retribution. In the days following Bentley's subsequent covert flight to New Orleans, the massacre began. Heavily outnumbered, Black citizens were chased, captured, shot, murdered, and lynched during the following weeks. While estimates of casualties vary widely, several sources number the deaths between 200 and 300 black people and several dozen whites, making it the bloodiest massacres of the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

and among the deadliest in American history. Following the massacre, the Republican Party in St. Landry Parish was eliminated for several years.

2019 black church fires

During 10 days, three black churches, the St. Mary Baptist Church over 100 years old (March 26, 2019), Greater Union Baptist Church (April 2, 2019), and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (April 4, 2019) set on fire by a vandal and this incident raised officials concern that the fires started by

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and radical group or person. Finally, police arrested the vandal who was the son of a St. Landry Parish sheriff's deputy. Holden Matthews, 21, has been charged with the arson attack on black churches.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent parishes

* Avoyelles Parish (north) * Pointe Coupee Parish (east) * St. Martin Parish (southeast) *

Lafayette Parish Lafayette Parish () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat and largest city is Lafayett ...

(south) * Acadia Parish (southwest) * Evangeline Parish (west and northwest)

National protected areas

* Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge (part) *

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve () protects the natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region. It is named after French pirate Jean Lafitte and consists of six separate sites and a park headquar ...

(part, in Eunice)

Major highways

Interstate 49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway with multiple segments. The original portion is entirely within Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in Shreveport, Louisian ...

* U.S. Highway 71 * U.S. Highway 167 * U.S. Highway 190 * Louisiana Highway 10 * Louisiana Highway 13 *

Louisiana Highway 29 Louisiana Highway 29 (LA 29) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs in a north–south direction from LA 13 north of Eunice to LA 114 west of Moreauville. The route connects Eunice, a city in western St. ...

* Louisiana Highway 31 * Louisiana Highway 35 * Louisiana Highway 91 * Louisiana Highway 93 * Louisiana Highway 103 * Louisiana Highway 107 *

Louisiana Highway 182 Louisiana Highway 182 (LA 182) is a state highway located in central and southeastern Louisiana. It runs in a northwest to southeast direction from LA 29 in Whiteville to U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) north of Raceland. Along the ...

Communities

Cities

* Eunice * Opelousas (parish seat and largest municipality)

Towns

* Arnaudville * Grand Coteau * Krotz Springs * Leonville * Melville * Port Barre *

Sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...

* Washington

Villages

* Cankton * Palmetto

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated place

* Lawtell * Morrow

Other communities

* Augusta * Barbreck * Bat * Bayou Current * Bayou Jack * Beggs * Big Cane * Bolden * Boretta * Boscoville * Bristol * Chiasson * Courtableau * Danks * Darbonne * Dubuisson * Elba * Faubourg * Frozard * Garland * Gibbs * Goodwood * Gordon * Grand Prairie * Hallf Moon * Hazelwood * Immaculata * LeBeau * Ledoux * Le Moyen * Lewisburg * Macland * McClure * Naka * Neita * Notelyville * Nuba * Pecanière * Petetin * Plaisance * Poplar Grove * Pointe Claire * Powell Ridge * Prairie Ronde * Rideau Settlement * Robin * Rosa * Sambo * Savoy * Shuteston * Soileau * St. Louis * Suna * Swayze Lake * Swords * Veazie * Veltin * Waxia * Whiteville * Woodside

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 82,540 people, 30,441 households, and 20,790 families residing in the parish.

Law enforcement

The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office (SLPSO) is the primary law enforcement agency of St. Landry Parish. It falls under the authority of the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish. the sheriff of St. Landry Parish is Bobby J. Guidroz. The office briefly became the subject of national attention in 2015 when its eccentric Crime Stoppers videos, starring public relations officer (later U.S. Representative)

Clay Higgins Glen Clay Higgins (born August 24, 1961) is an American politician and reserve law enforcement officer from the state of Louisiana. A Republican, Higgins is the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. The district, which ...

, went viral and were featured on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

''. Higgins left the department after the videos attracted criticism from the ACLU and Sheriff Guidroz ordered that future videos be "toned down".

Politics

Education

St. Landry Parish is served by the St. Landry Parish School Board * Arnaudville Elementary (Grades 5–8) * Beau Chene High School (Grades 9–12) (unincorporated Arnaudville) * Cankton Elementary (Grades PK-4) (Cankton) * Central Middle School (Grades 5–6) * East Elementary (Grades PK-4) * Eunice Elementary (Grades PK-4) * Eunice High School (Grades 9–12) * Eunice Jr. High School (Grades 7–8) * Glendale Elementary (Grades PK-4) * Grand Coteau Elementary (Grades PK-4) (Grand Coteau) * Grand Prairie Elementary (Grades PK-4) (unincorporated Washington) * Grolee Elementary (Grades PK-4) * Highland Elementary (Grades PK-4) * Krotz Springs Elementary (Grades PK-8) * Lawtell Elementary (Grades PK-8) (Lawtell) * Leonville Elementary (Grades PK-8) * North Central High School (Grades 9–12) (unincorporated Washington) * Northeast Elementary (Grades PK-6) * Northwest High School (Grades 9–12) (unincorporated Opelousas) * Opelousas Jr. High School (Grades 7–8) * Opelousas Sr. High School (Grades 9–12) * Palmetto Elementary (Grades PK-4) (Palmetto) * Park Vista Elementary (Grades PK-6) * Plaisance Elementary (Grades 5–8) (unincorporated Opelousas) * Port Barre Elementary (Grades PK-4) * Port Barre High School (Grades 5–12) * South Street Elementary (Grades PK-6) * Sunset Elementary (Grades 5–8) * Washington Elementary (Grades PK-8) St. Landry Parish is also served by the Diocese of Lafayette with five schools: * Academy of the Sacred Heart (Grades PK-12) (Grand Coteau) * Berchman's Academy of the Sacred Heart (Grades PK-12) (Grand Coteau) * Opelousas Catholic School (Grades PK-12) (Opelousas) * St. Edmunds Catholic School (Grades PK-12) (Eunice) * St. Ignatius Catholic School (Grades PK-8) (Grand Coteau) Additionally, St. Landry Parish is served by four unaffiliated private schools: * Good Shephard Montessori School (Grades PK-8) (Port Barre) * Melville Private School (Grades PK-7) (Melville) * Opelousas Family Worship School (Grades PK-12) (Opelousas) * Westminster Christian Academy (Grades PK-12) St. Landry Parish is served by two institutions of higher education: * Louisiana State University at Eunice * South Louisiana Community College service area, T. H. Harris Campus ( Opelousas)

Notable people

* Lottie Beebe * Rod Bernard * Carl A. Brasseaux * Gerald Boudreaux * Lonnie Brooks * Tony Chachere * Clifton Chenier * Cat Doucet * Gilbert L. Dupré * E. D. Estilette *

Gordon (slave) Peter () (also known as Gordon, or "Whipped Peter", or "Poor Peter") was an escaped slave, escaped American slave who was the subject of photographs documenting the extensive keloid scarring of his back from whippings received in slavery. The "sc ...

* Curtis J. Guillory * Elbert Guillory *

* Rodney Milburn * Paul Prudhomme * Devery Henderson

References

* , . ** ** The author is one of the descendants of "Alexandre of Attakapas", Nezat Alexandre, born 1781 in Attakapas Post and died 1824 (Source Hebert).

External links

Official Web Site of St. Landry Parish Government

Website for St. Landry Catholic Church Parish

St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office

St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission
Geology * Heinrich, P. V., and W. J. Autin, 2000
''Baton Rouge 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Heinrich, P. V., J. Snead, and R. P. McCulloh, 2003
''Crowley 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. * Snead, J., P. V. Heinrich, and R. P. McCulloh, 2002
''Ville Platte 30 x 60 minute geologic quadrangle.''
Louisiana Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. {{Coord, 30.60, -92.00, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-LA_source:UScensus1990 Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana Parishes in Acadiana Saint Landry Parish, Louisiana 1807 establishments in the Territory of Orleans Populated places established in 1807

History

French and Spanish Territory

Purchase by the United States

Opelousas massacre

2019 black church fires

Geography

Adjacent parishes

National protected areas

Major highways

Communities

Cities

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated place

Other communities

Demographics

Law enforcement

Politics

Education

Notable people

See also

References

References

External links