| Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site | |
|---|---|
 Replica building at the fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches. | |
  | |
| Location | Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States of America |
| Coordinates | 31°45′08″N 93°05′16″W / 31.752222°N 93.087778°WCoordinates: 31°45′08″N 93°05′16″W / 31.752222°N 93.087778°W[1] |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha)[2] |
| Governing body | Louisiana Office of State Parks |
| http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iftstjean.aspx | |
Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site or Fort des Natchitoches, in Natchitoches, Louisiana, is a replica of an original French fort settlement; Based on the original fort blueprints, established in 1716 by Sieur Charles Claude Dutisné and company. Natchitoches itself was founded in 1714 by French Canadian Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis as the first permanent European settlement in the territory later known as the Louisiana Purchase. St. Denis would become commandant of Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches in 1722.
Originally, Fort St. Jean Baptiste was devised as an outpost to counter the Spanish from advancing into French territory but it soon became a center of economic significance, particularly with neighboring Caddo tribes.
The fort was both a trading and military post and was abandoned after 1764. The fort was rebuilt, but the actual location is unknown.[3]
Today, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site is a point of interest within the Cane River National Heritage Area. It is also host to Living History and reenactments of what Life in the fort was like in the 1750s
References[]
- ↑ "Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site - Louisiana Office of State Parks". Louisiana Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism. http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iftstjean.aspx. Retrieved 2011-04-06.
- ↑ Mobil Travel Guides, ed (1994-01-02). Mobil Travel Guide Southwest & South Central. Hungry Minds Inc, U.S.. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-671-87447-6.
- ↑ [1]
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site. |
- Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site - Louisiana State Parks page
- Cane River National Heritage Area - information page
The original article can be found at Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site and the edit history here.