| Communities | Economy | History / Markers | Local Government |
| Location / Geography | Media | Parks and Recreation | Schools and Libraries |
| Parish Map | Top of page | ||
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Unincorporated areas of interest in the parish include Alto, Archibald, Bardel, Bee Bayou, Buckner, Charlieville, Crew Lake, Dun, Girard, Goff, Holly Ridge, Jonesburg, New Light, Producers Spur, Rhymes, Start, Sun Spur and Warden. |
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Lafourche Bayou Bayou Maçon Big Creek |
There are no State Historical Markers in Richland Parish. |
History | ||
| 1729 |
Richland Parish was originally part of the Ouachita country which roughly defined the area between the Red and Mississippi rivers north to the Missouri River. The name Ouachita, pronounced ³Wash-i-taw², is derived from a tribe of Native Americans which inhabited that area when it was first explored by the French. European settlement of the area began about the same time as the founding of New Orleans but the massacre of settlers at Natchez in 1729 induced the Ouachita settlers to move closer to the protection of more established communities down river. | |
| 1785 |
Don Juan Filhoil, a Frenchman in the Spanish military, was given command of the Ouachita and told to establish settlements in the area, which had become Spanish territory in 1769. He reported that no sign of the previous settlements existed and set out to build Fort Miro at the present site of the city of Monroe. About the same time the Spanish governor struck a deal with the Baron de Bastrop. If he would help populate the area he would be given a grant of over a million square acres of land. The Baron hired a man from Kentucky named Abraham Morehouse to encourage immigration to the Ouachita country. Settlers were promised title to 400 acres of land if they remained for three years. Although part of Richland was included in this grant, settlement of the parish was slower due to the unusually thick vegetation. | |
| 1805 |
When the Territory of Orleans is divided into counties the present-day Richland Parish is part of Ouachita County | |
| 1836 September 29 |
The Ray family had moved into Ouachita Parish from Missouri about 1836. JamesË brother John was convinced shortly after by David Crockett and James Bowie that he should join the volunteers in an expedition to free Texas from Mexico. He got as far as Natchitoches when he learned that he had missed death‹and immortality‹ at the Alamo. John Ray returned to Monroe, established a law practice and was instrumental in establishing the first road and railroad that traversed Richland Parish. During the Civil War Ray served in the Confederate Army, but maintained that the state should not have seceded. After the war he became involved in Republican politics, became a state senator, and introduced a bill to form the new parish. Although it passed easily, Democrats opposed the creation of new parishes during this period because it was used to spread the influence of the "carpetbagger" government. |
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| 1840 |
Settlement mostly occurred on small prairies near navigable streams. The prairies allowed the pioneers, mostly from the southeastern United States, to plant crops without clearing the land of trees. About 1840 a road was built through the vast canebrake and swamp area between the Boeuf River and Bayou Maçon. This road had to be continuously cleared because of the encroaching vegetation. Most of the transportation in the area was by steamboat which supplied settlements to the north along the Boeuf River and Bayou Maçon. |
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| 1844 |
Due to the population increase, Morehouse Parish is created from the parent parish of Ouachita by an act of the Louisiana Legislature in 1844 and at the time included within its boundary part of what is now Richland Parish. |
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| 1854 |
In 1854 railroad construction began to reach into northern Louisiana and by 1861 the first line to Monroe had crossed Richland Parish. Settlement and development of the parish was halted however by the Civil War. Commerce in the area disappeared and thousands of acres of land that had been cleared for cotton production were abandoned and reverted to forest growth.
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| 1868 September 29 |
Richland Parish is established by an act of the Louisiana Legislature on September 29, 1868, during the early part of the "reconstruction era". It is carved out of parts of Carroll, Franklin, Morehouse and Ouachita parishes. It was named Richland because of the fertility of its soil. Rayville was immediately chosen as the seat of the parish government, although at that time it was a very small settlement. The town having been named for James Ray, who ran a store on the site. Democrats opposed the formation of new parishes during the Reconstruction Era because it spread the influence of the Republican "carpetbagger" government. |
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| 1880 September 29 |
A new era of economic activity began during 1880Ës with the revival of cotton production. The better drained lands that were accessible to the new railroads were cleared and cultivated for cotton. Since shipment no longer depended upon water transportation, some cotton land near the bayous was abandoned in favor of that near the railroads. In 1890 another line was built through Rayville to Natchez, providing a north-south railroad system. | |
| 1900 September 29 |
Lumber production became an important industry between 1900 and 1910, and reached its peak between 1915 and 1920 when the post World War I agricultural boom encouraged the planting of cut-over timberlands in cotton. Cotton acreage continued to expand until the great Depression of the 1930s. Richland has always been agricultural, with Cotton the King in acreage and market value. The parish still ranks second in the state in cotton production. Other products of increasing importance are livestock and dairy products. During the 1950s the Louisiana Department of Public Works constructed an extensive system of drainage in the parish, which has resulted in availability of additional land suitable for farming. |
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The Richland Parish School System includes 11 elementary, middle, junior high and senior high schools and the Richland Special School for special students. There are two private schools in the parish to provide an alternative for students not attending public schools. Riverfield Academy has grades K-12 with a recent enrollment of 312 students. Recent ACT average is 23.5. Richland Christian Academy also covers grades K-12 with an enrollment of approximately 70. All public and private schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary schools and the Louisiana Independent School Association. ACT average score is 19.1 for the parishËs schools. This is slightly below the regional average of 19.8 and national average of 20.6. Currently the percentages of graduating seniors attending college are 46.70% for the public schools. Annual cost in public funds to provide schooling is $2,954 per student, with a pupil-to teacher ratio of 16.42:1 (one of the best in the state). Parish enrollment is approximately 4,500 students. |
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| Vocational training is available at Delta-Ouachita Vocational-Technical Institute located in West Monroe, the Northeast Louisiana Vocational School, a state-funded facility in Monroe, and in the vocational program of the parish schools. Vocational training includes welding, auto mechanics, small engine repair, business, LPN nursing, machine shop, drafting and instrumentation.
To assure that new and expanding businesses have a continuing pool of workers with the level of education and expertise necessary for their operations, the area’s colleges and universities, vocational/technical schools and high schools graduate trained and entry-level persons year round. Schools at all levels are augmenting their general education missions with programs explicitly connected with employment possibilities for their students. This is seen in secondary schools in career education curricula and programs such as adopt-a-school through which business contributes resources, curriculum guidance and, in some cases, instruction, counseling and the promise of jobs for graduates. Community colleges are increasing their industry-specific training and colleges and universities are developing partnerships with industry that involve human as well as technological development. |
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Education |
Within a two hour drive of Richland Parish are eight colleges or universities. Five of these offer doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, engineering, medical and legal fields. These universities are nationally and internationally recognized as sponsoring extensive research activities. Northeast Louisiana University 22 miles Grambling University 55 miles Louisiana Tech 55 miles Louisiana State University -Shreveport 120 miles Centenary College 120 miles LSU Medical Center-Shreveport 120 miles Southern University-Shreveport/Bossier 120 miles |
| Although it is one of Louisiana's youngest institutions of higher learning (established in 1931), Northeast Louisiana University has grown rapidly into one of the South's premier universities. It typifies LouisianaËs dedication to excellence in Higher Education. Some Facts: € Is the largest university in North Louisiana and the fourth largest public university in Louisiana, enrolling more than 10,000 students each year from every parish in Louisiana, more than 40 other states and 50 other countries. € Has a $340 million annual impact on the area's economy. € Its Master of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology and Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology have been ranked among the top two percent of more than 1,800 degree programs re- viewed by the state's Board of Regents. € NLU has the state's only School of Communication. Its programs have been ranked by the Board of Regents as being the best in North Louisiana, and among the top three in the state. NLU has the only photo-journalism program in the state. NLU is the only university in the state to offer degrees in Radio/Television/Film Management, Production, Performance, Film-making, and Broadcast News plus an Associate degree in Radio/Television/Film € NLU has the first School of Construction in the nation to be accredited, the Computer Science program was the first in North Louisiana and one of the first 48 programs in the nation to earn accreditation, the Agricultural Aviation program is the first of its kind in the nation, the first undergraduate and graduate programs in Criminal Justice in the state, its Master's degree program in Substance Abuse Counseling is the only such program in Louisiana, the first Gerontology program and graduate-level Certificate in Gerontology in the state (one of only three) € Research and Service located at NLU: The Northeast Louisiana Regional Archaeologist of the Louisiana Division of Archaeology, The Office of State Director of Louisiana Small Business Development Center, The Regional Tumor Registry, The Cancer Research Center, The Museum of Zoology is ranked in the top five in the nation. The fishes collection is one of the largest and most complete collections in the nation. The Herbarium is the largest in the state and one of the fastest growing in the nation € Research and services are provided through such programs as the Small Business Development Center the Center for Business and Economic Research, the Behavioral Economic Research Laboratory, the Human Performance Laboratory, the Marriage and Family Counseling Center, the Center for Professional Development, the Center for Research in Education, the Climatic Research Center, the Coal Lab, Continuing Education, the Soil-Plant Analysis Lab, the University Theatre, the Drug Information Center, the Institute of Gerontology, the NLU Concerts Association, the Dental Hygiene Clinic, the Senior Community Service Project, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, the Speech and Hearing Clinic, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Technical Services Center. | |
| Located in Ruston only an hour from Richland Parish Tech was founded in 1894 and is the oldest university in North Louisiana. Associate, undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in Business Administration, Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering, Human Ecology, and Life Sciences. An international program offers classes in Italy and Mexico. The 10,000 plus students represent every parish in Louisiana, every state in America and 49 countries and give Tech the highest graduation rate in the state. The campus and the university are a source of pride, excitement and culture for all residents of Lincoln Parish. TechËs value to the community goes way beyond its educational services. Area hospitals draw upon the international reputation of its Bio-Med Center. Research in other engineering disciplines works hand-in-hand with area businesses. The university offers a variety of facilities for use by convention groups. The university Concert Association brings outstanding entertainment to the parish every year. | |
| Founded by Charles P. Adams in 1901, Grambling State University is a multi-purpose, state-supported, coeducational institution The degree granting academic units include the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Science & Technology, Education, and Business; the Schools of Nursing and Social Work; and the Division of Graduate Studies. Preliminary training is available for medicine, law and dentistry. Non-credit continuing education programs serve the citizens of Grambling and North Louisiana. New Emphasis in Grambling StateËs Graduate School curriculum has been placed on the Ed.D. in Developmental Education, a unique offering in Louisiana. With an enrollment of Approximately 6000+, the University is small enough to provide its students with individual attention and concern, and large enough to offer them choices from a wide spectrum of curricular experiences. The guiding principles of the University embrace the motto that "Everybody is Somebody" | |
Director - Brenda Doran 1410 Louisa St. Rayville, LA 71269-3299 Email - ri_libl@alpha.nlu.edu 2 Branches - Delhi, Mangham The Rhymes Memorial Library was the first rural public library in the state of Louisiana. Although the parish library facilities have been moved to a newer building the Rhymes Memorial building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and is used as the Parishes information center, RayvilleËs community center and headquarters for the annual ³Southern PickinË and GinninË Festival. Richland Parish enjoys an excellent parish-supported public library system. The library is located in Rayville, with a head librarian and a full and part-time staff of eight. Volumes in the library total in excess of 65,000, with approximately 50 new additions per month. The facilities offer reading and reference materials, such as periodicals, films and audio materials for all ages. There are two branches located in Delhi and Mangham. Unique programs include a story hour, all year in all three branches and a parish-wide SOS service which reaches homebound and handicapped people as well as nursing home residents. The Richland Parish Library is a member of the Trail Blazer Library System, a thirteen parish cooperative library system. Because of its membership in Trail Blazer, East Carroll Parish Library can borrow material for its patrons from all other libraries in the system. Northeast Louisiana University, Grambling University and Louisiana Tech are located within an hour of Rayville. The large collections at the university libraries are available to parish residents through Trail Blazer. American Library Directory 1999-2000, R. R. Bowker |
