St. Landry Parish, Louisiana

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St. Landry Parish (Template:Langx) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 82,540.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The parish seat is Opelousas.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The parish was established in 1807.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 culture and heritage in Louisiana.

History

French and Spanish Territory

Template:More citations needed 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 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.Template:Citation needed Nine years later, France named Louisiana 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), was named Atakapas Territory.

In 1764, France established the Opelousas Post slightly north of the contemporary city of Opelousas (near present-day Washington).<ref name="genwebhistory"/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Some Indians sold land to the newcomers. When the Eastern Attakapas Chief Kinemo sold all the land between Vermilion River and 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 in 1762. Under Spanish rule, Opelousas Post became the center of government for Southwest Louisiana. 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, 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 and African-Americans.

File:St Landry Parish Courthouse at Opelousas during the Civil War.jpg
The St. Landry Parish Courthouse in Opelousas during the Civil War

The group from Attakapas Post included many Acadians. These were French who migrated from Nova Scotia 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. 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 in the 7th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On April 10, 1805, after the United States had acquired the Louisiana Purchase, the post was named the town of Opelousas and became the seat of the County of Opelousas, part of the Territory of Orleans. In 1807, when the territory was reorganized into parishes, Opelousas was designated the seat of St. Landry Parish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Purchase by the United States

File:Map of St Landry 1893.jpg
1893 Map of St. Landry

The United States gained control of the territory in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase. 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.<ref name="genwebhistory"/>

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.<ref name="genwebhistory">Template:Cite web</ref> The parish's boundaries encompassed about half the land of the Opelousas Territory, between the Atchafalaya River 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, Evangeline, Jeff Davis, Beauregard, and Allen.<ref name="genwebhistory"/>

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.<ref>Central Acadiana Gateway: Opelousas and St. Landry Parish, LSUE Office of Public Relations, 2000 Template:Webarchive, accessed April 27, 2008</ref>

The city of Opelousas has been the seat of government for the St. Landry Parish since its formation.<ref name="genwebhistory"/> After Baton Rouge 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 when Union troops occupied Opelousas.<ref name="lsue">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="history">Template:Cite web</ref>

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."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="Fontenot1976p244">Fontenot, Mary.Acadia Parish, Louisiana. The Center for Louisiana Studies, 1976, p. 244.</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Opelousas massacre

In the aftermath of the ratification of Louisiana's Constitution of 1868 and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, 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. 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 and among the deadliest in American history. Following the massacre, the Republican Party in St. Landry Parish was eliminated for several years.<ref name=smithsoniandeadliest>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 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.<ref name="r1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="r2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="r3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent parishes

National protected areas

Major highways

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Communities

File:Map of St. Landry Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels.PNG
Map of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

Cities

Towns

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Villages

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated place

Other communities

  • Augusta
  • Barbreck
  • Dumas
  • 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
  • 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

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2020 census

St. Landry Parish, Louisiana – Racial and ethnic composition
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Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980<ref name=1980Census>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 1990<ref name=1990Census>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 51,120 47,185 49,160 46,025 43,225 60.76% 58.74% 56.05% 55.20% 52.37%
Black or African American alone (NH) 31,535 32,183 36,762 34,295 34,218 37.48% 40.06% 41.92% 41.13% 41.46%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 35 61 117 263 153 0.04% 0.08% 0.13% 0.32% 0.19%
Asian alone (NH) 156 174 177 314 374 0.19% 0.22% 0.20% 0.38% 0.45%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census</ref> 12 4 12 x x 0.01% 0.00% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 70 89 153 218 282 0.08% 0.11% 0.17% 0.26% 0.34%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x <ref>not an option in the 1980 Census</ref> x <ref>not an option in the 1990 Census</ref> 525 944 2,098 x x 0.60% 1.13% 2.54%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,212 639 794 1,321 2,178 1.44% 0.80% 0.91% 1.58% 2.64%
Total 84,128 80,331 87,700 83,384 82,540 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

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

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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, who is the chief law enforcement officer of the parish. Template:As of the sheriff of St. Landry Parish is Bobby J. Guidroz.<ref name="sheriff">Template:Cite web</ref>

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, went viral and were featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Higgins left the department after the videos attracted criticism from the ACLU and Sheriff Guidroz ordered that future videos be "toned down".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Politics

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Education

St. Landry Parish is served by the St. Landry Parish School Board

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  • 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)

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St. Landry Parish is also served by the Diocese of Lafayette with five schools:

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:

Notable people

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See also

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References

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References

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Geology

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