Red River Parish: River and History

Red River Parish can be understood through two themes: the river as a geographic reference point and the history centered around Coushatta. If you’re looking for a hotel for a stay in the region, you can start by deciding what you want to focus on. Are you more interested in activities on the water, or in cultural heritage and architecture? The details below can help you sort through the destination’s different aspects as you plan.

The Red River and Activities on the Water

The Red River flows through the entire length of Red River Parish. A public boat launch is located in the Coushatta Recreation Area. It closes when the water level reaches 29 and a continued rise is forecast. If you plan to use the launch, check its status in advance. At John K. Kelly – Grand Bayou Reservoir, there is a protected catch window of 14 to 17 inches; check the current regulations before fishing. The guidelines address different questions: for the launch, the water level and forecast matter; for fishing, the catch window in inches matters.

Culture and Architecture

You can explore the cultural heritage of Red River Parish in the history room at the Red River Parish Library. The library is also currently displaying a collection of Indigenous artifacts from the surrounding area. These are distinct points of reference: the history room focuses on the heritage of the parish, while the collection includes artifacts from the surrounding area.

The Thomas House stands on the hilly eastern side of Red River Parish. Built around 1855, it is a one-room log house. In the context of northern Louisiana, it has local architectural significance and is considered a rare example of domestic log-house architecture.

The Coushatta Bank is a two-story brick building with a false front, built around 1890 in the oldest, riverfront part of Coushatta. It is considered a locally significant architectural landmark. Compared with the Thomas House, a one-room log house built around 1855, it illustrates the difference between two building types and two periods of construction. A distinctive suspended-tower mechanism is also preserved at the Red River Parish Courthouse.

Coushatta: Local History in Several Stages

Before the parish was established, Coushatta Point, also called Coushatta Chute, was primarily a steamboat landing. Coushatta Point was also the site of the Jones store and warehouse, which were destroyed in April 1864. Coushatta was founded in 1871; a fire in 1918 destroyed most of the business district, while two buildings were spared. These dates place the historic landing, the town’s founding, and the later fire in chronological order.

For the Planter's Hotel, the period of historical significance spans 1875 to 1899; commerce and social history are listed as areas of significance. This period falls after Coushatta’s founding in 1871 and before the 1918 fire in the business district.

Discover more destinations: Coushatta, Winn, De Soto, Ascension Parish, West Baton Rouge Parish, St. Landry Parish, Ouachita, Jefferson

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