39-710: Simmesport is a town in Avoyelles Parish , Louisiana , United States. The population was 2,161 at the 2010 census . It is the northernmost town on the Atchafalaya River , located near the Old River which connects the Red and Atchafalaya rivers with the Mississippi River . The town was founded by Bennet Barton Simmes (1811–1888), one-time owner of White Hall Plantation , which was located on
78-553: A reservation there. The tribe has a land-based gambling casino on their reservation. It is located in Marksville , the parish seat, which is partly within reservation land. Native Americans occupied this area beginning around 300 BC. Varying indigenous cultures flourished there in the following centuries. Today on the banks of the old Mississippi River channel in Marksville, three large burial mounds have been preserved from
117-611: A system of a low-sill structure, an auxiliary structure, an overbank structure, a navigation lock, and a power plant near Red River Landing, Louisiana. In times of extreme flooding, the Morganza Spillway further downstream is also used to regulate volume. In 1942 part of the flow of the Atchafalaya River was diverted through Wax Lake to the Gulf of Mexico further west. During the 2011 Mississippi River floods ,
156-593: Is a 137-mile-long (220 km) distributary of the Mississippi River and 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 North America, by discharge. The name Atchafalaya comes from Choctaw for 'long river', from hachcha , 'river', and falaya , 'long'. The Atchafalaya River
195-536: Is known for its French colonial history and tradition of French language use. The contemporary Creole traditions, in both music and food, reflect European, African and Native American influences. While Avoyelles has a distinctive history of European immigrants, dominated by the French in its early history, it is considered the most northern of the 22 " Acadiana " parishes. These have a tradition of settlement by French-speaking refugees from Acadia (now eastern Canada) in
234-606: Is land and 33 square miles (85 km ) (3.8%) is water. The parish is bounded on the east by what was just the Red River in the first millennium CE, and is now the Red River and Atchafalaya River . The formation of the Atchafalaya River happened when the Mississippi River changed course, breaking up the Red River. In the 20th century the Old River Control Structure was built at this area to control
273-526: Is navigable and provides a significant industrial shipping channel for the state of Louisiana. It is the cultural heart of the Cajun Country . The maintenance of the river as a navigable channel of the Mississippi River has been a significant project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for more than a century. Natural development of the river channel, coupled with channel training and maintenance for flood control and navigation, have combined to isolate
312-480: The Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River . As of the 2020 census , the population was 39,693. The parish seat is Marksville . The parish was created in 1807, with the name deriving from the French name for the historic Avoyel people, one of the local Indian tribes at the time of European encounter. Today the parish is the base of the federally recognized Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe, who have
351-669: The Lewis and Clark Expedition and others to survey the Louisiana Territory. It hired local French soldiers, surveyors and doctors, many of whom eventually settled in the area. Many of the French people who settled Avoyelles Parish immigrated from France in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Many of the French words commonly used today in the parish date to terms used during the Napoleon period in France, indicating that this
390-764: The Mississippian culture , which flourished especially along the upper Mississippi, the Ohio River and other tributaries, from about 900 AD to 1500 AD. Mounds of its major city, Cahokia , are preserved in western Illinois across the Mississippi from St. Louis, Missouri. The trading network reached from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. A museum and a National Park commemorate this early culture. The Tunica people had bands whose territory extended into
429-668: The 527th Engineer Battalion of the 225th Engineer Brigade is located in Marksville, Louisiana . The 1086TH Transportation Company of the 165TH CSS (Combat Service Support) Battalion of the 139TH RSG (Regional Support Group) resides in Bunkie, Louisiana . Artists, authors and entertainers: Athletes: Other: Political leaders: 31°00′N 92°00′W / 31.00°N 92.00°W / 31.00; -92.00 Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River ( / ə ˌ tʃ æ f . ə ˈ l aɪ . ə / French : La Rivière Atchafalaya , Spanish : Río Atchafalaya )
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#1732786832075468-634: The Acadians of present-day Nova Scotia, who were expelled by the British from their homeland (Acadie) beginning in 1755 during the Seven Years' War with France. Many deported Acadians eventually made it to Louisiana from 1764 - 1788, after several years of living in exile along the eastern Atlantic seaboard, Canada, St. Pierre and France. In the later 19th century, immigrants from Scotland , Belgium , Italy , and Germany also settled here, following
507-688: The French Creoles. Together they established today's towns and villages. Their direct ties to Europe set them apart from the Acadians (Cajuns) of southern Louisiana, who came from a culture established for generations in Canada. At the turn of the 19th century, free people of color of African-French descent also settled in Avoyelles. Many came from New Orleans, which had a large community of free people of color. Others were refugees from Saint-Domingue , where slaves had rebelled to gain independence as
546-541: The Mississippi to regulate the division of flow between the two. Some advocates for wetland renewal recommend increasing the flow of water into the Atchafalaya basin in the interest of replenishing land lost to coastal subsidence . Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Avoyelles ( French : Paroisse des Avoyelles ) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the Red River where it effectively becomes
585-530: The Mississippi, where the Mississippi connects to the Red River by the 7-mile-long (11 km) canalized Old River (part of the Old River Control Structure ). It receives 30% of the combined flow of the Red and Mississippi Rivers. (The remaining 70% continues down the Mississippi River.) The volume the Atchafalaya receives from the Mississippi is controlled by the Old River Control Structure,
624-615: The Old River complex was discharging more than 706,000 cubic feet per second (20,000 m /s) into the Atchafalaya River, and the Morganza Floodway was discharging one-fourth of its capacity. If the Mississippi were allowed to flow freely, the shorter and steeper Atchafalaya would capture the main flow of the Mississippi, permitting the river to bypass its current path through the important ports of Baton Rouge and New Orleans . Despite control efforts, some researchers believe
663-496: The US Army Corps of Engineers built a system of levees along the Mississippi River. It reduced immediate flooding in Marksville and other towns, but has caused indirect damage to the wetlands. This has ultimately caused more serious flooding as the speed of the river has increased. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the parish has a total area of 866 square miles (2,240 km ), of which 832 square miles (2,150 km )
702-421: The age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under
741-428: The age of 18 living with them, 51.70% were married couples living together, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11. In the parish the population was spread out, with 26.80% under
780-463: The age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 59.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 15,455, and the median income for a family was $ 19,115. Males had a median income of $ 22,153 versus $ 15,938 for females. The per capita income for
819-467: The age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males. The median income for a household in the parish was $ 23,851, and the median income for a family was $ 29,389. Males had a median income of $ 27,122 versus $ 18,250 for females. The per capita income for
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#1732786832075858-531: The area under Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century. After his troops failed to regain control over Saint-Domingue (now Haiti ), Napoleon withdrew from North America. He sold the large Louisiana Purchase territory in 1803 to the United States under President Thomas Jefferson . As the US expanded its rule, local documents began to be recorded in the English of the new government. The United States arranged for
897-671: The central Mississippi Valley. They absorbed the smaller remnant of Avoyel people nearly two centuries ago. Through the years, they also intermarried with the more numerous Biloxi people . The peoples organized politically in the 20th century and were federally recognized in 1981 as the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe . They are the largest Native American tribe in Avoyelles Parish and have a reservation that extends into Marksville. Descendants of other smaller tribes are also enrolled in this tribe. Avoyelles Parish
936-477: The flow of the three rivers. At the 2020 United States census , there were 39,693 people, 15,163 households, and 9,840 families residing in the parish, up from 42,073 residents in 2010. At the census of 2000, there were 41,481 people, 14,736 households, and 10,580 families living in the parish. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19 people/km ). There were 16,576 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (7.7/km ). In 2000,
975-399: The late 18th century. They contributed strongly to the development of culture in this area, as did Africans and the indigenous Native Americans. The parish is noted for its brand of Cajun / Creole style music and its gumbo , a popular soup with roots in the three major ethnicities noted above. The central part of Avoyelles Parish is sited on a large plateau, slightly above the floodplain of
1014-473: The likelihood of this event increases each year due to natural forces inherent to river deltas. The Atchafalaya River meanders south as a channel of the Mississippi, through extensive levees and floodways, past Morgan City , and empties into the Gulf in Atchafalaya Bay approximately 15 miles (24 km) south of Morgan City. Since the late 20th century, the river has been forming a new delta in
1053-470: The missionaries hoped to convert the natives to Christianity. The trading post was built near the Avoyel/Tunica settlement; it was preserved until the mid-1960s. Historic roadside markers on LA 1 identify the site of the historic Catholic mission school. Franco-European settlers first called this area Hydropolis, meaning water city, referring to the marshes and bayous. The major mode of transportation
1092-537: The more southern Acadian parishes. But, few families in Avoyelles are of Acadian descent. From the 1800s until the mid-1900s, local Confederate units and local newspaper reports in The Villager always referred to the Avoyelles French families as Creoles, the term for native-born people of direct descent from early French colonists and born in the colony. Following the disastrous Great Flood of 1927 ,
1131-517: The nation of Haiti . Others came from other colonies in the French West Indies. The blending of these three cultures: Native American, European and African, created a distinct Louisiana Creole culture noted in the local language, food, Catholic religion, and family ties. In the 21st century, the Avoyelles Parish culture has been classified as "Cajun" because of the perceived similarities in speech, food, and various folk traditions with
1170-499: The opposite bank of the Atchafalaya River . In December 2005 industrialist Frank Stronach founded a new community just south of Simmesport along the Atchafalaya River levee, known as Canadaville , a place intended to house people displaced by Hurricane Katrina . Simmesport is located in eastern Avoyelles Parish on the west bank of the Atchafalaya River . According to the United States Census Bureau ,
1209-512: The parish was $ 12,146. About 21.70% of families and 25.90% of the population were below the poverty line , including 32.50% of those under age 18 and 25.00% of those age 65 or over. All primary public schools are run by the Avoyelles Parish School Board . It operates 10 schools with an enrollment over 6,000 students. The school board website is Avoyelles Parish School Board . The 1020th Engineer Company (Vertical) of
Simmesport, Louisiana - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-633: The racial makeup of the parish was 68.47% White , 29.49% Black or African American , 1.01% Native American , 0.17% Asian , 0.19% from other races , and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.64% reported speaking French or Cajun French at home, while 2.12% speak Spanish . In 2020, its racial makeup was 63.58% non-Hispanic white, 26.83% Black or African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.1% multiracial, and 3.74% Hispanic or Latino American. In 2000, there were 14,736 households, out of which 36.30% had children under
1287-587: The river from the swamp. The river valley forms the Atchafalaya Basin and Atchafalaya Swamp located in southern Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico . The Atchafalaya became a main distributary of the Mississippi in 1839 to 1849 when locals removed a huge log jam (the Great Raft ) that was obstructing the Atchafalaya River. The river is formed near Simmesport at the confluence of the Red River with
1326-419: The town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.1 km), of which 2.2 square miles (5.7 km) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km), or 7.93%, is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 1,468 people, 627 households, and 379 families residing in the town. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,239 people, 751 households, and 510 families residing in the town. The population density
1365-463: The town was $ 8,061. About 33.0% of families and 35.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 28.6% of those age 65 or over. Simmesport sits very near the end of the Red River and the beginning of the Atchafalaya River , into which water from the Mississippi once flowed freely. In the 1960s, the Old River Control Structure was constructed on
1404-572: The waterways. Travel by water was long the primary way to move around this area. The Indians used canoes, and the early French settlers developed their own boats, known as pirogues. Records from the Catholic churches in Mansura and Marksville document the founding of a trading post and a Catholic school by French colonists. The merchants wanted to conduct fur trading with the Tunica Tribe and
1443-429: Was 1,036.5 inhabitants per square mile (400.2/km). There were 830 housing units at an average density of 384.2 per square mile (148.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 52.1% White , 46.7% African American , 0.2% American Indian , 0.2% Asian , 0.2% from other races , and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 751 households, out of which 37.7% had children under
1482-470: Was by Indian canoe and pirogue (a French-style dug-out canoe). Church records identify settlers with all their family members listed, as well as some property; in some cases they listed slaves by name. Church records and documentation were recorded in French during the years of initial settlement, then in Spanish during their brief rule in the late 18th century, with a return to French after France reacquired
1521-606: Was the period of immigration. They have not been used in France for many generations. The Spanish influence in Louisiana was more dominant in New Iberia — this was named after colonists from the Iberian Peninsula, commonly known as Spain and Portugal. There are no Spanish surnames in Avoyelles. A few families from French Canada (Quebec) settled in Avoyelles. They were from a different geographic area of Canada than
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