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Baton Rouge History
Where should we begin a discussion on Baton Rouge history? Perhaps the beginning would be best. Long before any white person had set foot on North American soil, the history of Baton Rouge began with the native Indians.
The area where present day Baton Rouge rests was actually a boundary between two Indian tribes: the Bayougoulas and the Houmas. The Indians marked this boundary with a reddish cypress pole that had blood, fish heads, and animal heads on it.
In 1699 a Spanish explorer by the name of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville led an expedition up the Mississippi River. His party consisted of 200 men that were the first Europeans to travel upriver. When they reached the red cypress tree with blood on it, they named the site "Baton Rouge", which is French for "Red Stick".
Baton Rouge, along with the rest of Louisiana, was then settled by the French and English. The early Cajuns that settled the region from Nova Scotia avoided Baton Rouge for the most part because it was under English rule.
Several world powers owned present day Baton Rouge for periods of time. From 1699 to 1763 it was owned by France. From 1763 to 1779 Baton Rouge was owned by Great Britian. From 1779 to 1810 it was under Spanish rule. In 1810 some rebels in Baton Rouge revolted against Spain and claimed Baton Rouge for the territory known as the new Republic of West Florida. At long last, the state of Louisiana was admitted into the United States in 1812.
In 1846 Baton Rouge became the state capital of Louisiana when there were only about 2,300 residents in the city. This was short-lived however as the capital was transferred back to New Orleans in 1862. By 1879 though, Baton Rouge became the permanent capital of Louisiana.
Due to its strategic location on the Mississippi River, the history of Baton Rouge is full of power, war, politics, agriculture, transportation, and eventually petrochemicals. By American standards, she is an old city of more than 300 years. In reality though, the Baton Rouge history has only just begun.