Map of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Catahoula Parish (French: Paroisse de Catahoula) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,906. Its seat is Harrisonburg, on the Ouachita River. The parish was formed in 1808, shortly after the United States acquired this territory in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

Catahoula Parish overview:
Name:	Catahoula Parish
FIPS code:	22-025
State:	Louisiana
Founded:	March 23, 1808
Named for:	Tensas word for big, clear lake
Seat:	Harrisonburg
Largest town:	Jonesville
Total Area:	739 sq mi (1,910 km²)
Land Area:	708 sq mi (1,830 km²)
Total Population:	8,906
Population Density:	12/sq mi (4.7/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−6 (Central)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−5 (CDT)
Website:	www.discovercatahoula.com

Catahoula Parish location map. Where is Catahoula Parish?

Catahoula Parish location on the U.S. Map. Where is Catahoula Parish. — Location of Catahoula Parish in the the United States.

Catahoula Parish location on the Louisiana map. Where is Catahoula Parish. — Location of Catahoula Parish in Louisiana.

History

Prehistory

Catahoula Parish was the home to many succeeding Native American groups in the thousands of years before European settlements began. Peoples of the Marksville culture, Troyville culture, Coles Creek culture and Plaquemine culture built villages and mound sites throughout the area. Notable examples include Peck Mounds, and the Troyville Earthworks. The Troyville Earthworks have components dating from 100 BCE to 700 CE during the Baytown to the Troyville-Coles Creek periods.

It once had the tallest mound in Louisiana at 82 feet (25 m) in height; it was the second-tallest mound in North America (after Monk’s Mound at Cahokia Mounds). This mound was destroyed to make way for the Jonesville bridge over the Black River.

Historic era

This area was settled primarily by migrants from the southern United States after the Louisiana Purchase, when the US acquired the vast, former French-claimed territory west of the Mississippi River. White migrants to north and central Louisiana were from the South, and were mainly of British descent and Protestant religions. They brought a new influence into Louisiana. Some also brought or purchased African-American slaves to work on larger plantations. Many of these were from the Upper South, which sold slaves through the domestic market. They brought their own cultural influences as well.

The parish was founded in 1808 and originally incorporated a very large area. As population increased in the region, new parishes were organized from the territory first included in Catahoula Parish. The parish was divided by the state in 1910, when La Salle Parish was formed from its old western section. As one of the new parishes organized during early United States settlement of this part of the state, it has had the third most boundary changes since that time. Only Natchitoches and Ouachita parishes have had more revisions of boundaries.

Catahoula Parish Road Map

Catahoula ParishStreet Map. — Street map of Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Catahoula ParishMap — Catahoula Parishpolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 739 square miles (1,910 km), of which 708 square miles (1,830 km) is land and 31 square miles (80 km) (4.2%) is water. It is home to Sandy Lake.